The Dodleston Messages

In 1984, Ken Webster and Debbie Oakes found strange messages appearing on their BBC Micro computer in their cottage in Dodleston, Cheshire. The messages claimed to come from a man named Thomas Harden, living in the year 1521. Over the following year, they exchanged hundreds of messages with this entity, who described life in Tudor England with remarkable historical accuracy. The Dodleston Messages remain one of the strangest cases of apparent contact with the past.

The Setting

The Cottage

Ken Webster and Debbie Oakes lived in:

• Meadow Cottage, Dodleston
• A building with parts dating to the 16th century
• Located in a quiet Cheshire village
• They had recently moved in

The Computer

Ken Webster was a teacher who used:

• A BBC Micro computer (popular in 1980s Britain)
• For writing and educational purposes
• The computer was a standalone machine
• Not connected to any network (pre-internet)

The First Message

December 1984

Ken returned home to find:

• A message on his computer screen
• He had left the machine on
• The message was in archaic English
• It complained about noise and strangers

The Text

The first message (approximately): “What strange things you are… we are afraid of you… we hear you but see you not…”

The message appeared to be from someone who could hear the couple but couldn’t see them.

Thomas Harden

The Correspondence

Over months, messages accumulated:

• They claimed to come from Thomas Harden
• He said he was living in the year 1521
• He described his life in Tudor England
• He expressed confusion about the “lyt box” (the computer)

His World

Thomas described:

• Working as a farmer/laborer
• His wife and children
• Local village life
• Historical events he was living through
• His fear and confusion about the strange voices

Historical Accuracy

Remarkably, Thomas’s messages contained:

• Accurate historical details
• Proper Tudor-era spelling and language
• References to real people and events
• Information that would require research to fabricate

The Investigation

Peter Trinder

A linguist named Peter Trinder analyzed the messages:

• He was a specialist in Middle English
• He found the language consistent with 16th-century usage
• Some terms were correct for the period but obscure
• Creating such text would require expertise

Other Researchers

Multiple investigators examined the case:

• They tested for technical explanations
• They found no evidence of hacking (difficult in 1984)
• The BBC Micro wasn’t connected to anything
• No conventional explanation was found

Documentation

The correspondence was:

• Saved to floppy discs
• Transcribed in Ken Webster’s book
• Reviewed by researchers
• Preserved as evidence

The Other Voices

2109

Later in the correspondence:

• Messages came from another source
• This entity claimed to be from the year 2109
• They called themselves “Lukas” or “2109”
• They said they were observing the experiment

The Future’s Explanation

According to 2109:

• Time is not linear
• Certain locations can connect different times
• Meadow Cottage was one such location
• They were studying time communication

The Convergence

The cottage apparently connected:

• 1521 (Thomas Harden)
• 1984 (Ken and Debbie)
• 2109 (the future observers)
• All communicating through the same space

The End

1985

Eventually:

• The messages became less frequent
• Thomas said he was “going away”
• The communication ceased
• Ken and Debbie moved out of the cottage

The Book

Ken Webster published:

• The Vertical Plane (1989)
• Documenting the entire correspondence
• Including original message transcripts
• His interpretation of events

Skeptical Analysis

Technical Concerns

Critics note:

• Someone could have accessed the computer
• The cottage wasn’t secure
• A hoax is possible
• Ken was a teacher with access to historical resources

The Knowledge Problem

However:

• The Tudor language was highly specialized
• Research would have been extensive
• The speed of responses suggested real-time writing
• Multiple experts found the language authentic

Possible Explanations

Hoax by Ken Webster

• He fabricated the messages
• Used his teaching background
• Promoted his book

Hoax by Others

• Someone accessed his computer
• An elaborate prank
• Required significant expertise

Genuine Phenomenon

• Actual contact across time
• A real Thomas Harden
• Something science can’t explain

What Made It Remarkable

The Medium

This was 1984:

• Personal computers were new
• No internet existed
• The computer was standalone
• The method seemed impossible

The Content

Thomas’s messages:

• Were linguistically accurate for Tudor England
• Contained verifiable historical details
• Showed consistent personality over months
• Demonstrated apparent confusion about the 20th century

The Witnesses

Multiple people:

• Saw messages appear
• Witnessed the correspondence
• Participated in experiments
• Confirmed the reality of the phenomenon (if not its explanation)

Legacy

The Cottage Today

Meadow Cottage:

• Still exists
• Has changed hands
• No current reports of messages
• Remains associated with the case

The Book

The Vertical Plane became:

• A cult classic in paranormal literature
• Subject of continued analysis
• A controversial but fascinating account

The Question

The Dodleston Messages raise profound questions:

• Is time travel communication possible?
• Did Thomas Harden exist?
• What explains the technical impossibility?
• Was it a brilliant hoax or genuine phenomenon?

The Mystery

In a cottage in Cheshire, messages appeared on a computer.

They came from 1521 - or claimed to.

A man named Thomas Harden wrote about his life in Tudor England.

His language was authentic. His details were accurate. His confusion seemed genuine.

There was no internet. The computer was isolated. The messages kept coming.

Did Ken Webster and Debbie Oakes speak across time?

Did a farmer in 1521 somehow find a “lyt box” in his home - a window to the future?

Did observers from 2109 facilitate the experiment?

Or was it all an elaborate, expert hoax, maintained for months with remarkable skill?

The messages stopped. The correspondents fell silent. The cottage is quiet now.

But somewhere in the past - if Thomas Harden was real - a man once wrote to the future.

And for a few months in 1984, the future wrote back.