The Newcastle Poltergeist of 1682

In 1682, a poltergeist outbreak in Newcastle upon Tyne produced phenomena remarkably similar to the famous Drummer of Tedworth case that would occur shortly afterward. The Newcastle case featured drumming sounds, flying objects, and a possible human origin for the haunting—elements that would become standard features of poltergeist literature.

The Setting

The home of a merchant family in Newcastle became the site of the disturbances. The family was respectable and had no prior reputation for supernatural involvement. Their home was a typical urban dwelling of the period.

The activity began without warning in the spring of 1682. Strange sounds were heard—knockings, scratchings, and most distinctively, the sound of drumming.

The Drumming

Like the more famous case at Tedworth, the Newcastle poltergeist featured drumming sounds as its primary manifestation. The sounds occurred at all hours but were most common at night. They seemed to come from walls, ceilings, and empty rooms.

The drumming followed patterns, sometimes seeming to respond to questions or commands. Witnesses noted that the sounds appeared intelligent, varying in intensity and rhythm as if communicating.

No drummer could be found. The family searched their home repeatedly. Neighbors investigated. The sounds continued despite all efforts to locate their source.

Physical Phenomena

Beyond the drumming, objects began moving. Small items flew across rooms. Furniture shifted position. Bedclothes were pulled from sleepers by invisible hands.

The phenomena seemed to target the children of the household, particularly the daughters. This focus on young people would become recognized as typical of poltergeist cases.

Investigation

Local clergy and magistrates investigated the case. The seventeenth century offered limited tools for such investigation—primarily questioning witnesses and searching for mundane explanations.

No fraud was discovered. The witnesses were considered reliable. The case was tentatively attributed to supernatural causes, though some suspected the children of producing the phenomena through unknown means.

Connection to Tedworth

The Newcastle case occurred in 1682, the same year as the beginning of the Drummer of Tedworth case in Wiltshire. The similarity of the drumming phenomena has led some researchers to suspect a connection—perhaps a traveling phenomenon, or perhaps witnesses in one location influencing reports from another.

Joseph Glanvill, who documented the Tedworth case extensively, was aware of the Newcastle reports. The two cases together helped establish the drumming poltergeist as a recognized category of supernatural experience.

Resolution

The Newcastle phenomena eventually ceased, though records do not clearly indicate when or why. The family continued to live in their home, and no further disturbances were reported in later years.

Assessment

The Newcastle poltergeist of 1682 represents an important early documented case that helped establish patterns recognized in subsequent poltergeist research. The drumming sounds, the focus on young people, the intelligent-seeming responses, and the eventual cessation all match what would become the standard poltergeist profile.

The case suffers from limited documentation compared to the Tedworth case, which Glanvill published extensively. Yet it remains a significant early English poltergeist report, contemporary with the more famous case and displaying similar characteristics.