12th January 1762, first public séance to investigate the validity of claims of a knocking ghost in Cock Lane, London. The Cock Lane ghost was a purported haunting that attracted mass public attention in 1762. Several accounts of strange knocking sounds and ghostly apparitions were reported, William Kent the lodger in the building claimed that they were the ghost of his dead wife, named ‘Scratching Fanny’ from the supernatural scratching sounds that were allegedly heard from the room. Regular séances were held and Cock Lane was often made impassable by the throngs of interested bystanders. A committee was also formed to investigate the claims, the most prominent member being Dr Samuel Johnson, more famously known as the author and compiler of his English language dictionary. On or about the 25th of February, a pamphlet called ‘The Mystery Revealed’ was published, most likely written by Oliver Goldsmith. Settling in London in 1756, Goldsmith had held various brief jobs as an apothecaries assistant, and a hack journalist in Grub Street, known for its impoverished writers and artists. A lifestyle which earned him the moniker of ‘inspired idiot’ by Horace Walpole, author of the ‘Castle of Otranto’, the first Gothic novel which was published in 1764. Horace Walpole had also visited Cock Lane at the end of January. Continued in the comments. #londonghosts #ghostillustration #ghostartwork #ghosthistory #illustrationwork #historymystery #historymysteries #strangehistory #weirdhistory #macabrehistory #hiddenhistory #historicalmystery #historicalmysteries #darkhistory #oddhistory #historicalstories #historicalstory #gothicliterature #gothicstyle #darkillustration #illustrationartwork ##historicalillustration #macabreillustration #ghostsighting #olivergoldsmith #horacewalpole #thecastleofotranto #paranormalhistory #ghoststories https://www.instagram.com/p/CNIR9dXHjmL/?igshid=riiv70bak85z
