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The Enfield Poltergeist

Swifty said:
Inside that clip, Maurice ascertains through spirit communication through a series of yes or no knocks that Bill Wilkins died 50 years before the poltergeist case kicked off. Here's William Wilkins's grave stone in an Enfield graveyard showing he passed away in 1963, roughly 14 years instead before the Enfield poltergeist case. His wife died in 1972 so only four or five years before the case.

(screen grab from the linked to below video)

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I think the shorter time since Bill died could well mean that the girls knew (from neighbourhood conversations) a fair bit about the man who used to live in their house. Even if it's just people gossiping over the garden fence, general chit chat outside shops. Everyone assumes that small children 'can't hear' if they drop their voices to that sinister whisper about 'that terrible thing that happened', when it's absolutely guaranteed to draw the attention of any child in the vicinity, whose hearing is usually FAR more acute than the grown ups discussing.

And I used to do that 'flying on the legs' thing with my younger brother. Up to the age of about ten he (two and a half years younger) was easily light enough for me to float him up above my head!
 
Earthly oddity said:
I reckon the tapes of hours of the poltergeist talking are (in order of amounts like an ingredients list) hours of the psychic asking lots of questions, lots of silences and a few answers in very few words.

I tried doing that lift with a friend when I was about 12. I was lifting. She started wobbling and fell on my arm trapping a nerve. Risky to do with a nervous liftee. I am sure Janet wasn't nervous.
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It was noted by visitors to the house that Janet had school gymnastics certificates on her wall.

@cateseye Yes, it is a lot more likely that one of her school friends told her about the old man/relative who died in her house or Janet overheard adults discussing it than the spirit of Bill telling her himself but getting both the date and the cemetery wrong (two other inconsistencies that get glossed over).
 
Paul_Exeter said:
It was noted by visitors to the house that Janet had school gymnastics certificates on her wall.

@cateseye Yes, it is a lot more likely that one of her school friends told her about the old man/relative who died in her house or Janet overheard adults discussing it than the spirit of Bill telling her himself but getting both the date and the cemetery wrong (two other inconsistencies that get glossed over).
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I wonder if the initial phenomenon was genuine (I actually do think there was some paranormal activity in that house) and it frightened the children to the extent that they had to 'create' a reason for it? By giving it a ghostly persona, and a name, they could somehow 'tame it? After all, once you can name something, you are half way to understanding it. And the imaginary 'driving force' was poor Bill who had died in the house - and the rest (vocalising 'Bill' etc) sprang from their imaginations almost without their being aware of what they were doing.
 
DrPaulLee said:
The recordings are at the Cambridge University Library. Melvin Willin has been through them, and anyone can go and listen to them.
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He has a website:

https://www.melvynwillin.co.uk/

..and has written a book about those tapes:

Do not buy this book if you want to read a biased account of the famous Enfield Poltergeist Case from 1977 through to 1978. There are many other choices you could make which will either try to convince you of the genuineness of the phenomena produced or its fraudulent origins according to the interpretation of the authors concerned. I do not mind whether you have a wide-open mind or a totally shut one, since I shall not be trying to convince you one way or the other.

Do buy this book if you want to know what really happened! I have listened and transcribed all of the several hundred audio tapes that were made by Maurice Grosse and Guy Playfair during their investigation of the alleged poltergeist case that took place in Enfield some 40 years ago and I shall present, in chronological order, what occurred. It will then be your decision as to whether you believe the phenomena came from spirit entities; psychic forces; mistaken interpretations; hallucinations; naughty children or any other source you might wish to present. I shall strive very hard not to be influenced by what I have read, however intelligent it might be, and instead rely on my ears to describe what was happening via the tapes.

https://amzn.eu/d/f6NlYIC

From the free sample:

sample.jpg


Certainly some pretty major safeguarding of children issues there.
 
catseye said:
I wonder if the initial phenomenon was genuine (I actually do think there was some paranormal activity in that house) and it frightened the children to the extent that they had to 'create' a reason for it? By giving it a ghostly persona, and a name, they could somehow 'tame it? After all, once you can name something, you are half way to understanding it. And the imaginary 'driving force' was poor Bill who had died in the house - and the rest (vocalising 'Bill' etc) sprang from their imaginations almost without their being aware of what they were doing.
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I would agree, but then it all got completely out of hand when Grosse began egging them on and asking the poltergeist to talk to them. There also may be an element of the poltergeist not liking the attention and so becoming more trickster in its behaviour. But without any doubt in my mind she is faking that voice on the tv clip and that is the best evidence we have.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
I would agree, but then it all got completely out of hand when Grosse began egging them on and asking the poltergeist to talk to them. There also may be an element of the poltergeist not liking the attention and so becoming more trickster in its behaviour. But without any doubt in my mind she is faking that voice on the tv clip and that is the best evidence we have.
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I was involved the other day in a discussion about children and young adults 'growling', and apparently it's quite common in those with autism. I'm not suggesting it might be relevant here (although, of course, it might be), but I thought it was interesting.
 
catseye said:
I was involved the other day in a discussion about children and young adults 'growling', and apparently it's quite common in those with autism. I'm not suggesting it might be relevant here (although, of course, it might be), but I thought it was interesting.
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Yup, I've come across such growling in various jobs. A neighbour used to tell off her non-verbal daughter for growling at her.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
He has a website:

https://www.melvynwillin.co.uk/

..and has written a book about those tapes:

Do not buy this book if you want to read a biased account of the famous Enfield Poltergeist Case from 1977 through to 1978. There are many other choices you could make which will either try to convince you of the genuineness of the phenomena produced or its fraudulent origins according to the interpretation of the authors concerned. I do not mind whether you have a wide-open mind or a totally shut one, since I shall not be trying to convince you one way or the other.

Do buy this book if you want to know what really happened! I have listened and transcribed all of the several hundred audio tapes that were made by Maurice Grosse and Guy Playfair during their investigation of the alleged poltergeist case that took place in Enfield some 40 years ago and I shall present, in chronological order, what occurred. It will then be your decision as to whether you believe the phenomena came from spirit entities; psychic forces; mistaken interpretations; hallucinations; naughty children or any other source you might wish to present. I shall strive very hard not to be influenced by what I have read, however intelligent it might be, and instead rely on my ears to describe what was happening via the tapes.

https://amzn.eu/d/f6NlYIC

From the free sample:

View attachment 84640

Certainly some pretty major safeguarding of children issues there.
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I have that book.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Another extract from the free sample makes for pretty grim but also revealing reading:

View attachment 84669

The book is on my Wishlist but in a queue...
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Edit to the above, I know from personal experience of working with ASD and ADHD teens that they can have fantastic strength when they are dysregulated (as can anyone) but we are rarely triggered into such a state
 
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I've just watched the first two episodes of "Enfield" on the Apple+player through the Prime website. So, a bit convoluted to find but worth it IMO.
Having been a fan of the case since the day in began I was amazed to hear original tapes releasing information I'd never heard before. Visually stunning, too without being artsy fartsy.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Edit to the above, I know from personal experience of working with ASD and ADHD teens that they can have fantastic strength when they are dysregulated (as can anyone) but we are rarely triggered into such a state
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Just from the details regarding the divided/broken family relationships and the film/photos from the time, my opinion is that Janet was the most deeply affected by her situation in the family. Her older sister seems resigned/laid back. Her mother was probably too busy/trying to maintain normality as much as possible given their situation (poverty/marital separation). Her mother was probably a simple type of down to earth woman who couldn't cope with the weird stuff. I think it was Janet's only way of getting any attention and externalising her distress. Maybe Janet even soothed herself with the weird stuff - the release of the feelings (similar to the way self harm works?) Maybe Janet was affected by the domestic situation because she felt so deeply - and her family members didn't feel it in the same way?
 
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