2020-02-01_Fortean_Times

60 FT389

The Enfield

Poltergeist Tapes

One of the most disturbing cases

in history.What really happened?

MelvynWillin

Whit eCrow Books 2019

Pb,206pp,£11.99, ISBN 9781786770738

In the 43yearssince itsoccur­

rence, theEnfield poltergeist

of 1977­79hasremained an

impressive but controversialcase.

InvestigatorsMauriceGrosse

and Guy Playfair undertook180

periods ofobservationatthe

homeofthe Hodgsonfamilyin

Enfield, northLondon, obtaining

over200 audiocassettes ofevents

and phenomenarecorded on a

daily and nightlybasis. In the

courseofdigitising thesetapes

forthe SocietyforPsychical

Research,Melvyn Willin has

listened to allof them,aswell

as accessingthevoluminous

documentation.Theresults

aredistilledinto thisbook,an

impartialre­tellingofthe case.

Themost controversial

aspect of the Enfield

casewasthe emergence

of agruff,masculine

voice from11­year­old

JanetHodgsonand

occasionally from her

sister and brother.Willin

summarises thecontents

of recordings,presenting

the editedand oftenexpurgated

highlightsof thisvoice,its

outpourings andthe reactionsof

thefamilyand observers.

TheVoice (as it became

known)variouslyidentifieditself

as different deceasedpeople,

whistled, barked, shrieked and

imitatedadog.Suchmediumistic

communicationsfromapparent

discarnate beingsare present

in many poltergeist cases,but

theEnfieldVoiceonlyrarely

saidanything meaningful or

intelligent.Thiscurious aspect

alone provedenough to put many

academics offthe case,especially

wheninDecember 1977 the

voicemadecommentsabout

menstruation.

Seekingfurther perspectives

on therecordings,Willin

reviewsthe long­neglected

report producedin1982bythe

EnfieldPoltergeist Investigation

Committee,agroup ofSPR

memberswho examined the

originalevidence andre­inter­

viewedwitnessesandahitherto

unpublishedprivate report

writtenby Maurice Grosse. Given

thatthe ancient designation of

“unclean spirit”providesanapt

descriptionofthe frequently

obscene utterancesofthe Voice,

Willin includesashortchapter

comparingand contrasting

elements from Enfield with

the MountRainier poltergeist

of 1949 which served as an

inspirationforTheExorcist.

Additional insights and

reflections from interviews with

surviving witnessesofthe events

of 1977­79provemostinteresting.

Threeuseful appendices

coverpeople,key datesand

phenomena.Avoiding giving

anypersonalverdict,Willin

acknowledges thatmuch more

remainstobesaid, including

on compellingevidence inthe

form of photographs andother

documentarysources.

Theevidential problem with

Enfield is notalackofdata

butasurfeit. If Grosse and

Playfair made one mistakeit

wasassumingthiswould attract

scientists and scholars.Bothat

thetimeand subsequently

it wassuggestedthatthe

original investigators were

out of theirdepth. Butas

thisbookindicates, all

too often itwasremote

academics who proved

ill­equipped inresponding

effectively,either to the

evidence arisinginan

on­goingcase orin properly

comprehending the impact of

theseeventsonthe livesofa

troubledandimpoverished

single­parentfamily. This failure

to engage and empathise is

recognisedby Dr Hugh Pincott,

interviewed by Willin. It echoes

thesuccinct commentby

GrosseandPlayfair intheSPR

Journalin 1988 concerning the

receptiontheir investigation

received inacademic circles:

“Thereare those,wehave found,

whoarepreparedtobelieve in

psi phenomenaprovidedthey

happened along timeago and

preferablyinanother country.

Thesuggestion that they

happened yesterdayevening

right here is lesswelcome.”

Inprovidingadetailed and

condensedsummaryofthis

complex material,thisbookwill

actasaconfidence­boosting

handbookforopen­minded

scholars willing to probe this

impressive andenigmaticcase

further.

Alan Murdie

HHHHH

Master of deception

The Professor

and the Parson

AStory ofDesire,Deceit and

Defrocking

AdamSisman

Profi le Books 2019

Hb,240pp,£12.99,ISBN9781788162111

This is thestory of anotorious

charlatan–and thefamed

historian whokept watch.

Ourparson isRobert

Parkin Peters:academic

imposter, defrockedAnglican

priest, irrepressible fraud.

Our professor is theeminent

HughTrevor­Roper,who

crossed pathswiththebogus

Peters at Oxfordin1958.

Thoughtheir meetingwas

brief,and Peters lieddirectly

to Trevor­Roper’sface,the

former’soutrageous claims

fascinated the latterfor

decades.Thefile he kept on

Peters’smisdeedsformsthe

basis of Adam Sisman’scrisp

biographyofasulliedsubject.

Sisman discoveredPeters

whenwritingabiographyof

Trevor­Roper, and became

so intriguedhechoseto

chroniclePeters’ disgraceful

lifehimself.Trevor­Roper

had alsoconsidered writing

an accountofPeters, butwas

dissuadedby thepotentialfor

lawsuit. (Petersgot combative

whenhis fake credentials met

legitimatechallenge,growing

outraged andvolcanicwhen

pressed.) ButPetersdiedin

2005, aged 87,leaving Sisman

to takeupTrevor­Roper’s long­

observedsubject.

Wecan perhapsgrantPeters

sympathy,considering hewas

borndisabledand spenthis

first nineyearsinasteelframe.

Butis this true?It’s doubtful, as

it wasahard­lucktale spunby

Petershimselfin a1959Sunday

Pictorialtell­all.Baring his

stained soul,Peters admitted

to fabricatinghispast, tobeing

marriedfour times,and to

being defrocked, butvowed

thosedayswereover. Over

40 yearsofdeceptionwould

followthis publicrepentance:a

cascade ofmarriages (probably

eight in all),deportations and

shortly­held academic and

church positions.Anaudacious

pretender,heevenappeared

as “DrRobertPeters,Minister

of Religion” onMastermind in

1983.

Theboldnessof it allwas

whatgrabbed Trevor­Roper.

Petersusedfakecredentials

andpiousposturing to gain

positions ofauthority,inthe

Church and inacademia.

At times he comesoveras

an underdogeccentric who

scammed pompous academics

andexposed thevulnerabilities

of rarefiedinstitutions.

This might bepartlytrue,

but itwasn’tharmlessfun.

Peterswas certainly apredator

whodeceivedmany, firstand

foremostthe countlesswomen

he manipulated.Sismanchalks

it up to narcissisticpersonality

disorder,summarising his

subject asaman forwhom “the

act ofworshipwasalsoone of

self­worship”.

Peterspresentedhimself as

aman of letters, asaman of

the cloth,butthe letterswere

forged andthe clothwaswool

pulledoverunsuspecting eyes.

It’s certainly worthtakingacue

fromTrevor­Roperand keeping

tabs on frauds like Petersthat

come intoour ownlives.

MikePursley

HHHH

Washeapriest or an academic -- or just a

very clever and manipulativeliar?

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