The Cock Lane Ghost

Record summary

A supposed spirit communicated through scratching and alleged links to the death of Fanny Lynes, attracting crowds, clergy, physicians, and literary figures in London. Richard Parsons’s household became the center of a highly publicized investigation, and later inquiry concluded that the manifestations were produced fraudulently, involving the young girl Elizabeth Parsons. The case is valuable for studying urban publicity, witness expectation, séance-like procedures, and how exposure reshapes folklore. Details of individual demonstrations should be checked in contemporary pamphlets and reports.