The Pontefract Poltergeist

Record summary

The Pontefract case concerns disturbances at a council house on East Drive, including alleged thrown objects, foul substances, damage and an apparition identified in later accounts as a black-robed monk. It became a prominent British poltergeist story through local reporting, investigator accounts and later books. The lead permits comparison with adolescent-centered poltergeist cases and with historical associations involving Pontefract’s castle and executions. Important uncertainties include witness independence, possible hoaxing, retrospective embellishment and the limited availability of contemporaneous documentation.