Séances, Accusations, and Inquiries
The ghost communicated with Parsons and Moore using a knocking system: one knock for yes, two for no. In this way, it confirmed it was indeed the spirit of Fanny Lyne- and that she had died not from smallpox but aconite poisoning- at the hands of William Kent. This story obtained a certain amount of credibility when paired with the complaints of Ann Lyne, the sister of both Elizabeth and Fanny. She was angry at Kent because he had sealed her sister’s coffin before she could view the body. Was this to hide the fact there were no smallpox marks on Fanny’s corpse?
The newspaper The Public Ledger eventually learned of the story- and published it. Very soon, William Kent found himself a suspected murderer. So he set about clearing his name. Accompanied by the two doctors who had attended Fanny in her last days and Reverend Thomas Broughton, a Methodist minister brought in by the Reverend Moore to substantiate the ghost; he returned once again to Cock Lane- for a séance presided over by the Reverend Moore in the bedroom of the young Elizabeth Parsons.
‘Are you the wife of Mr. Kent?‘ Moore asked the ghost. Two knocks followed- no, which was correct, as Kent and Fanny never married. Moore then asked if the ghost had died of natural causes which elicited a further two knocks. “By poison?” asked Moore. The ghost knocked in the affirmative and further questioning established Kent had administered it. ‘Kent, ask the ghost if you shall be hanged!’ Asked a heckler in the company. Kent did so- and the spirit answered ‘yes.’ “Thou art a lying spirit,” exclaimed Kent, “thou are not the ghost of my Fanny. She would never have said any such thing.”
The Cock Lane Ghost now came to the attention of the authorities. The haunted house was attracting such crowds that Cock lane was becoming blocked- causing a public nuisance. So an investigation into the validity of the ghost began. Elizabeth Parsons was removed from her home for examination- the strange knockings and scratching following her. Meanwhile, a commission was set up under the authority of Dr. Samuel Johnson. The commissioners attended various séances in the presence of Elizabeth – and finally decided the final test of the matter should be conducted at the coffin of Fanny Lyne, which was being kept in the vault of the Church of St John in Clerkenwell.
Elizabeth Parsons was left behind while the commissioners, Moore and Kent all went to the church. There, they asked Fanny’s spirit to reveal herself- but nothing happened. It even failed to respond to the presence of William Kent. This admission prompted Moore to declare that perhaps the ghost was not Fanny after all but a mischievous imposter. Kent seized upon Moore’s admission and asked him to write an affidavit to that effect so that he could clear his name. But Moore refused, stating he still believed the spirit was haunting Kent because of his past sins.
And so it was that in July 1762, a trial began at London’s Guildhall, precipitated by the story of the Cock Lane ghost opened at London’s Guildhall. The accused, however, was not William Kent.