As the leaves change and a autumn chill sets in, Prime & Load! returns to the paranormal corners of the 18th century for our second annual Halloween special. While modern history often views the 18th century strictly through the lens of Enlightenment rationalism and military science, primary sources from the period are overflowing with accounts of poltergeists, spectral troops, and unnatural phenomena.
From the famous 1716 Epworth rectory disturbances experienced by Methodism founder John Wesley's family, to French cavalrymen getting their beds flipped upside down by spirits in their billets, supernatural tales crossed every layer of 18th-century society. But as state authorities, clergymen, and officers investigated these occurrences, they frequently uncovered a fascinating mix of genuine folk belief, social utility, military pranks, and illicit smuggling operations .
In this episode we talk about
The Epworth Rectory Poltergeist (1716–1720): John Wesley's detailed family account of knocking spirits .
The Bed-Flipping French Cuirassier: How Count Despilier tested a traumatized cavalryman's claims of a haunted billet.
The Phantom Army of Souter Fell: Eyewitness accounts from 1735–1745 of a spectral, regular army marching across a steep Lake District.
State Investigations & Unmasking Ghosts:
The Prussian Chimney Poltergeist (1760), The Graveyard "Ghost" of Halle (1790s), and The Smuggler "White Woman" of Sunderland (1786).
⏱️ Chapter Timestamps
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