The Petersfield Poltergeist: The True Story Behind the Haunting

A house that spoke. A mother with a secret. A mystery nearly a century in the making. In the winter of 1930, the quiet of 22 Chapel Street, Petersfield, was shattered by intelligent, rhythmic knocking and the inexplicable movement of household objects. While the National Press and the Society for Psychical Research investigated the apparent haunting, author Karen Goffe uncovers a much deeper, human mystery rooted in her great-grandmother Emily’s complex double life.

Drawing on years of forensic genealogical research and never-before-seen family archives, this book moves beyond the supernatural headlines to reveal the resilience and devotion of a woman who outmanoeuvred the authorities to safeguard her family.

• The 18-Month Secret: Discover why the knocking actually started a year and a half before the press arrived, triggered by a specific family trip to Dorset.
• The Social Architect: Learn how Emily used the supposed ‘ghost’ of a former resident as a brilliant diversion to protect her children from social ruin.
• The Final Ruse: Explore the incredible story behind a 1935 funeral where a legal husband was buried as a ‘brother’ to maintain a decades-long deception.
• A Double Life: Uncover the story of Emily raising a family under an assumed name, shielding a Boer War veteran, and keeping a ‘shadow husband’ hidden from the law for twenty years.

• Author: Karen Goffe
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Publication Date: March 24, 2026
• Print Length: 84 pages
• ISBN-13: 979-8253091692
• Dimensions: 152 x 229 mm (6 x 9 inches approx.)
• Item Weight: 181 g

Includes original photographic plates and primary press clippings related to the Petersfield Poltergeist investigation.

Discover the powerful true story of maternal devotion and historical maneuvering behind the famous 1930s haunting.