In January 1762, an ordinary lodging house on Cock Lane in Smithfield, London, became the epicenter of an extraordinary public frenzy. William Kent, a local businessman, had previously lodged there with his sister-in-law, Fanny Lynes, following the death of his wife. Fanny subsequently died of smallpox, leaving her estate to Kent.
Soon after, the landlord, Richard Parsons, claimed that his eleven-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was being haunted by Fanny's restless spirit, affectionately dubbed Scratching Fanny. Through a series of mysterious knocking and scratching sounds responsive to questions, the ghost accused William Kent of poisoning her with arsenic to claim her inheritance. The spectacle drew massive crowds that clogged the streets of London, as nobility, clergy, and curious citizens paid admission to witness the séances.
Eminent literary figure Dr. Samuel Johnson led a committee of investigators to scrutinize the spirit. Johnson accompanied the researchers into a crypt where the ghost promised to knock on Fanny's coffin, but no sounds occurred.
Further investigation revealed that young Elizabeth Parsons had been hiding small wooden boards in her bedsheets to produce the eerie noises under her father's coercion. In July 1762, Richard Parsons, his wife, and several associates were convicted of conspiracy to defame Kent. Parsons was sentenced to the pillory and two years in prison.
The hoax exposed the gullibility of Georgian society, inspired satires by William Hogarth, and served as an early historical lesson in mass hysteria and spiritual fraud.