How the last British witch leaked secret information, and how she paid for her mistake (10 photos)

When the days of active inquisitors passed, people began to look at all kinds of mediums and ghost hunters with interest. And be more loyal.





The story of the woman who is considered the last witch of Britain clearly proves that you should be content with what you have and not jump in over your head.



Helen Duncan

Victoria Helen McFarlane was born in 1897 in Scotland. As a child, the girl often told her parents that she spoke with the spirits of dead people. They categorically forbade their daughter to make such statements in the presence of strangers. To avoid it, so to speak.

The girl got married. Victoria's chosen one was former military man Henry Duncan, who worked as a furniture maker. But health, undermined by the war, made itself felt. The man had to leave his job. And the wife, who by that time had given the chosen one six heirs and was not in good health herself, began to think about additional income. Preferably dust-free.



With husband

Why not spiritualism? A very fashionable trend at that time: people who had lost young relatives in the war wanted to see them one last time, at least in the form of ghosts. True, the competition in this area was wow. But Henry himself was interested in the topic and read a lot of specialized literature. And together with his wife, they started the business.

Profitable ghost business



Eruption of "ectoplasm"

The Duncans came up with a special twist for their sessions - the eruption of ectoplasm from which spirits materialized. This was performed by pieces of gauze and paper napkins, connected in a chaotic manner. Duncan swallowed this preparation before the session, and then regurgitated it.

At first things went neither shaky nor slow. But by the 30s the couple became famous and popular. Good money poured in, and numerous skeptics were eager to expose the scammers.



At the session

At first, Helen threw a tantrum in response to the proposal to take a piece of ectoplasm for analysis. But then she agreed. And the white substance that crawled out of the mouth turned out to be a mixture of chicken egg whites and paper.

Military secrecy and silence are golden



Despite the exposure, interest in the couple of charlatans only increased, which could not but please the Duncans. In the fall of 1941, at a séance in Portsmouth, Helen evoked the spirit of a dead sailor. He reported that he served on the battleship HMS Barham, which sank. And the entire crew died.



Battleship Barham

The editor of Psychic News magazine, Maurice Barbanel, was present at the session. The man immediately contacted the Navy Department to find out the truth. After all, there were more than 800 people on the battleship!

Representatives of the department were amazed because it turned out to be true. And information about the incident was classified. Did Helen really summon a real ghost? It is clear that this was a case of fraud: Henry still had acquaintances among the military. And the families of the victims were given information. Therefore, if desired, there was no particular difficulty in obtaining information.



And Duncan was taken by the gills by the military. Because it’s not good to spill military secrets left and right. In 1944, the lady was taken under arrest right during the session and escorted to the dungeons.

Very old law



Need more ghosts

And they were tried under the Witchcraft Law back in 1735. According to which, any person who claimed to have magical powers or be able to cast magic would be arrested.

The proceedings turned out to be loud and attracted the attention of the general public and even Churchill himself. Who, however, disparaged what was happening as buffoonery.

The woman was not allowed to demonstrate her abilities at the trial. Numerous witness statements did not help either. Helen was sentenced to 9 months in prison. Upon being released, the woman swore off dealing with any otherworldly features.sheep

But she didn’t keep her word: 10 years later she was arrested again at a session. True, they did not carry out the process - they shook their finger and let me go. However, the stress made itself felt, and the already middle-aged woman died a few weeks later.



Followers of the last witch of Britain, who consider Duncan to be a real medium, have been trying to restore her good name for more than 60 years. So far no success.