The Tully Street Poltergeist

In December 1959, a family living on Tully Street in Salford began experiencing violent and sustained disturbances in their home. The noises — described variously as a sledgehammer striking the walls and a heavy cannonball bouncing across the ceiling — were so loud that neighbours throughout the street reported hearing them. Gas and water board engineers, police, and environmental health officers all examined the property and found no explanation. Scientists from Manchester University concluded that the sounds appeared to follow a pattern resembling a code, and suggested the family’s twelve-year-old son may have been the focus of the disturbances. The vicar of St James’s Church, Broughton, attended the house, heard the noises himself, and obtained permission from the Bishop of Manchester to conduct an exorcism. The ceremony drew such crowds that police were called to disperse them. The disturbances ceased immediately afterwards and were not repeated.