Ringcroft of Stocking & The Mackie Poltergeist
16 September 2025

Ringcroft of Stocking & The Mackie Poltergeist

Dark Histories

About
In 1695, a small rural, farming community of southwest Scotland was shaken by strange events at the farmhouse of Ringcroft of Stocking. What began with the shuffling around of livestock, soon escalated into unexplained noises, stones thrown through the air and voices that no one could trace. Neighbors and ministers all flocked to witness the disturbances, but none could find a cause and no amount of prayers could bring peace to the household, who lived under siege for almost an entire month, before, as suddenly as it started, the disturbances stopped, leaving nothing but unanswered questions and a pile of smouldering ashes.SOURCES

Telfair, Alexander (1695) A true relation of an apparition, expressions, and actings of a spirit which infested the house of Andrew Mackie, in Ringcroft of Stocking… . Scotland, UK.

Maxwell-Wood, J. (1911) Witchcraft & Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland. J. Maxwell & Son, Scotland, UK.

Kirk, Robert (1815) The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies. Eneas Mackay, Scotland, UK.

Henderson, Lizanne (2006) The Survival of Witchcraft Prosecutions and Witch Belief in South-West Scotland. Scottish Historical Review, Vol 85, Issue 1. Edinburgh University Press, Scotland, UK.

Henderson, Lizanne (2019) Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment. Scotland, 1670–1740. Scottish Historical Review, Vol 98, Issue 2. Edinburgh University Press, Scotland, UK.

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Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
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