Dodleston Messages — Computer Receives Messages From 16th Century

In 1985, Ken Webster, a teacher living in a renovated 16th-century cottage in Dodleston near Chester, England, began receiving messages on his BBC Micro computer that he had not typed and could not explain. The messages appeared to come from a man named Tomas Harden who identified himself as a resident of the cottage in 1546. The messages were written in archaic English consistent with Tudor-era spelling and grammar—analyzed by linguists who confirmed the period accuracy. 'Tomas' expressed confusion about the glowing box in his home and engaged in extended dialogue with Webster about the nature of time and reality. He described the cottage's layout in historically accurate ways that Webster later confirmed through historical research. A secondary set of messages appeared attributed to an entity identifying itself as from the year 2109, claiming to be monitoring a 'time window' that had opened. These messages used highly technical and unusual language. Webster shared the case with historians and linguists who could not explain the historical accuracy. Webster published the case in 1989. Computer experts examined the machine and found no mechanism by which the messages could have been pre-programmed or introduced. The Dodleston case is unique in poltergeist research for the apparently intelligent and consistent nature of the communications and the historical verification that became possible.