Letter from Arthur Conan Doyle to unidentified recipient

The signed letter of two manuscript pages is on a printed letterhead - Windlesham, Crowborough, Sussex. It is dated 14 February, no year. The recipient is unidentified but the letter is in response to a question on Spiritualism. The letter states that, 'the reports of the psychic disturbances at Mount Sorrel are very consistent with those which break out so often in what are called polter-geist hauntings. Many hundreds of these are on record, the more famous being that at Epworth in 1716 which was carefully reported by the father of John Wesley. The young daughter Emily Wesley was the involuntary medium on this occasion, for the sounds followed her through life...'.

There is some pencilled shorthand notes on the verso of the second page.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859. he attended Edinburgh University. His works include, Micah Clarke (1887), The white company (1890), The sign of four (1890) and of course The adventures of Sherlock Holmes which began in Strand Magazine in 1891.

He served as a doctor during the South African war between 1899 and 1902. After the war he wrote, The war in South Africa. Its cause and conduct (1902).

Arthur Conan Doyle was knighted in 1902. In his later years he was absorbed by the subject of spiritualism.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died in 1930.

Open to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance of visit.

Acquired through purchase. Accession no: E2014.34.

Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie 6 June 2014