Case file · High strangeness
The phantom battle of Edgehill
Weeks after the first great battle of the English Civil War (23 October 1642), shepherds and villagers near Kineton reported seeing and hearing the battle re-fought in the sky.
1642 CE · 52.14, -1.47 · status: account
The account
A pamphlet printed by Thomas Jackson in January 1643, 'A Great Wonder in Heaven', described the visions at Christmas. Charles I sent officers to the site; they were said to have seen the phantom armies too and to have recognised fallen comrades.
The sceptical view
The account is propaganda-era print, and both sides used portents. Cloud formations, auroras and traumatised witnesses are offered as explanations.