The Sauchie Poltergeist of 1960 remains one of Scotland’s most chilling paranormal cases. At 19 Park Crescent, 11-year-old Virginia Campbell was plagued by terrifying phenomena both at her home, and at school —knocking sounds, moving objects, and more. Many believe Virginia’s psychic energy created the disturbances, but new evidence from Malcolm Robinson challenges the theory. Could it have been a discarnate entity haunting the house? Or even the entire street? Astonishingly, similar activity was reported at 17 and 30 Park Crescent in 1969 and as recently as 2020. Is Sauchie cursed by something far darker than we imagined? Join me as I unravel this enduring mystery.
NOTE: All voices featured in this episode (apart from my own) are actors, however, they are all speaking the exact quotations from the witnesses in question.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to the legendary Sauchie Poltergeist case from 1960—a paranormal extravaganza.
01:44 – Economic pressures force the Campbell family to move from Moville, Ireland, to Sauchie, Scotland.
04:46 – The haunting begins with terrifying knocking sounds that leave the family on edge.
07:44 – Furniture starts moving on its own, prompting the family to call Church of Scotland vicar Rev. Lund.
17:34 – Strange activity escalates. Doctors investigate, and Virginia’s pillow rotates under her head in an unbelievable moment.
23:04 – The poltergeist follows Virginia to her first day at school, terrifying classmates and teachers.
30:35 – Paranormal activity continues at the house, even while Virginia is away at school.
32:04 – A teacher witnesses the most shocking event yet—a desk levitates and rotates before her eyes.
35:26 – Paranormal researcher Allan Robert George Owen joins the investigation.
37:47 – The clergy are invited to perform a house blessing, but the activity doesn’t fully stop.
42:54 – Activity decreases but continues. A media frenzy ensues, while a spiritualist church and an African witch doctor get involved.
45:45 – Researchers claim the poltergeist stems from Virginia’s psychic (PK) abilities.
46:17 – Chilling events persist: unseen fingers jab the girls, a clock strikes Virginia, writing appears on faces, and cutlery moves during dinner.
49:10 – NEW EVIDENCE: A haunting in 19 Park Crescent occurs again in 2003.
52:17 – NEW EVIDENCE: Another haunting at 17 Park Crescent in 1969, adding to the mystery.
55:40 – NEW EVIDENCE: In 2020, a haunting at 30 Park Crescent features apparitions and unexplained phenomena.
58:36 – Where is Virginia now? In Kempston, Bedfordshire? And Malcolm Robinson’s theory that the Sauchie poltergeist—and all poltergeists—are caused by discarnate entities, not psychic energy.
1:01:12 – What do YOU believe about this chilling paranormal case?
Get the full story in Malcolm Robinson’s gripping book, The Sauchie Poltergeist: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sauchie-Poltergeist-other-Scottish-ghostly/dp/B08BRGNG9L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TQWSJ0HGPNUN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Da9NRkQMdOvdefDe_q4gIoFCQ-dfKJRfdVymVcAcbGY.eTpsVyDRGHTdNN6vD7H6TlnK9iOe7iOKkjMYPBlxAlY&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+sauchie+poltergeist&qid=1737805700&sprefix=the+sauchie+poltergeist%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-1
Special thanks to the following viewers for their voicework on this episode:
Andrew Gibbons (Peter Laws Patreon Member)
Paul Childs (Peter Laws Patreon Member)
Carolyn Thorburn (Peter Laws Patreon Member)
Allan Robertson
Stuart Rowntree (Gloomveil Chronicles)
Douglas Paterson (Hoard of Horror)
Birdie Duncan (@wingingitwithbirdie)
Mark Evans
I’m Peter Laws, an author, podcaster and now YouTube creator. I’ve had a long-time fascination with the scary, spooky and macabre. I’m a columnist for the acclaimed paranormal magazine, The Fortean Times, and I’ve been an ‘expert’ on the BBC Sounds show Uncanny. I’m also the creator of the Creepy Cove Community Church Podcast and the writer of five books.
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Like so many things in life, it might be a combination of factors. I'm not a strict believer in anything but have experienced enough to say that scientific "fact" leaves many things unexplained in an unsatisfactory manner. We can be open minded skeptics; giving people the benefit of the doubt, while still keeping an eye out for rational, run of the mill explanations and also outright trickery. I do think there's a lot more to this thing we call existence than the mainstream "experts" would have us believe.
Another great video, thanks Mr. Laws!
My favorite channel subscribed .😊
Was interesting but Thomas and Bella were Virginia's brother and sister-in-law not uncle and aunt plus Derek was only 5 not 6 so few facts were wrong
@Peter Laws: I CANNOT enjoy any 'atmosphere' with your face constantly 'needing' to be shown, hence, -RUINING the moment.
Why bother even making this video? Why not talk all about yourself?
Enjoyed that well done..
I wonder if JK Rowling was influenced by this story?
What a bunch of nonsense
This story send shivers down my spine.
I grew up in a house in East Kilbride, me and my brother shared a room and slept on a wooden bunk bed, I was the top bunk.
Every night I used to hear tapping on the bottom of the bunk at my level, my mum heard it one night and used to think it was me trying to scare my brother. Multiple times she would try tightening screws to see if it was just loose, but it would still happen.
One Christmas my brother got a spaceship precinct spaceship toy that would make different noises and light up if you pressed the buttons.
One night it was going off on the bedroom floor and it woke us both, I looked over the side of the bunk cause I thought my brother was sneaking out the bed to press the buttons to be a pest cause I thought I could hear him laughing but he was actually crying cause he was so frightened, he got into the top bunk with me and eventually my parents woke up and came into the room to tell us off, they must have seen how frightened we were and told us the toy must have been broken.
My mum took the batteries out and it stopped.
As soon as my brother calmed down and went back into his bunk and my parents left the room…. It started going off again.
I’ll never forget the look on my mum and dads face, my mum grabbed my brother and my dad scooped me out the bunk, shut the bedroom door and we slept in the bed with my parents that night. I don’t think any of us slept that night cause we still heard this thing going off through the wall for a good while.
About 3 months later we moved out of that house.
Imagine if Algernon Blackwood had written about lake monsters of Canada……..
Very good. Peter, next, research the Canadian horned lake serpent with two heads…would make a nice follow up on your video about Gregarium Monstrum…Loch Ness monster.🧜♂️
Probably Virginia was causing it through involuntary psychokinesis. It happens , usually with children under 14 years old
Wow I'm Scottish and never heard of this but believe it. I swear in 1998 I saw a woman ghost right in front of me clear as day, float across the road then disappear in dalmellington. Went down for my pal to go to school the next day and told his dad who was laughing at me and asked where and when I told him his face turned serious and he said a woman died in that exact spot a long time ago. Never saw anything like that since
Fantastic video! I am 25 minutes drive from Sauchie, I will def have a peek down that street the next time I'm going to Alloa. Six miles north west of Sauchie on the A91 you'll find the Witches Craig Caravan park and there is a little bit of info about the legend of the Devil dancing at the rocky outcrop near the site. I do remember seeing a historic Scotland sign on the road just at the caravan site, marking a historic stone up the Ochil hills so I wonder if there's a connection??
Anyone fancy a Peter Laws/Mr. Ballen team story? Superb narrators!!
Wait .. I'm commenting before even watching lol.. Sauchie?! I'm from Sauchie, 5mins up the road 😮
Thanks for great 👍 Story ❤❤❤
Hello Peter! I'm late, but I'm finally here. 😃 I can't wait to watch this frightening poltergeist story. Your videos are deeply appreciated. I love the content of each one, very spooky as they are interesting. Thank you for the incredible work you do. 😊 You're almost at 90 k subscribers! 🎉🎉🎉
If you choose your advertisers, get rid of the Bishop begging for money! We have enough scammers online and calling our phones! I was going to subscribe, but not until you dump this fake ad!
I can't believe, as a Scotsman; I've never heard of this story. A hidden Gem of the macabre, and often understated, under-reported, and overlooked haunting of my glorious homeland.
Very good narration , hell of a story. God bless her , dear Virginia – I hope it’s all in the past for her and that she is happy and well now.
I smell shite 😂😂😂
It sounds like the town was built on an old graveyard
Omg 😲 this is scary and l stay in coalsnaughton 10 minutes away from Sauchie 😮
Classic british understatement in a Scottish accent?
Scots are NOT English!!!
Sounds like the Enfield poltergeist case i lived with a poltergeist for 23 years
Interesting ! I came across a wee coincidence, their family name is Campbell and historically the land Sauchie is built on was land belonging to the Campbell clan ! I don't know if it has any relevance or its just coincidence but i feel like if there is a haunting the history of the place is an important angle of investigation.
Watching this from sauchie after looking up the poltergeist trailer to show someone, scared the shit out of me to see this pop up 😂😂
In uk…we have odd door numbers on the left and even numbers on the right…So numbers 17 and 19 are a joined dwelling…right next to each other.
My family moved to Sauchie in the seventies. I don’t remember this being talked about but my friends used to live in that street.
That was a bliddy terrifying episode 😱😱😱😱😱🫣🫣😮 do you think these poltergeist encounters are more demon 👿 than ghost 👻? As they seem like they are really evil
'Undeniable evidence of poltergeist activity' means absolutely nothing.
I live in Scotland,never heard of the suchie story but it was really scary
Can I say. Yours voice is talking sounding like a fairy tale………..so give up….
The parallels with how this and Enfield started are crazy! Poltergeist hauntings starting the same way for centuries and all over the world is something I can never get my head around 😵💫 Another Masterpiece Peter 👏
Neh eh am in alloa the noo Ma brer stays in sauchie lochbrae Ave never heard aboot this
Thank you for this Peter very intriguing 😊
Has no one ever done research on the land what the houses are on ?.Could it of been an old burial ground in the past etc etc ?
You censor my comments. You are a charlatan. You will get a thumbs down on all your videos. Fake fake fake. All it takes is research, and the truth will be found. Quija board, James Randi for starters
Bedford's a bit rough.