A Time Slip in Versailles: The Moberly-Jourdain Incident

Dark Histories

Ben Cutmore

History

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On a warm, overcast summer’s day of 1901, two English school mistresses strolled through the gardens of Versailles, unaware they were about to step into a defining moment in their lives. One minute in the present and the next in the past, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain claimed to have crossed into a spectral vision of the court of Marie Antoinette. What began as a genteel outing quickly turned uncanny, with silent figures, oppressive stillness, and an inexplicable sense of dread creeping over their heads. Was it imagination, delusion, a ghostly breach in reality or simply a fancy dress party run amok?SOURCES Morison, Elizabeth & Lamont, Frances & (1913) The Adventure. Macmillan & Co. LTD. London, UK. Castle, Terry (1995) The Female Thermometer: Eighteenth Century Culture & The Invention of the Uncanny. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Lamont, Mark (2021) The Mysterious Paths of Versailles: An Investigation of a Journey Back in Time. Independently Published. Castle, Terry (1991) Contagious Folly: An Adventure & It’s Sceptics. Critical Inquiry, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Summer, 1991), pp. 741-772. Iremonger, Lucille (1957) The Ghosts of Versailles: Miss Moberly & Miss Jourdain & Their Adventure. Faber & Faber LTD, London, UK. The Daily Telegraph (1911) Books of the Day. The Daily Telegraph, 8 Feb 1911, p14. London, UK. Sidgwick, Henry (1911) Review: An Adventure. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol XXV, July 1911, p353. London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠ Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: ⁠⁠http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories⁠⁠ or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠ The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠ Dark Histories merch is available here: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3GChjk9⁠⁠ Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠ Or find us on Twitter: ⁠⁠http://twitter.com/darkhistories⁠⁠ & Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/⁠⁠ Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠ The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:49.9	of 1901, two English school mistresses strolled through the gardens of Versailles,
0:55.5	unaware that they were about to step into a defining moment in their lives.
1:00.0	One minute in the present and the next in the past, Charlotte Anne Mobley and Eleanor D'Ordine
1:05.8	claimed to have crossed into a spectral vision of the court of Mary Antoinette.
1:14.2	What began as a genteel outing quickly turned uncanny,
1:17.2	with silent figures, oppressive stillness,
1:20.7	and an inexplicable sense of dread creeping over their heads.
	...

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