Hammersmith Ghost Panic (1803)

The Hammersmith Ghost hysteria unfolded in 1803 when reports of ghost sightings in west London fueled fear and panic. People believed the spirit to be that of a recent suicide victim buried in Hammersmith, describing it as a tall figure in white with additional details such as horns and glass eyes. The mass hysteria led to tragic consequences, with an innocent man, Thomas Millwood, mistakenly shot and killed by a fearful resident, Francis Smith, who thought he was encountering the ghost.