The First Relation
An account of the troubles that happened in the house of Peter Pain, a shoe-maker, living in Mary Poel Street, in the City of Bristol, extracted out of a letter sent me from Mr J.R. a Gentleman of good ingenuity and reputation, an inhabitant of the city aforesaid. Dated June 25, 1683.
Sir,
According to your desire in a Letter I received from you on Saturday last, I have here sent you the true, and real account of the passages you desired. That which was related by our late Dean, was thus; That about 45 years since, the house of Peter Pain, then a shoemaker in St Mary Poel Street in this city, was extremely disturbed with most surprising, and unaccountable noises for some time; and one night above the rest, about 12 of the clock, the usual noise was accompanied with so great a light through the whole house, as if every room had been full of burning tapers, or torches;
These repeated scenes of horror so amused the whole family, that they applied themselves to Mr Toogood, the then minister of St Nicholas, who was easily prevailed withal to visit the house; which he had no sooner entered, but he became an ear-witness of the most dreadful, and accustomed noises; so, together with the whole family, he repaired into a chamber at one end of a gallery, at the other end of which was a large bulky trunk, full of old lumber, and so heavy that four or five men were not able to lift it.
Having shut the door to them, the minister went to prayers, during part of which time, the noise continued, and on a sudden something was flung against the chamber door, with extraordinary violence, upon which the noise immediately ceased. When prayer was ended, they went to go forth of the chamber door, but could by no means force it open, until they had called for the attendance of some of the neighbours, who running in to their relief, found the door barred close with the great trunk aforesaid; upon which they all concluded that it was cast there in that violent manner, when they heard that mighty shock against the door, just before the ceasing of the noise.
This is a true account of that passage, which the gentleman aforesaid had from the son of the late Dean above mentioned, who was then an apprentice in the house; and the whole transaction is still recent in the memories of the neighbours, who were witnesses of the amazing troubles, which at that time disturbed that house. Divers other stupendous circumstances accompanied these noises, which by reason of the great distance of time and place, we can have no particular account of.
Pandaemonium, or, The devil’s cloyster. By Richard Bovet, the first part printed 1677, but this is in the second part… can see no date.
https://data.historicaltexts.jisc.ac.uk/view?pageId=eebo-ocm11725169e-48378-175&pageTerms=bristol&pubId=eebo-ocm11725169e&terms=pandaemonium%20bovet
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001578/18930923/029/0014?browse=False