Tregortha’s ghost book
As a collector of fortean books, I was interested to find advertised for sale on eBay an early treatise on ghosts and hauntings, John Tregortha’s News from the Invisible World from 1812. Since the book was in miserable condition, my maximum bid was £21, but the following day it sold for not less than £51. Making some inquiries, I saw another, recently rebound 1827 edition of Tregortha’s book, advertised for sale on Amazon for £63. Just as I was contemplating buying it, I was sent an Amazon gift certificate for £70; clearly a sign from the Invisible World that I should purchase this curious early ghost book and describe its contents to the readers of FT.
John Tregortha was born in Cornwall around 1765. A religious young man, he decided to become a Methodist lay preacher, being admitted on trial in 1786 and travelling through Pembroke, Macclesfield and Liverpool. He married his first wife Mary and had
