Obscure Occurrences : The Dodleston Messages

 After having graduated from the University of Aberystwyth in 1976, Ken Webster found himself in Dodleston, a small village in the North-Western regions of England, working as a teacher at Hawarden High School.

 Hawarden was a school that was firmly in the middle of the UK’s Computer Literacy Project. Margaret Thatcher’s government were keen to push the UK forward as a leader in computing, and so, in conjunction with the BBC, had brought Acorn Computers on board to create the BBC Micro. Thus, kitting almost every school in the UK with these machines. Hawarden was one of the luckier schools and had enough setups to loan out to its teachers.

 Having settled in Meadow Cottage, a small adobe in Dodleston, with his girlfriend Debbie and his friend Nic, Ken had decided to hire a BBC Micro from his workplace. As suggested by the events that followed, the hired machine would provide Meadow Cottage and its three residents a surreal experience.

Eventful Initial Days

 Shortly after moving into the Meadow Cottage, Ken noticed small six-toed footprints that seemed to walk directly up the wall and through the ceiling. Citing the age of the building, Ken painted over the prints, assuming them to be nothing but stains. But the very next day, he found the prints back on top of the new layer of paint. 

 As days followed, Ken, Nick and Debbie, had routinely noticed bottles, cans and boxes stacked in towers, sometimes over four feet in height. The residing trio assumed that it was the antics of their friends, but nobody came forward.

The First Message

 As the Christmas of 1984 ebbed closer, the household decided to visit their friend, Dave Lovell, leaving the BBC Micro on, albeit at the boot screen. When Ken logged into the machine upon returning, he found a file called “KDN” which read as follows;

“KEN, DEB, NIC

TRUE ARE THE NIGHTMARES OF A PERSON THAT FEARS

SAFE ARE THE BODIES OF THE SILENT WORLD

TURN PRETTY FLOWER TURN TOWARDS THE SUN

FOR YOU SHALL GROW AND SOW

BUT THE FLOWER REACHES TOO HIGH AND WITHERS IN THE BURNING LIGHT

GET OUT YOUR BRICKS

PUSSY CAT

PUSSY CAT

WENT TO LONDON TO SEEK FAME

AND FORTUNE

FAITH MUST NOT BE LOST

FOR THIS SHALL BE YOUR REDEEMER.”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Given it wasn’t something they had created, Ken mostly brushed it off as a prank by John, a friend who occasionally visited to record guitar tracks. Quickly afterwards, the computer went back to the school, and another wasn’t borrowed until February 1985.

The Conversation Continues

 One evening, after Ken, Debbie, and Nick returned home from a road trip, they found a new file on the BBC Computer. The file name was “REATE”, seemingly the latter part of “CREATE”, and it read as follows;

“I WRITE ON BEHALF OF MANY WOT STRANGE WORDS THOU SPEAKE, ALTHOUGH, I MUSTE CONFESS THAT I HATH ALSO BEEN ILL SCHOOLED. SOME TYMES METHINKS ALTERATIONS ARE SOMEWOT BARFUL, FOR THEY BREAKE MANE A SLEEP IN MYNE BED.

THOU ART GOODLY MAN WHO HATH FANCIFUL WOMAN WHO DWEL IN MYNE HOME, I HATH NO WANT TO AFFREY, FOR ONLIE SINCE MYNE HALF WYTED ANTIC HAS RIPPED ATTWAIN MYNE BOUND HATH I BEENE WRETHED A NYTE.

I HATH SEENE MANY ALTERATIONS LASTLY CHARGE HOUSE AND THOU HOME, TIS A FITTING PLACE, WITH LIGHTS WHICHE DEVIL MAKETH, AND COSTLY THYNGES, THAT ONLIE MYNE FRIEND, EDMUND GREY CAN AFFORE, OR THE KING HIMSELVE.

TWAS A GREATE CRYME TO HATH BRIBED MYNE HOUSE. 

L W”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Ken had printed the message and taken it to school, where most people dismissed it as nonsense. However, Peter Trinder, the English teacher, had a more inquisitive view. He was convinced that the message was written in 16th or 17th-century English. Another interested party was John Cummins, a localite who worked as a solicitor out of London. He voiced the need to reply to “whatever this was”.

 Thus, with the crisp snap of winter still filling the air, the intrigued trio sent a reply that read as follows;

“IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND. 

DEAR LW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE.

WE ARE SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOU. 

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO?

DID YOU LIVE IN A HOUSE ON THIS LAND IN ABOUT 1620?

DO YOU WANT US TO TELL YOU MORE ABOUT OUR TIME?

WHY WRITE A POEM?

WHO IS EDWARD GREY?

IS HE RELATED TO THE EGERTON FAMILY?

DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?

IS THE KING JAMES OR CHARLES STUART?

WHAT IS THE CHARGE HOUSE?

WAS THIS VILLAGE CALLED DODLESTON IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW MANY FAMILIES LIVED HERE?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR MESSAGES.

THANK YOU FOR NOT MAKING US AFRAID.

-KEN, DEBBIE AND JOHN.”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 The trio retreated to the Red Lion pub leaving the computer alone for a while, hoping it may prompt a reply. When they returned home a few hours later, a new message was waiting for them, thus proving their assumptions to be right. The message read;

“TWAS AN HONESTE FARME OF OKE AND STONE IT IS HELPFUL THAT YOU SHOULD TELLE ME ABOUT THY TIME DOST THOU HATH (?) HORSE

EDMUND GREY, BROTHER OF JOHN GREY LIVES AT KINERTONE HALL(?) THY KYNG, OF CORS, IS HENRY VIII WHO IS SIX AND FORTIE

I NE WOOT OF KYNG JAMES

MYNE CHARGE HOUSE IS A PLACE OF LOORE SCHOOLING, 

L.W.

28 MARCH ANNO 1521 (?)”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 This was a troubling reply in more ways than one. Firstly, the historical facts proposed by “L.W.” were all wrong. In 1521, Henry VIII was only 30 years old, not 46. Also, Kinnerton Hall wouldn’t be built for another 200 years and there had been no mention of Edmund or John Grey in any record. Secondly, Ken was troubled by the usage of modern grammar and punctuation marks, which wouldn’t have been used in the 16^th century.

 Thus, it left Ken with other possibilities and he didn’t really know what they were dealing with. Was this an intruder? A weird program on the computer? A prankster? Or was this really a man from the past?

A Pronounced Burst of Information

 Ken would continue borrowing the BBC from school, but ideas of using it for scripts were a distant memory. The intention was now purely to continue this strange communication and see where it led.

 In the next message they received, many snippets of information were given by the author. He talked about losing his wife and son to the plague, about how he harvested barley for ale and how he made his own cheese. Furthermore, he claimed that his house was made of red sandstone. Although Ken’s house was not made of red stone, the foundation of another, much older structure was found buried under the kitchen of their house, and it was indeed made up of red sandstone.

 The author seemed to think that Ken was trespassing on his house, and had his own concerns about the conversation. On this occasion, he finally signed off with a name; Lukas. A name that would eventually be expanded to Lukas Wainman. This burst of information was not expected, but it provided a basis for fact-checking and investigation.

 Ken had delivered the knowledge to Peter Tinder, who concluded that the dialect, sentence structure, and intermittent use of Latin, placed the messages in the middle of the 16^th century, in the Cheshire region, the place Lukas claimed to be his location. Moreover, with time, the historical facts became more consistent. Lukas wrote that King Henry VIII had been married to Catherina Parr, which is consistent with many other details. But the other names he mentioned couldn’t be found.

 This aspect makes a compelling argument for the case not being a hoax. If the case was really a hoax, the messages would have been full of names and facts that could be easily checked. Lukas was a rural farmer and thus, he would only have knowledge of the King and the people who lived in his village. Furthermore, Dodleston was a tiny hamlet, which had not kept detailed records of every individual who lived there.

Another Conversationalist

 Eventually, Ken revealed that he was writing from the year of 1995, following which the tale took an unexpected turn. The reply he received read as follows;

“YOW SAYD YOWR TYME BE 1985 ME THOUGHT YOW WERE ALS FROM 2109 LIKE YOWR FREEND WHOM DIDST BRINGE LEEMS BOYSTE PREY”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 The inexplicability allowing Ken Webster to communicate with the past also allowed a conduit for communication to the future. Lukas claimed that someone from the year 2109 had magically appeared, and brought the “Leems Boyste” or “Box of lights” to his time. Ken decided to write to 2109 with a simple message “CALLING 2109”, for which he got the following response;

“KEN, DEB, PETER WE ARE SORRY THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU ONLY TWO CHOICES

1) THAT YOU EITHER HAVE YOUR PREDICAMENT EXPLAINED IN SUCH A NON-RHYME WAY THAT YOU MAY HAVE INSTANT UNDERSTANDING BUT CAUSE WHAT SHOULD NOT BE TO HAPPEN< OR

2) TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU THREE HAVE A PURPOSE THAT SHALL IN YOUR LIFE TIME CHANGES THE FACE OF HISTORY, WE, 2109, MUST NOT AFFECT YOUR THOUGHTS DIRECTLY BUT GIVE YOU SOME SORT OF GUIDANCE THAT WILL ALLOW ROOM FOR YOUR OWN DESTINY. ALL WE CAN SAY IS THAT WE ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME GOD, WHAT EVER HE, IT (?), IS.”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 This direct and strangely spelt response seemed to be from the future. Two apparent lines of communication were now open, and this ‘Time Slip’ suddenly seemed to have a purpose, although it was beyond the understanding of Ken, Debbie and Peter. To add to the situation, there also seemed to be a raft of paranormal activity happening in the cottage during this time.

A Paranormal Research

 Tins had begun to stack themselves up in the kitchen, chalk markings, sometimes with words, had appeared around the house, sections of the house had become extremely cold, sounds of walking had been heard and strange feet impressions had appeared on surfaces.

 On the 15th of May 1985 Debbie noted;

“I dropped Ken off at school after spending the night at East Green then drove over to the cottage to feed the cats. It was 9.00 A.M. It was not until I walked up the path to the front door that I sensed something was very wrong. Perhaps it was the cats sitting on the garden wall watching me rather than circling my feet as they usually do which prompted this unease. I turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

In the living room, I came face to face with a six-foot-high pile of furniture. It appeared to me in that instant to have been tossed by the little finger of a giant. Instantly I took a step back and out of the door and slammed it shut. The cats still watched me in silence from the wall. I didn’t know quite what to do.”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Whatever was happening at the cottage was no longer an intriguing puzzle, it was now a destructive and potentially dangerous situation, with the humble BBC still, left blinking at the heart of the conundrum. Debbie tried to find an explanation for the strange happenings and thus, started taking a closer look at the Maps of the area. Her quest resulted in the finding of a Leyline that directly ran through their house in Dodleston.

 Shortly after the discovery, Debbie began to receive visions of Lukas and even dreams where she interacted with him. With the situation becoming ever more unusual, Ken had decided to reach out to the Society for Psychical Research involved. Soon afterwards, John Bucknall and Dave Welch, two investigators from the SPR, arrived at the Meadows cottage. They proposed a test where they would write 10 questions on the BBC to the entity, or entities, known as 2109, in isolation from Ken and the rest of the household, then delete them. If a reply to the questions came, then Ken’s group should alert them immediately. Several days passed, and a response came back;

“DAVID, JOHN.

DAVID. YOU INTERFERE WITH COMMUNICATION.

NEXT TIME YOU DECIDE TO PERFORM YOUR LITTLE EXPERIMENT YOU MUST BE CLEAR FROM HERE. WE SUGGEST YOU TRY SOMEONE ELSE TO SIT WITH DEBBIE.

YES WE ARE WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A TACHYON UNIVERSE BUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS INCORRECT.

WE ASK NOTHING MORE OF YOU THAN TO CARRY ON AS YOU WOULD PREFER. WE WILL HAVE JOHN PRESENT IF GIVEN

CHOISE OR YOU MAY BRING ANOTHER AS MENCIONED.

NO, IT IS NO CONCERN TO US THAT THIS IS NOT PROVED. WE WILL GIVE YOU A PLOTTING OF A STAR NEXT TIME.

WE MOVE AT A SPEED SO THAT WE COVER EVERY POINT IN

YOUR TIME AND UNIVERSE.

WE HAVE NO FORM WE FEED OF A NEET ENERGY THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE HERD OF. 

2109″

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster) 

 On hearing this, Dave Welch responded;

“2109 had not answered the questions but it seemed they had picked up all the questions left for them in the same order”.

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Finally, it appeared that Ken, Debbie and Peter had proof. They had been categorically denied access to these questions, and given 2109 seemed to know what they were, they could now be excluded as possible hoaxers themselves. At least, that’s what they hoped.

 In reality, the SPR went quiet. They began to speculate that sensitive microphones could have been carefully placed to pick up the sounds of typing, which could then be used to deduce what had been written on the BBC. They also suggested that perhaps, someone was using the “earth wire” of the computer to send and receive data. Whatever their view, John left the SPR shortly afterwards and Dave Welch disappeared without a trace. Strangely, an official report was never filed.

 In order to confirm what they were experiencing was indeed real, Frank Davis, Ken’s colleague, had agreed to come over as a witness. When he arrived at the area where the computer was set up, he reported it being distinctly cold. They all went into the kitchen for a while to talk before finding a new message on the computer, but this time it was from someone else.

An Acquaintance of Lukas

 When Ken, Debbie, and Frank checked the computer that evening, a new message allegedly showed up on the screen. However, it was from John, a man who claimed himself to be a friend of Lukas, and he informed them that Lukas had been imprisoned for charges of witchcraft and communication with spirits. Thus, no new messages arrived for days and, Ken and Debbie attributed this to Lukas’ imprisonment.

 Parallelly, Trinder was trying to decipher the past messages with determination. Lukas had claimed to have attended the Brasenose College in Oxford, and he had given Ken the names of a list of books to prove he was indeed telling the truth. Trinder had enlisted the help of a librarian, who worked in the Brasenose College, and he confirmed that the listed books were not just present at the college, but they were also contemporary to the 1520s.

2109, A Friend or A Foe?

 Eventually, Ken and Debbie decided to take an aggressive approach. They demanded that word be taken to the sheriff, that they would use their power against him if Lukas wasn’t realised. The messages that followed suggested that their warning had caught the attention of the Sherriff, and Lukas had been released within a span of few days.

 With a new sense of friendship, Ken asked Lukas if he was the one moving objects around the house. However, in line with the message from Lukas, the circumstances had been mirroring on his side as well. Thus, both Ken and Lukas began assuming that 2109 was the one behind the paranormal phenomena.

 In order to conduct a more private conversation, Lukas asked Ken to move the computer to the kitchen. 2109 had warned Ken and Lukas not to give each other insights into their lives but they were apparently growing distrustful. One evening, Lukas proposed a completely bizarre idea. He asked Ken to leave a pen and paper beside the computer. Although Ken didn’t understand the reasoning behind the request, he proceeded to do what he was instructed.

 The next morning, Ken was greeted by a handwritten note beside the computer. The writing was elegant and archaic, and it was signed by Thomas, Lukas’ real name. Furthermore, in the letter, he had left clues about his real full name. He claimed that his name was also the name of Peter’s house. Peter lived in Hawarden, a close-by town.

 This information helped Ken and Peter track down a man named Thomas Hawarden, a person who had attended the Brasenose College in the 1530s. Finally, they discovered the identity of their friend from a different timeline. As days passed, Ken, Debbie, and Peter learned more about Thomas, but 2109 seemed to be upset by this. A few days later, the computer had seemingly moved into the bathroom on its own and it carried the following message;

“ONE MORE CHANCE.

MEASURE FREQUENCY BY PLUS TWO ENERGY.

WHAT ELSE OTHER THAN SOUND AND LIGHT. 

KEN, DEB, PETER.

WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE YOU HAVE LUCAS WAINMAN’S TRUE NAME.

IF THIS IS CORRECT, YOU MUST SAY SO, SO WE CAN RECTIFY THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE IT IS ACCEPTED.”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Following this message, Ken decided to minimize contact with 2109. After more communication with Thomas, he learned that 2109 had been tampering with many of their earlier messages, apparently trying the prevent Ken from discovering Thomas’s true identity. Despite Ken’s disinterest, 2109 contacted him before giving him the name and phone number of someone he had to contact.

Introduction of Gary M. ROWE.

 One evening, when Ken logged into the BBC computer, he discovered that 2109 had left him a strangely specific message. It read;

“WE ASK YOU TO DO THE FOLLOWING.

THERE IS A BRILLIANT RESEARCHER.

UFOLOGIST. 

WE KNOW YOU DON’T LIKE THE WORD.

HIS NAME IS GARY M. ROWE.

HIS IDEAS DIFFER SOMEWHAT TO YOURS, BUT NEVERTHELESS, HE CAN HELP YOU WITH A COUPLE OF YOUR PROBLEMS.

YOU MAY PHONE HIM AT THE NUMBER BELOW AND INVITE HIM TO TALK WITH YOU. WHEN HE COMES, SHOW HIM THIS AND ASK HIM WHAT HE MAKES OF IT.

PETER MUST DO THE TELEPHONING.

TELL HIM THAT YOU GOT THIS NUMBER FROM A UFO ENTHUSIAST. 

2109”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Gary Rowe, although sceptical, arrived at the Meadow Cottage, armed with an array of investigative equipment to try and understand the state of affairs.

 What followed was then a series of communication between Gary and 2109 directly. 2109 had been asking Ken to print off messages, without reading them, and pass them to Gary in a sealed envelope. This strange toing and froing ended up with Gary writing a message to 2109 stating;

“GREETINGS.

I AM INSTRUCTED TO APOLOGISE BUT IN ANY EVENT, I WOULD HAVE DONE SO OF MY VOLITION.

THERE WILL BE A LETTER HOPEFULLY THIS WEEKEND.

I AM ALSO INSTRUCTED TO APOLOGISE TO KEN AND DEBBIE.

I MUST TRY AND ANSWER YOUR LAST LETTER.

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN I HAD REALISED IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS.

GARY”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Apparently, something in one of the messages from 2109 had caused Gary to become secretive about the communication and the contents of the letters. This instigated anger and frustration in otherwise composed Ken, and Gary left the cottage the same night. Nothing was heard from Gary again.

The final sequence of Messages

 As Ken continued to communicate with Thomas, he disclosed the intriguing details about how he had received the “Box of Lights”. One night, he had seen glowing lights coming from the fireplace of his house. Emerging from the light was a man, who asked him not to be afraid. Moments later, the strange man left, leaving behind the “Box of Lights”. Thomas eventually realized that the strange and glowing object printed the words he spoke as bright green letters on its screen.

 On the 21^st of March 1985, Thomas sent his final message (a more modern translation by Peter);

“MY TRUE FELLOWS AND SWEET MAID.

GROSNER HAS SAID THAT THOMAS MUST GO. I KNOW IT IS FOR THE BEST BECAUSE THE PEOPLE OF DODLESTON ARE VERY WARY OF ME. 

IT IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT ALL WILL CHANGE AND THERE ARE TRUE MEN TO FOLLOW LIKE KEN AND PETER.

THOUGH 400 YEARS IS A LONG TIME AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO HAPPEN TO MANKIND.

PERHAPS YOU WILL COME TO OXFORD.

NOW I THINK THERE IS NO DANGER FOR ME THERE, FOR I HEAR THE KING IS VERY SICK AND ALL IS QUIET IN THE CHURCH.

I SHALL GO BY BOAT FROM CHESHIRE TO BRISTOL.

I SHALL TRY TO MAKE MY STAY AT BRASENOSE.

I WILL WRITE MY BOOK ABOUT MY BROTHERS AND MAID AND THE END OF LUCAS AND OUT LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.

ONE DAY YOU WILL ALL SIT DOWN AT MY TABLE FOR WINE AND MEAT BY THE RIVER IN OXFORD WHERE WE SHALL READ EACH OTHER’S BOOKS AND LAUGH AND WE SHALL SPEAK OF TRUTH AND GOOD MEN.

WATCHING OXFORD CHANGE TOGETHER, FOR EVERMORE.

IN YOUR TIME MY BOOK IS OLD BUT I SHALL NOT GO

TO MY GOD UNTIL IT IS WRITTEN. THEN WE WILL ALL BE TRULY EMBRACED.

MY LOVE TO YOU ALL.

I SHALL AWAIT YOU IN OXFORD. 

TOMAS HAWARDEN”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

 Soon afterwards, there was one final message from 2109;

“THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON TO COME, THEY WILL BE THE HELP WE NEED. YOU WILL KNOW THEM WHEN THEY COME.

THOMAS DID EVENTUALLY WRITE HIS BOOK AND SOON DIED, SHORTLY AFTER, HE PLACED IT IN A SECURE PLACE, IT SHOULDN’T TAKE TOO MANY YEARS TO FIND IT, THOUGH HE WROTE IT IN

LATIN WITH THE HELP OF A FRIEND THAT HE MET IN OXFORD, THE INSCRIPTION READS

“ME WRYTS THIS IN THE HOPE THAT MYNE FELAWS WILL ONE DAY FIND THIS BOKE, THEN MAY OWER LANDS BE NOT SOE DISTANT” 

WE WILL FINISH NOW. YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

THERE IS NO NEED TO WRITE BACK AS WE WILL HAVE GONE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

2109”

(Source: "The Vertical Plane" by Ken Webster)

Conclusion

 In total Thomas and 2109 had sent over 300 messages to Ken and Debbie. A few years later, Ken documented the complete story in his book, “The Vertical Plane”. In 1996, Ken and Debbie appeared in a BBC documentary, but with their backs to the camera. While their story had many sceptics, they insist that one day their story will be revealed to be the truth.

 Peter Trinder worked as a translator of archaic messages. The original script was so far sounding, that he had to dig through years of Oxford dictionary to decipher it. He claimed that the possibility of faking this was close to zero.

 To further add to the credibility, in line with the book Ken published in 1989, 2109 claimed that Fermat’s last theorem would be solved in Ken’s lifetime. Proposed in the year 1637, the mathematical theorem had been studied for over 350 years before being finally solved in 1995 by Andrew Wiles. A detail too obscure for a hoaxer. Furthermore, 2109 disclosed the coordinates of an undiscovered star that would be important to mankind. Years later, a quasar was discovered at the same coordinates.

 Lucas aka Thomas talked about being arrested by Thomas Fowlehurst, a sheriff of Cheshire. Although a sheriff with the exact spelling did not exist, there existed a man named Thomas Foulehusrt, whose name was pronounced the same. He was the sheriff of Cheshire in 1529.

 However, despite the compelling aspects, the Dodleston messages can never be considered a conclusive case until the discovery of the mysterious book written by Thomas Hawarden.