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The Yatton Demonick: Seven Devils and a Tailor
In this historical deep-dive, Mike and JT journey back to 1778 England to examine the explosive case of George Lukins, a pauper tailor from Yatton who treated his physical body like a rent-controlled apartment for seven uninvited demonic roommates. Mike details Lukins’ terrifying symptoms—including folding his spine into impossible geometric shapes and singing hymns backward—which left local doctors shrugging and prescribing little more than leeches and a "lunacy" diagnosis. JT critiques the sheer inefficiency of a seven-demon collective, questioning the scheduling conflicts required to coordinate bending a tailor's knees while shouting profanities in Swedish. The crisis eventually reached its dramatic climax at Temple Church, where a "holy squad" of seven clergymen performed a high-stakes, man-to-man coverage exorcism that turned into the 18th-century equivalent of a viral TikTok spectacle. While modern medical historians suggest Lukins may have suffered from psychogenic seizures rather than actual hellfire, the case remains a fascinating look at a time when you could resolve a medical mystery simply by being louder than the entities inhabiting your soul.
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Ghost Bites on Suno AI: https://suno.com/@ghostbitespod
To listen to songs based on each episode, separated by season.
This episode was produced with permission and licenses from Epidemic Sound Pro.
Sources
Taylor, John. A Narrative of the Extraordinary Case of George Lukins, of Yatton... (1788). (Primary contemporary account detailing the symptoms and the clerical intervention).
Easterbrook, Joseph. Accounts and sermons detailing the perspective of the lead clergyman involved in the exorcism at Temple Church, Bristol.
The Gentlemen's Magazine / Bristol Gazette. Archival reports from 1788 detailing the public controversy, the pamphlet war, and the philosophical debate surrounding the case.
Manning, Joseph. Medical and skeptical arguments published contemporaneously, often diagnosing Lukins with epilepsy or imposture.
Modern Medical Review. Analysis by medical historians (e.g., those specializing in the history of neurology and psychiatry) who attribute Lukins's symptoms to psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) or other severe, then-undiagnosable mental disorders.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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By Brew CrimeIn this historical deep-dive, Mike and JT journey back to 1778 England to examine the explosive case of George Lukins, a pauper tailor from Yatton who treated his physical body like a rent-controlled apartment for seven uninvited demonic roommates. Mike details Lukins’ terrifying symptoms—including folding his spine into impossible geometric shapes and singing hymns backward—which left local doctors shrugging and prescribing little more than leeches and a "lunacy" diagnosis. JT critiques the sheer inefficiency of a seven-demon collective, questioning the scheduling conflicts required to coordinate bending a tailor's knees while shouting profanities in Swedish. The crisis eventually reached its dramatic climax at Temple Church, where a "holy squad" of seven clergymen performed a high-stakes, man-to-man coverage exorcism that turned into the 18th-century equivalent of a viral TikTok spectacle. While modern medical historians suggest Lukins may have suffered from psychogenic seizures rather than actual hellfire, the case remains a fascinating look at a time when you could resolve a medical mystery simply by being louder than the entities inhabiting your soul.
________________________________________
Ghost Bites on Suno AI: https://suno.com/@ghostbitespod
To listen to songs based on each episode, separated by season.
This episode was produced with permission and licenses from Epidemic Sound Pro.
Sources
Taylor, John. A Narrative of the Extraordinary Case of George Lukins, of Yatton... (1788). (Primary contemporary account detailing the symptoms and the clerical intervention).
Easterbrook, Joseph. Accounts and sermons detailing the perspective of the lead clergyman involved in the exorcism at Temple Church, Bristol.
The Gentlemen's Magazine / Bristol Gazette. Archival reports from 1788 detailing the public controversy, the pamphlet war, and the philosophical debate surrounding the case.
Manning, Joseph. Medical and skeptical arguments published contemporaneously, often diagnosing Lukins with epilepsy or imposture.
Modern Medical Review. Analysis by medical historians (e.g., those specializing in the history of neurology and psychiatry) who attribute Lukins's symptoms to psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) or other severe, then-undiagnosable mental disorders.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices