The Moberly–Jourdain incident is a widely discussed claim of time travel and ghostly visions at Versailles, published in 1911 and debated by psychical researchers for decades.
Key Facts
- Claimants
- Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain
- Date of alleged incident
- 10 August 1901
- Publication year
- 1911
- Book title
- An Adventure
- Location of claim
- Petit Trianon, Palace of Versailles
- Alleged ghost sighted
- Marie Antoinette and others
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 10 August 1901, Charlotte Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain visited the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles. While exploring the gardens, both women reported experiencing an unusual atmospheric change and encountering strangely dressed figures, which they later interpreted as evidence of a supernatural or temporal displacement to the late eighteenth century.
Moberly and Jourdain claimed to have perceived the gardens of the Petit Trianon as they appeared in the 1780s, reportedly encountering ghostly figures including what they believed to be Marie Antoinette. They described an eerie stillness, oddly costumed individuals, and unfamiliar garden layouts inconsistent with the site's contemporary appearance.
In 1911, the two women published their account as An Adventure under pseudonyms, causing a public sensation. Despite attracting interest from psychical researchers, the claims were widely dismissed. Subsequent investigations attributed the sightings to misidentification of contemporary visitors and historical misinterpretation, though the incident remained a frequently cited case in paranormal literature.