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Moberly-Jourdain Incident
Two Oxford academics walked through the gardens of Versailles and found themselves in 1789. They saw Marie Antoinette sketching. Men in tricorn hats. Buildings that no longer existed. A time slip? They wrote a book. The mystery was never solved.
1901
Palace of Versailles, France
2+ witnesses
The Moberly-Jourdain incident suggests time can slip.
The Witnesses
Eleanor Jourdain:
- Oxford principal
- Highly educated
- Credible witness
- Documented experience
- Co-author
Charlotte Moberly:
- Also academic
- St Hugh’s College
- No history of delusion
- Careful researcher
- Published findings
The Experience
August 10, 1901:
- Visiting Versailles
- Walking gardens
- Atmosphere changed
- Depression felt
- People in period dress
What They Saw
The visions:
- Men in tricorn hats
- Woman sketching (Marie Antoinette?)
- Kiosk that didn’t exist
- Running messengers
- Sense of urgency
Their Research
Investigation:
- Returned multiple times
- Studied archives
- Matched descriptions
- To 1789 layouts
- Published “An Adventure”
The Theories
Explanations:
- Time slip
- Ghosts
- Costume party
- Shared hallucination
- Fraud
Legacy
Impact:
- Book still in print
- Academic interest
- Time slip concept
- Versailles mystery
- Never explained