Arbuthnotiana: The Story of the St. Alb-Ns Ghost (1712) a Catalogue of Dr. Arbuthnot's Library (1779)

This is a curious artifact of early 18th-century British political satire: a ghost story that functions as Tory propaganda against the Whigs, wrapped in the folkloric trappings of a feared witch. Mother Haggy, introduced as a notorious figure in St. Albans during King James I's reign, serves as both spectral menace and political metaphor. The narrative exploits period superstitions about witchcraft and credulity to implicate political opponents in corruption and mismanagement. When the ghost returns to haunt her descendants Avaro and Haggite, the satire cuts deeper, using family degeneracy to mirror the perceived failings of the Whig establishment. Patricia Köster's authorship itself remains something of a bibliographic puzzle, adding to the text's intrigue as a historical curiosity. For readers interested in the roots of political satire or the transition from supernatural folklore to partisan commentary, this obscure pamphlet offers a window into how early modern writers weaponized the uncanny.