Spiritualism A Brief History

Spiritualism, a brief history

Picture if you will, a family huddled together, the wind buffeting the wooden slats, the curtains twitching against a meagre sheeting of glass; shadows cast forth from the flickering candles dance around the room. Suddenly out of the silence, BANG BANG, followed by the scrape of furniture as if across the floor, the door rattles once more. It is March the 31st 1848, The Fox family household, a small wooden shack in the hamlet of Hydesville, New York state, the advent of modern Spiritualism

Through the use of a simple alphabetical code, including one rap for no and two for yes, it was established that behind this phenomenon, these rapping’s was the spirit entity of a pedlar, a Charles B Rosna, who had been killed five years previously by a former tenant of the property, a John C Bell; for the princely sum of five hundred dollars, and his body hidden in the cellar. In 1904 the physical remains of an intact male skeleton was uncovered within the walls of the cellar, complete with a pedlars tin box and similar artefacts, proof from beyond the grave?

As you can imagine news of the “Hydesville rapping’s spread quickly, people gathered to witness this mysterious force in play, listening in awe as answers in the form of raps were given in response to questions asked.

As a direct result of the events which took place at Hydesville on 31st March, home circles developed and flourished across America as people wished to see and hear for themselves the wonders of spirit. The first mediumistic demonstration was given by Margaret Fox in the Corinthian Hall, New York in 1849. It would take another three years however, when in 1852 the American medium Mrs W R Hayden graced the shores of Britain, bringing the voice of spirit and Spiritualism to our shores. Though she was met with staunch aggression from the press and church alike, her evidence of the continuation of the human soul helped bring many eminent people to believe and understand the truth of survival, the first Spiritualist church in England was opened a year later at Keighley.

Newspapers specifically run by Spiritualists were published in 1855 with the “Yorkshire Spiritual Telegraph” and the “Two worlds” a weekly newspaper in 1887.

Charles Darwin’s origin of species was published in 1859, bringing with it intense theological debates as to the origins of man, main stream religious views were being brought into question, as were the views entrenched within the dogma of Victorian principles. Spiritualism in essence upset the proverbial apple cart, entrenched within a strict dogma, particularly in regards to anything deemed paranormal or outside of mainstream teachings, religious views pertaining to superstition and witchcraft, had not moved no further forward than the views of 17th century when many innocents were put to death by trials of water and fire at Salem, People were looking for answers to the meaning of life, and the then new movement of spiritualism, provided evidential proof of the continued existence of the human soul, as time and again demonstrations took place throughout America and Great Britain, by such pioneers as Daniel Dunglass Home, and the Davenport brothers, which was primarily physical in nature, meaning that the phenomenon being demonstrated was clearly perceived through the physical senses, and helped those with a materialistic viewpoint to see that spirit could manifest amongst us.

Sir William Crookes, a well respected peer of the Victorian era, having been asked to investigate Spiritualism, with a view to debunking its ideals, published his findings in 1871. He went against the train of thought, declaring on the side of Spiritualism, he worked extensively with the renowned materialisation medium Ms Florence Cook, and established that the spirit brought through in her séance room was a clearly defined and separate entity.

The National Spiritualist’s Federation was formed in 1890 which became the Spiritualists National Union (SNU) in 1901, which gathered into its organisation the many churches and societies which were springing up from the desire to expound the message of spirit, that life is eternal, the continuous existence of the human personality.

In 1944 the Scottish born materialisation medium Mrs Helen Duncan, was put on trial under the auspices of the Witchcraft Act of 1735. The primary reason for this was that she provided proof of the sinking of the battleship HMS Bahrnam, when the materialised form of one of its sailors was evidenced to his mother as she sat within the darkened séance room. The admiralty wished to silence Helen Duncan, in case she inadvertently gave any accounts of the imminent D-Day landings, she spent 9 months incarcerated at HMP Holloway, the newspapers later carried the news of the sinking. As a result of this the Fraudulent Mediums Act was introduced in 1951, removing genuine mediums from the provisions of the Witchcraft Act 1735, and section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824. Spiritualism was recognised as a religion in 1954, two years later Helen Duncan passed to spirit.

There are many worthy people of note, who have played their part in the unfolding truth that is Spiritualism, Ms Emma Hardinge Britten who tirelessly worked as a gifted speaker and orator, who along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ably spread the truth to a world that was ignorant in regards to the duality of man, we are living testament to the spirit we carry within.

Many excellent mediums amongst who, people such as Daniel Dunglass Home, David Duguid, Leonore Piper are but a few. Men of science came to understand the facts presented before them, and came to stand firmly on the side of Spiritualism, such men as Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir William Crookes and Dr A Russel Wallace. This paragraph names but a few, yet Spiritualism as a whole has a great many people to thank for their concerted efforts in the face of bigotry, ignorance and religious intolerance.

For further reading visit www.snu.org.uk and www.fst.org

Article written by Ian Doherty

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