Timeline
A few significant dates in the history of Spiritualism
1735 - The Witchcraft Act
1848 - The Fox sisters in New York State discover that they can communicate with a 'ghost' in their home using a rapping system (eg: one knock for yes & two for no). Using this system, they managed to ascertain that the 'ghost' was in fact a pedlar who had been murdered by previous tenants of the house and that his remains were buried under the floor of the cellar. On further investigation, this was found to be true; a human skeleton and human hairs were found in the cellar.
1849 - 1st Spiritualist meeting in Rochester, United States.
1873 - British National Association of Spiritualists established (in 1883 it became Central Association of Spiritualists).
1882 - Society for Psychical Research established.
1890 - Spiritualist's National Union founded by medium Emma Hardinge Britten.
1931 - Greater World Christian Spiritualist Association founded by trance medium Winifred Moyes.
1932 - The Psychic News weekly newspaper founded by trance medium Maurice Barbanell.
1939 - Church of England report on Spiritualism. Having previously denounced Spiritualism as 'evil', a committee was formed in 1937 to examine Spiritualism. Their report was favourable to spiritualism.
1944 - Medium Helen Duncan arrested under the 1735 Witchcraft Act.
1950's - Spiritualism accepted as a religion.
1951 - Fraudulent Mediums Act repeals 1735 Witchcraft Act.
Today - Over 500 churches worldwide; either affiliated to groups or independent.
Famous Spiritualists
| Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | 1859
- 1930 Author of Sherlock Holmes books |
| Sir Oliver Lodge | 1851
- 1940 British scientist and Fellow Royal Society; pioneer in radio communication; President of the Society for Psychical Research |
| Sir William Barrett | Physics professor at Royal College of Science in Dublin; carried out scientific study of death-bed visions |
| Dr Alfred Russel Wallace | 1823
- 1913 British Scientist; discovered principle of natural selection |
| Lord Dowding | 1882
- 1970 Air Chief Marshal; sent bereaved widows of his air crews to carefully selected mediums |
| James Arthur Findlay | Historian and philosopher; donated his home, Stansted Hall, to the SNU for use of the teaching of psychic sciences - today it is the Arthur Findlay College. |
| Abraham Lincoln | 1809
-1865 16th President of the USA; held seances in the White House; married to Mary Todd Lincoln - also a spiritualist |
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