ARCHIVES and SPECIAL COLLECTIONS QUEEN ELIZABETH II LIBRARY MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY, ST. JOHN'S, NL

Richard Brothers prints MF-351 Website: Archives and Special Collections Author: Sara Flaherty Date: 2000

Scope and Content: This collection consists of seven images of the likeness of Richard Brothers, a religious enthusiast who was born in Newfoundland in 1757. Brothers was convinced that he was the nephew of God and a direct descendant of King David. He espoused his views and made numerous prophecies in his two books, which met with considerable success in both and North America.

The inscription on several of the images indicates that they were published in on April 16, 1795 by one of Brother's followers, . All contain the same black and white image of Brothers and are thirteen centimeters in length and twelve centimeters in width. There are, however, variations among them. Five of the images have a typescript border of two centimeters which reads "Richard Brothers, Prince of the Hebrews". The other two have a header with a biblical quote and a note at the bottom in colour along with the date and location of publishing. All seven are numbered on the back. There is also a brief handwritten passage from Ezekiel on the back of one of the images.

Custodial History: The prints of Richard Brothers were donated to the Archives and Special Collections on February 6, 1995 by Dr. Kenneth Roberts, a resident of St. John's. Dr. Roberts had acquired them several years previously.

Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access. Copyright laws and regulations may apply to all or to parts of this collection. All patrons should be aware that copyright regulations state that any copy of archival material is to be used solely for the purpose of research or private study. Any use of the copy for any other purpose may require the authorization of the copyright owner. It is the patron's responsibility to obtain such authorization.

Biography or History: Richard Brothers was born in 1757 in Placentia or Admiral's Cove, Fermeuse Bay, Newfoundland. He worked in his youth as a fisherman on the Southern Shore before joining the Royal Navy. When he was honourably discharged as a Lieutenant in 1783 he joined the Marchant Marine and sailed with it for a number of years.

By 1787, Brothers had settled in London, where he seemed to adopt a new focus in life. He believed that God had entrusted him with a "Holy Mission". In 1789 Brothers refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign, George III, believing that it was blasphemy to recognize the King as a Sovereign Lord. As a result, he lost his annual half pay of 54 shillings from the Royal Navy. This loss of income left Brothers destitute and forced him into a workhouse for almost three years. His circumstances seemed to increase his faith. He began to experience revelations and visions, from which he gathered that the world would come to a violent end. He also predicted the deaths of King Gustave III of Sweden and Louis XVI of France, both of whom died violently.

Brothers went on to claim that he was a descendant of King David, through James, the brother of Christ, whose family had become separated from the Hebrews for 1500 years as one of the ten lost tribes of . In 1793-1794 he wrote a prophetic work entitled A Revealed Knowledge of the Prophecies and Times, Book the First. Later in 1794 he published Book the Second. In both books many prophecies were outlined but the most important concerned Brothers. He claimed that by August 6, 1795 the ecclesiastical and civil governments of Britain would be overthrown and by November 1795 he would be revealed as Prince of the Hebrews and George III would abdicate, giving Brothers the throne.

The King was not amused. In March 1795 Brothers was arrested for his allegations and declared a criminal lunatic. He spent the next eleven years in a private asylum close to London. His books had attracted a following but when his prophecies failed to materialize Brothers faded into obscurity. Two of his followers, , M. P. and John Finlayson, a well known writer and lawyer attempted to help Brothers while he was in the asylum. When he was finally released, he lived with one of his converts, a Mr. Busby until 1815 and from 1815 until his death in 1824 with Finlayson.

Although considered a lunatic by many, Richard Brothers' Theory that the Anglo-Saxon race was descended from the Lost Ten Tribes is still held to be true by many people in Europe and North America.

1.0 Portrait prints, 1795 1.01 Richard Brothers, 1795 1.01.001 Print of Richard Brothers by William Sharp (12 x 13 cm), with header and coloured footer, 2 copies