Joanna Southcott
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JOANNA SOUTHCOTT “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Joanna Southcott HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1750 April: Joanna Southcott was born into a farming family at Taleford Farm near Ottery St. Mary in Devon, England. NOBODY COULD GUESS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT Joanna Southcott “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1769 At the age of 18, the “Spirit of Truth” came upon Joanna Southcott and she began to prophesy. DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? GOOD. Joanna Southcott “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1792 According to the Shakers of the United States, this year was to be the end of the world (Abanes, Richard. END- TIME VISIONS. NY: Four Walls Eight Windows, 1998, page 338). In England, the Lord visited Joanna Southcott to “warn her of what was coming upon the whole earth.” She began to set these heavenly testimonies down in writing, many in verse, have each writing certified and witnessed, and put these documents into a Great Box maintained by one of her friends. None of these sealed packets of prophetic verse were to be unsealed prior to 1801. Although the predictions and fulminations of Richard Brothers were attracting followers, this wasn’t creating much of a sustaining cash flow for his use. On account of his debts, he was sent to Newgate Prison. From this point he would preach against imprisonment for debt. His disciples would come to include a lawyer, John Finlayson, an army captain, Hanclett, and a member of the House of Commons, Nathaniel Halhed. At some HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT point he would begin to sponsor a philosemitic concept that we now discover in the poetry of William Blake, that England was the New Israel, the lost tribe that was to be prominent just prior to Doomsday. Many Englishmen he discovered to be “hidden Jews,” including the current Prime Minister, William Pitt.1 He announced that it was time for all these hidden Jews to assemble together in Palestine (which in that period was under a Turkish mandate) under his leadership as Prince of the Hebrews, to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. MILLENNIALISM 1. Eventually Richard Brothers would decide that he had been mistaken about Prime Minister William Pitt — that the man actually was not a hidden Jew and therefore was unworthy of support. HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1797 Joanna Southcott met with the Reverend Joseph Pomeroy of St. Peter’s in Exeter. For six years he would be her champion — until constant ridicule by his fellow clergymen would get the better of him. WHAT I’M WRITING IS TRUE BUT NEVER MIND YOU CAN ALWAYS LIE TO YOURSELF Joanna Southcott “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1801 The French astrologer Pierre Turrel had, using four different calculation methods, announced four different possible dates for the end of the world. Those dates had been 1537, 1544, 1801, and 1814. –As of the end of this year, three of these had elapsed leaving one still to go (Randi, James. THE MASK OF NOSTRADAMUS. Amherst NY: Prometheus Books, 1993, page 239). Due to the extended confinement of Richard Brothers, and due to his having made some unpopular as well as unfulfilled predictions such as the earthquake leveling of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the English Parliament, space had been opened for another contender, another self-elected savior. Joanna Southcott stepped forward as one wild offshoot of the British Methodists, taking up the cudgels on behalf of a number of Brothers’s tenets and posing as his prophetic successor. With publication of the 1st part of her THE STRANGE EFFECTS OF FAITH she began to attract followers. MILLENNIALISM HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT LIFE IS LIVED FORWARD BUT UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD? — NO, THAT’S GIVING TOO MUCH TO THE HISTORIAN’S STORIES. LIFE ISN’T TO BE UNDERSTOOD EITHER FORWARD OR BACKWARD. Christmas: During this period, seven men travelled to Exeter to inquire into the character and writings of Joanna Southcott. These would come to be known later as the “Faithful Seven” as they would arrange to be present at all the trials of the Prophetess’ writings: • The Reverend Thomas Foley of Old Swinford, Worcestershire • The Reverend Thomas Webster of St. George’s, Westminster • The Reverend Stanhope Bruce of Inglesham, Gloucester • The engraver William Sharp • George Turner of Leeds • John Wilson of Kentish Town • Peter Morrison of Liverpool “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Joanna Southcott HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1802 Joanna Southcott met Miss Jane Townley in London — this lady and her ladies’ maid Ann Underwood would make themselves the prophet’s primary supporters. William Tozer of Exeter joined the movement and would be preaching about Joanna’s prophecies at his meeting-place in Duke Street, St. George’s Fields, London. Publication of the 2d part of Joanna’s THE STRANGE EFFECTS OF FAITH. THE FUTURE IS MOST READILY PREDICTED IN RETROSPECT “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Joanna Southcott HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1803 January: At the High House, Paddington, another examination of the prophecies of Joanna Southcott. CHANGE IS ETERNITY, STASIS A FIGMENT Joanna Southcott “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1804 Publication of Joanna Southcott’s FREE EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE. December 5, Wednesday: The incumbent President, Thomas Jefferson, was reelected as President. The Vice- President (George Clinton) was elected separately for the 1st time. At Neckinger House, Bermondsey, a third examination of the prophecies of Joanna Southcott was to be staged before 24 clerical judges and 24 jurors. The presenting attorney was to be John Scott of Devon. No clergy having made their appearance, at nine o’clock on the seventh day following, Joanna would seal a Great Box to be kept till after her death, and this would be delivered to one of the Sealed attenders. A prophesy was given out, that unless this Great Box was properly opened in the presence of 24 Bishops of the Church by the end of the year 2004 — there was going to be all hell to pay. MILLENNIALISM THE FUTURE CAN BE EASILY PREDICTED IN RETROSPECT “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Joanna Southcott HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1805 January: Publication of Joanna Southcott’s BOOK OF THE TRIAL. HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1807 By this point there were in England 14,000 “Sealed” persons supporting the prophecies of Joanna Southcott. She retired with her faithful friends Miss Jane Townley and Ann Underwood to a garden-cottage in quiet Blockley in the Cotswolds. HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1813 Joanna Southcott was put on notice by a Spirit that in the 65th year of her age she would by the “power of the Most High” give birth to a man-child, to be known as the Shiloh, who would “rule the nations with a rod of iron.” During this year and the following one, publication of her THE BOOK OF WONDERS. MILLENNIALISM HDT WHAT? INDEX JOANNA SOUTHCOTT JOANNA SOUTHCOTT 1814 Publication of Joanna Southcott’s BIRTH OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE. December 25, Sunday: In the previous year, Joanna Southcott had been put on notice by a Spirit that at the age of 65 she would by the “power of the Most High” give birth during the harvest season of this year to a man-child, to be known as the Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, who would “rule the nations with a rod of iron.” She had journeyed to London, witnesses noticing that she appeared pregnant, but during the harvest season nothing had happened, and then on this Christmas Day some allege that an infant was delivered stillborn, “caught up to God and His throne” — while the evidence seems to suggest that there was no such blessed event (Skinner, Stephen. MILLENNIUM PROPHECIES. Stamford CT: Longmeadow Press, 1994, page 109). MILLENNIALISM Friend Stephen Wanton Gould wrote in his journal: 1st day 25th of 12 M 1814 / A few words were delivered by an Elder brother in the forenoon — Soon after I took my seat on looking round & observing a considerable number of young people with very innocent countenances, love rose in my heart toward them & with it, the Passage, “And he had compassion on the multitude” - It also soon opened to my mind with lively sensations that were we to assemble with true Faith in him who in former days had compassion on the multitude & break a little bread among them which satisfied a great number & there was much to spare, so we in this day might experience that Miracle wrought in us spiritually for tho’ in sitting down in meeting we might feel but little else than poverty & want, yet by faith, we might expereince that little greatly enlarged & by the time Meeting closed go away greatly satisfied that we had been there, & that the Blessed Master had owned us by his living presence. —- In the Afternoon we were silent but I thought it was a solid, may I not say solemn season to many present. RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS December 27, Tuesday: Having two days earlier given birth at the age of 65, to a stillborn infant, or having two days earlier having not given birth at all, Joanna Southcott died. In all probability she had not, the behavior of her disciples would seem to indicate, because they would allow her body to putrefy for four days while they waited around to see if a magical bouncing baby was going to spring out of it.