Buchanites
Encyclopedia
The Buchanites or Presbytry Relief were late 18th century followers of Elspeth Buchan
, a Scottish
woman who claimed to be one of the figures named in the Book of Revelation
.
In 1783, Mrs Buchan, in her late 40s and the daughter of an inn owner, declared herself to be a prophet and a biblical figure in her own right, and claimed to be immortal and able to give immortality to her followers by breathing on them. She gathered a group of followers in Irvine (North Ayrshire
), where they are reputed to have practised behaviour that contravened social norms as they prepared to ascend en bloc at short notice to Heaven.
As with many controversial sects in various times and places, they were rumoured by a disapproving society to practise "a community of wives" or "orgies in the woods"; but there is no conclusive proof that they did either.
They were expelled from Irvine
, residents even threatening to drown them in the towns Scott's Loch
. Eventually they made their way to Closeburn
(north of Dumfries) in 1784. They were expelled from Dumfriesshire in 1787 and then settled in the Crocketford area (Stewartry of Kirkcudbright).
The Buchanites are remembered in Scottish literature
in the works of John Galt, who was a four-year old child in Irvine when the Buchanites were expelled. According to Galt's autobiography, he "with many children also accompanied her, but my mother in a state of distraction pursued, and drew me back by the lug and the horn. [...] [T]he scene, and more than once the enthusiasm of [their] psalm singing, has risen in my remembrance, especially in describing the Covenanters in Ringan Gilhaize."
They are also mentioned - quite negatively - in a letter by Robert Burns
: "[A]bout two years ago, a Mrs Buchan from Glasgow came among them, & began to spread some fanatical notions of religion among them, [...] till in spring last the Populace rose & mobbed the old leader Buchan & put her out of the town; on which all her followers voluntarily quit the place likewise, & with such precipitation, that many of them never shut their doors behind them [...] Their tenets are a strange jumble of enthusiastic jargon; among others, she pretends to give them the Holy Ghost by breathing on them, which she does with postures & practices that are scandalously indecent. They have likewise disposed of all life, carrying on a great farce of pretended devotion in barns, & woods, where they lodge and lye all together, & hold likewise a community of women, as it is another of their tenets that they can commit no moral sin. [...] This My Dear Sir, is one of the many instances of the folly in leaving the guidance of sound reason, & common sense in matters of Religion."
Mrs Buchan died of natural causes in 1791, disproving her claim to immortality.
The end of the Buchanite saga came in 1846, when the last "adherent", Andrew Innes, died. Innes, who lived in the (still existing) Buchanite last abode, "Newhouse", Crocketford, had expected a "resurrection" of the mummified body of Mother Buchan on March 29th 1841 - the 50th anniversary of her death. He was disappointed and died at "Newhouse" in 1846 - a death which coincided with the discovery of Mother Buchan's hidden mummified body.
Many Buchanites were buried (or reburied) in a graveyard next to the north-west wall of "Newhouse", in the expectation that they would "ascend" eventually with "Lucky" Buchan.
Elspeth Buchan
Elspeth Buchan was the founder of a Scottish religious sect known as the Buchanites.She was the daughter of John Simpson, proprietor of an inn near Banff....
, a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
woman who claimed to be one of the figures named in the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
.
In 1783, Mrs Buchan, in her late 40s and the daughter of an inn owner, declared herself to be a prophet and a biblical figure in her own right, and claimed to be immortal and able to give immortality to her followers by breathing on them. She gathered a group of followers in Irvine (North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
), where they are reputed to have practised behaviour that contravened social norms as they prepared to ascend en bloc at short notice to Heaven.
As with many controversial sects in various times and places, they were rumoured by a disapproving society to practise "a community of wives" or "orgies in the woods"; but there is no conclusive proof that they did either.
They were expelled from Irvine
Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine is a new town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland. According to 2007 population estimates, the town is home to 39,527 inhabitants, making it the biggest settlement in North Ayrshire....
, residents even threatening to drown them in the towns Scott's Loch
Trindlemoss Loch
Trindlemoss Loch, Scotts Loch or the Loch of Irvine was situated in a a low lying area running from Ravenspark to near Stanecastle and down to Lockwards, now represented only by the playing fields off Bank Street in the Parish of Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a...
. Eventually they made their way to Closeburn
Closeburn, Dumfries and Galloway
Closeburn is a village and civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The village is on the A76 road south of Thornhill. In the 2001 census, Closeburn had a population of 1,119,...
(north of Dumfries) in 1784. They were expelled from Dumfriesshire in 1787 and then settled in the Crocketford area (Stewartry of Kirkcudbright).
The Buchanites are remembered in Scottish literature
Scottish literature
Scottish literature is literature written in Scotland or by Scottish writers. It includes literature written in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Brythonic, French, Latin and any other language in which a piece of literature was ever written within the boundaries of modern Scotland.The earliest...
in the works of John Galt, who was a four-year old child in Irvine when the Buchanites were expelled. According to Galt's autobiography, he "with many children also accompanied her, but my mother in a state of distraction pursued, and drew me back by the lug and the horn. [...] [T]he scene, and more than once the enthusiasm of [their] psalm singing, has risen in my remembrance, especially in describing the Covenanters in Ringan Gilhaize."
They are also mentioned - quite negatively - in a letter by Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
: "[A]bout two years ago, a Mrs Buchan from Glasgow came among them, & began to spread some fanatical notions of religion among them, [...] till in spring last the Populace rose & mobbed the old leader Buchan & put her out of the town; on which all her followers voluntarily quit the place likewise, & with such precipitation, that many of them never shut their doors behind them [...] Their tenets are a strange jumble of enthusiastic jargon; among others, she pretends to give them the Holy Ghost by breathing on them, which she does with postures & practices that are scandalously indecent. They have likewise disposed of all life, carrying on a great farce of pretended devotion in barns, & woods, where they lodge and lye all together, & hold likewise a community of women, as it is another of their tenets that they can commit no moral sin. [...] This My Dear Sir, is one of the many instances of the folly in leaving the guidance of sound reason, & common sense in matters of Religion."
Mrs Buchan died of natural causes in 1791, disproving her claim to immortality.
The end of the Buchanite saga came in 1846, when the last "adherent", Andrew Innes, died. Innes, who lived in the (still existing) Buchanite last abode, "Newhouse", Crocketford, had expected a "resurrection" of the mummified body of Mother Buchan on March 29th 1841 - the 50th anniversary of her death. He was disappointed and died at "Newhouse" in 1846 - a death which coincided with the discovery of Mother Buchan's hidden mummified body.
Many Buchanites were buried (or reburied) in a graveyard next to the north-west wall of "Newhouse", in the expectation that they would "ascend" eventually with "Lucky" Buchan.
Sources
- John Train, the biographer of Sir Walter Scott, wrote about the Buchanites in The Buchanites from First to Last (1846).
- John Cameron: The Buchanite Delusion 1783-1846 (R.G.Mann, Dumfries, 1904).
The Buchanites in literature
- The Buchanites are the subject of a novella by F. L. LucasF. L. LucasFrank Laurence Lucas was an English classical scholar, literary critic, poet, novelist, playwright, political polemicist, and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge....
, The Woman Clothed with the Sun (Cassell, London, 1937; Simon & Schuster, N.Y.; 1938).