Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

A religious enthusiast, named Hannah Beedham, who pretends the had a trance when in our county hospital two years ago, and whilst in that trance was informed she would die the 1st of August, 1833, has this week been the cause of much folly and idleness. She formerly belonged to the Wesleyan Methodists, but was some time ago discarded by them. Having announced that she would retire to Kelfield to die, she proceeded there some weeks ago, and during the last nine days has kept her bed, under pretence of illness. She, however, has been visited by many hundreds of people from York, and all the neighbouring villages. She sang hymns and prayed – she spoke comfortably to her friends of her visions unseen – she held converse with spiritual beings about her death; but when the time came for her departure she could not quit this lower world – no, nor even the village of Kelfield. A second Johanna Southcote, she now appeared that which she had always been – the creature of ignorance and enthusiasm. York Herald.

Comment

Comment

Mayhall:

Many provided themselves with new mourning to attend the funeral, which was to have taken place at the church of the Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York, on the Sunday following; but even some in York had done the like (Mayhall 1860).

Pen Hemingway has researched the background, including her relative, James Sturdy, the farmer with whom Beedham stayed at Kelfield (Hemingway 2022/03/12).

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Original

A religious enthusiast, named Hannah Beedham, who pretends the had a trance when in our county hospital two years ago, and whilst in that trance was informed she would die the 1st of August, 1833, has this week been the cause of much folly and idleness. She formerly belonged to the Wesleyan Methodists, but was some time ago discarded by them. Having announced that she would retire to Kelfield to die, she proceeded there some weeks ago, and during the last nine days has kept her bed, under pretence of illness. She, however, has been visited by many hundreds of people from York, and all the neighbouring villages. She sang hymns and prayed – she spoke comfortably to her friends of her visions unseen – she held converse with spiritual beings about her death; but when the time came for her departure she could not quit this lower world – no, nor even the village of Kelfield. A second Johanna Southcote, she now appeared that which she had always been – the creature of ignorance and enthusiasm. York Herald.

178 words.

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• East Riding of Yorkshire (66) ·
• False prophet (1) ·
• Fraud (21) ·
• Funeral (25) ·
• Goodramgate (2) ·
• Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York (2) ·
• Kelfield, North Yorkshire (1) ·
• Methodism (38) ·
• Prophecy (6) ·
• Prophet (1) ·
• River Ouse, Yorkshire (19) ·
• Southcott, Joanna (1750-1814) (3), Devon prophetess and founder of the Southcottian movement ·
• 📌York (164) ·

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