James Birch (d. 1795?) was a Welsh sectary. He is believed to have been from the

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

area, but to have moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

as a young man to work as a watchmaker. He is associated initially with the Muggletonian sect, with his wife, in their records in July 1759. From 1771 he is known to have subscribed to 'The Saint's Triumph, and the Devil's Downfall', written by Muggletonian John Brown. In 1778 however, he controversially claimed God had spoken directly to him, and to be the new prophet of the movement. He was denounced by other members of the sect, and forced to separate. He founded his own sect, the ‘Birchites’ in 1778, with followers in London and Pembrokeshire. His writings include, 'The book of cherubical reason, with its law and nature, or, and 'The Book upon the Gospel and Regeneration'. He died in London sometime in the late 1790s.

References

Welsh religious leaders Year of birth missing 1790s deaths {{Wales-bio-stub