Thomas Everitt (1823–1905) and Mrs Thomas Everitt (1825–1915) were prominent British
spiritualists
Spiritualism is the metaphysics, metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spir ...
.
[Lobb, John. (1909). ''The Busy Life Beyond Death, From the Voice of the Dead''. London: L. N. Fowler. p. 20]
Biography
Thomas Everitt was a successful
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
living in
Pentonville
Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish ...
with his wife. Mrs Everitt operated as a private medium and gave
séances beginning in 1855. She was alleged to have produced
automatic writing
Automatic writing, also called psychography, is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Practitioners engage in automatic writing by holding a writing instrument and allowing alleged spir ...
, direct voice
mediumship and physical phenomena such as the
movement of objects.
[ Podmore, Frank. (1902). ''Modern Spiritualism: A History and a Criticism''. London: Methuen & Co. p. 64] Descriptions of her séances were published in Morell Theabold's book ''Spirit Workers in the Home Circle'' (1887). However, as she operated as a private medium she was not scientifically tested by researchers. For example, a sitter
Edward Trusted Bennett from the
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...
noted that "the seances at Mr. Everitt's were conducted in an exclusively religious tone, and afforded no opportunity for obtaining scientific evidence."
According to their spiritualist friend
Samuel Carter Hall
Samuel Carter Hall (9 May 1800 – 11 March 1889) was an Irish-born Victorian journalist who is best known for his editorship of ''The Art Journal'' and for his much-satirised personality.
Early years
Hall was born at the Geneva Barracks in Wat ...
, Everitt and his wife were committed
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
and members of a non-conformist church. After retiring from his job, Everitt and his wife worked as teachers at a
Sunday school. Mrs Everitt has been described as one of the earliest British spiritualist mediums and the first medium in 1867 to practice 'direct-voice' mediumship.
Frank Podmore
Frank Podmore (5 February 1856 – 14 August 1910) was an English author, and founding member of the Fabian Society. He is best known as an influential member of the Society for Psychical Research and for his sceptical writings on spiritualism.
...
noted that there were suspicions of trickery about Mrs Everitt but she had managed to impress many of her séance sitters.
Thomas Everitt with
Edmund Dawson Rogers and others, formed the
British National Association of Spiritualists
The College of Psychic Studies (founded in 1884 as the London Spiritualist Alliance) is a non-profit organisation based in South Kensington, London. It is dedicated to the study of psychic and spiritualist phenomena.
History British National Assoc ...
(BNAS) in January 1873. Everitt and his wife had supported the
Spiritualist Association of Great Britain
The Spiritualist Association of Great Britain (the SAGB) is a British spiritualist organisation. It was established ion 10th July 1872.
History
The SAGB grew out of the Marylebone Spiritualist Association (founded 1872). The story of the assoc ...
(SAGB). He was the president of the SAGB from 1880 to 1905. He died on 5 August 1905.
In her later years, Mrs Everitt practiced
psychometry.
[Tabori, Paul. (1966). ''Harry Price: The Biography of a Ghosthunter''. Living Books. p. 27]
Gallery
Image:Mrs Thomas Everitt medium.png, Mrs Thomas Everitt
Image:Mrs Thomas Everitt automatic writing.png, Example of Mrs Thomas Everitt's automatic handwriting
Image:Thomas Everitt spirit photograph.png, Alleged spirit photograph of Thomas Everitt
See also
*
John Stephen Farmer
John Stephen Farmer (7 March 1854 – 18 January 1916) also known as J. S. Farmer was a British lexicographer, spiritualist and writer. He was most well known for his seven volume dictionary of slang.
Career
Farmer was born in Bedford. His life ...
*
William Stainton Moses
William Stainton Moses (1839 – 5 September 1892) was an English cleric and spiritualist medium. He promoted spirit photography and automatic writing, and co-founded what became the College of Psychic Studies. He resisted scientific examination ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Everitt, Thomas
1825 births
1905 deaths
1915 deaths
English spiritual mediums