Christian Spiritualism

Helen Duncan is the most famous medium of the last century. Her trial and imprisonment still cause controversy today. Some regarded her as a fraud. To others, she is seen as a martyr for the cause of Spiritualism.
Born into a strict Presbyterian family, her psychic gifts were feared by them. She married in 1916 and life was hard. Nevertheless, it was at this time that she developed her gift, which took the form of what is called physical mediumship – spirits would appear, formed of ectoplasm. This is a substance drawn from the body of the medium that is used by the spirits in order to manifest themselves. Many sitters saw and identified the spirits of relatives and friends and were able to speak to them. She became famous and gave séances all over the country. But the strain affected her health and she had to suffer many accusations of fraud.
During the second world war her services were more in demand than ever. The spirits of servicemen often materialised at her séances and gave details of how they had lost their lives. On one occasion the form of a young sailor appeared to his parents and told them that his ship, HMS Barham, had been sunk. In order to check this information the young man’s mother contacted the Admiralty. This brought Helen to the attention of the war office, since news of the sinking had not yet been released to the public. Helen was arrested and charged under the 1735 Witchcraft Act. The case caused a sensation and many people testified on her behalf. Even the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, took an interest in the case. But despite all the evidence in her favour she was found guilty and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment. After her release she resumed her work but the authorities still regarded her with suspicion. No evidence of fraud was found.
The real reason behind Helen’s trial remains a mystery. Many people have questioned why, at a time of war, a medium should be singled out in this way, unless, as has often been alleged, British Intelligence considered her a security risk because of the information the spirits gave, and decided that she had to be silenced. Her trial was influential in getting the antiquated Witchcraft Act repealed and replaced with the Fraudulent Mediums Act (which has now also been repealed). In recent years attempts have been made to obtain for her an official pardon. These attempts have not been successful, but she remains one of Spiritualism’s most remarkable mediums.