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BUCHAN, ELSPITH, the leader
of a small sect of fanatics now extinct, was the daughter of John Simpson,
who kept an inn at Fitney-Can, the half way house between Banff and
Portsoy. She was born in 1738, and educated in the Scottish Episcopal
communion. Having been sent when a girl to Glasgow, in order to enter into
a life of service, she married Robert Buchan, a workman in the pottery
belonging to her master, with whom she lived for several years, and had
several children. Having changed her original profession of faith for that
of her husband, who was a burgher-seceder, her mind seems to have become
perplexed with religious fancies, as is too often the case with those who
alter their creed. She fell into a habit of interpreting the Scriptures
literally, and began to promulgate certain strange doctrines, which she
derived in this manner from holy writ. Having now removed to Irvine, she
drew over to her own way of thinking, Mr. Hugh Whyte, a relief clergyman,
who consequently abdicated his charge, and became her chief apostle. The
sect was joined by persons of a rank of life in which no such
susceptibility was to be expected. Mr. Hunter, a writer, and several
trading people in good circumstances, were among the converts.
After having indulged their
absurd fancies for several years at Irvine, the mass of the people at
length rose in April, 1784, and assembled in a threatening and tumultuous
manner around Mr. Whyte's house, which had become the tabernacle of the
new religion, and of which they broke all the windows. The Buchanites felt
this insult so keenly, that they left the town to the number of forty-six
persons, and, proceeding through Mauchline, Cumnock, Sanquhar, and
Thornhill, did not halt till they arrived at a farmhouse, two miles south
from the latter place, and thirteen from Dumfries, where they hired the
out-houses for their habitation, in the hope of being permitted, in that
lonely scene, to exercise their religion without further molestation. Mrs.
Buchan continued to be the great mistress of the ceremonies, and Mr. Whyte
to be the chief officiating priest. They possessed considerable property,
which all enjoyed alike, and though several men were accompanied by their
wives, all the responsibilities of the married state were given up. Some
of them wrought gratuitously at their trades, for the benefit of those who
employed them; but they professed only to consent to this, in order that
they might have opportunities of bringing over others to their own views.
They scrupulously abjured all worldly considerations whatsoever, wishing
only to lead a quiet and holy life, till the commencement of the
Millennium, or the day of judgment, which they believed to be at hand.
Observing, they said, how the young ravens are fed, and how the lilies
grow, we assure ourselves that God will feed and clothe us. Mrs. Buchan,
who was said to have given herself out to be the Virgin Mary, at first
denied that she was so. Instead of being the mother of Christ, she said,
after the flesh, she was his daughter after the spirit. The little
republic existed for some time, without any thing occurring to mar their
happiness, except the occasional rudeness of unbelieving neighbours. At
length, as hope sickened, worldly feelings appear to have returned upon
some of the members; and, notwithstanding all the efforts which Mrs.
Buchan could make to keep her flock together, a few returned to Irvine. It
would seem that as the faith of her followers declined, she greatly
increased the extravagance of her pretensions, and the rigour of her
discipline. It is said that when any person was suspected of an intention
to leave the society, she ordered him to be locked up, and ducked every
day in cold water, so that it required some little address in anyone to
get out of her clutches.
In the year 1786, the
following facts were reported by some of the seceding members on their
return to the west. "The distribution of provisions she kept in her
own hand, and took special care that they should not pamper their bodies
with too much food, and every one behoved to be entirely directed by her.
The society being once scarce of money, she told them she had a
revelation, informing her they should have a supply of cash from heaven:
accordingly, she took one of the members out with her, and caused him to
hold two corners of a sheet, while she held the other two. Having
continued for a considerable time, without any shower of money falling
upon it, the man at last tired, and left Mrs. Buchan to hold the sheet
herself. Mrs. Buchan, in a short time after, came in with £5 sterling,
and upbraided the man for his unbelief, which she said was the only cause
that prevented it from coming sooner. Many of the members, however, easily
accounted for this pretended miracle, and shrewdly suspected that the
money came from her own hoard. That she had a considerable purse was not
to be doubted, for she fell on many ways to rob the members of every thing
they had of value. Among other things, she informed them one evening, that
they were all to ascend to heaven next morning; therefore it was only
necessary they should lay aside all their vanities and ornaments, ordering
them, at the same time, to throw their rings, watches, &c. into the
ash- hole, which many were foolish enough to do, while others more
prudently hid every thing of this kind that belonged to them. Next morning
she took out all the people to take their flight. After they had waited
till they were tired, not one of them found themselves any lighter than
they were the day before, but remained with as firm a footing on earth as
ever. She again blamed their unbelief - said that want of faith alone
prevented their ascension; and complained of the hardship she was under,
in being obliged, on account of their unbelief, to continue with them in
this world. She at last fell upon an expedient to make them light enough
to ascend: nothing less was found requisite than to fast for forty days
and forty nights. The experiment was immediately put in practice, and
several found themselves at death's door in a very short time. She was
then obliged to allow them some spirits and water; but many resolved no
longer to submit to such regimen, and went off altogether. We know
not," thus concludes the statement, "if the forty days be ended;
but a few experiments of this kind will leave her, in the end, sole
proprietor of the society's funds."
What adds to the curiosity
of this strange tale of fanaticism, is, that Mrs. Buchan's husband was
still living in pursuit of his ordinary trade, and a faithful adherent of
the burgher-seceders. One of her children, a boy of twelve or fourteen,
lived with the father; two girls of more advanced age were among her own
followers. Notwithstanding her increased absurdity, and we may add, the
increased tyranny of her behaviour, she continued to have a few followers
in 1791, when she approached her last scene. Among these was her first
apostle, Mr. Whyte. Finding that she was about to go the way of all the
earth, she called her disciples together, and exhorted them to continue
steadfast and unanimous in their adherence to the doctrine which they had
received from her. She told them she had one secret to communicate - a
last desperate effort at imposition - that she was in reality the Virgin
Mary, and mother of our Lord; that she was the same woman mentioned in the
Revelations as being clothed with the sun, and who was driven into the
wilderness; that she had been wandering in the world ever since our
Saviour's days, and only for some time past had sojourned in Scotland:
that though she might appear to die, they needed not be discouraged, for
she would only sleep a little, and in a short time would visit them again,
and conduct them to the new Jerusalem. After her death, which took place,
May 1791, it was a long time before her votaries would straighten or dress
the corpse; nor would they coffin her, until obliged by the smell; and
after that they would not bury her, but built up the coffin in a corner of
the barn, always expecting that she would rise again from the dead,
according to her promise. At last, the neighbouring country people,
shocked with these proceedings, went to a justice of peace, and got an
order that she should be buried; so that the famous Mrs. Buchan was at
length reduced to a level with all the dead generations of her kind. |
