Home | The Buchanites | The CCI | The Village Hall | The Millenium Book | Contact Us | Links | Index

her extravagances; in fact she had been signing her letters Elspeth Simpson for quite some time. She had now squeezed poor Robert Buchan dry and was ready to move on to pastures new with her new found wealthy friends.

She was anxious to return to Irvine but the people of the town were still in vindictive mood and it would have been dangerous to attempt a return. Things were also getting uncomfortable in Glasgow and she was at her wits end as to what to do next. In the meantime Andrew had been writing to his friends in Muthill giving a glowing description of this new society, so much so that they agreed to hear Mrs Buchan for themselves. She set out with Andrew acting as her bodyguard. They were to stay with Duncan Robertson a wheelwright who had heard the story of Mother Buchan’s treatment by the Irvine mob and felt some sympathy towards her.

She was civilly received by most people and listened to with seeming patience and this led her to believe that they were thirsting for the waters of life when in fact they were taking her measure and cautiously asking “what the body meant?” There was something uncanny about this prophetess from the south; they were especially doubtful about a woman teaching religion at all. Some expressed a desire to hear what the Rev White had to say on these matters as he had friends and relatives in the district and this made people curious to see and hear the expelled Relief Minister. Mother Buchan was not keen on having her spiritual “Man Child” pushed to the fore but she sent for him and urged him to “make no delay while the edge is on the people’s mind.”  He and a few others set off on foot at the end of November 1783 and travelled the seventy six miles to Muthill in just two days.

He was not as well received as he had expected. The Rev Scott had held a special meeting in the village in anticipation of his visit, and on the principle that prevention is better than cure set all the village in fear that the safety of the established religion was at risk from the teachings of Mrs Buchan and Mr White. This however appears not to have been necessary as Mr White’s preaching not only attacked the orthodox faith, denounced it with enthusiasm and going further now than at any other time proclaimed his “Friend Mother in The Lord” to be the new incarnation of The Holy Ghost. He pronounced divine vengeance against all who would not accept her as such, and who refused to bow to the oracles she delivered, proclaiming that they would be devoured by the universal conflagration which was about to consume the world.

The Lord was about to come and raise her and all her followers bodily to heaven without tasting death; and all unbelievers would be left to perish in the flames. This was strong meat for the palates of the simple folk of Muthill and since  they rejected it as a whole, it was no hard task for the Minister to put his flock on their guard against such blasphemous nonsense. Mr White’s friends would have nothing to do with him: they were horrified and would not have him in their homes or even shake hands with him. They believed he was bewitched by Mrs Buchan and they were afraid to touch him in case they were smitten too. Still there were a few converts; among them Duncan Robertson and some of Andrew’s brothers and sister also joined the elect few who awaited with enthusiasm their translation to heaven

All in all Muthill was becoming a little uncomfortable for the Buchanites, but the problem was where would they go? They all knew what to expect if they returned to Irvine, yet all her followers were there awaiting instruction from Mother Buchan so it was decided against their better judgement to return there. When the townsfolk of Irvine had got rid of the “Witch Wife” as described earlier they hoped that the Minister and the rest of her followers who remained in Irvine might come to their senses, but on the contrary, they continued in their blind allegiance and became more extravagant than ever.