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they were in fact universally excommunicated from society. So when the ringleaders arrived back in town as mad as ever and new converts arriving every day from Muthill with carts laden with all manner of goods the old animosity reared up worse than ever; they were pelted with stones and again the doors and windows of their property were smashed. The local Magistrates were asked to proceed against them as blasphemers but this idea was abandoned and instead the council met at very short notice on the first Tuesday of May at 10.00 am on the morning of the “May Fair” or “Cow Fair” as it was commonly called in 1784, and they decided to banish the group from the Town within two hours of the meeting that very same day. This was not the most judicious time to put such a popular sentence in to action as the town would be crowded with people attending the fair, but it did give an extra attraction to the day.  

The news of this sentence soon reached the Buchanites at Mr White’s house; they hardly had time to pack a hand bundle or lock the house door. The founder of the Society was the only one required to leave but most of her followers, particularly those from Muthill, were more or less destitute because of Mother Buchan so they all decided to share her fate. The streets were crowded and the constables could hardly make a way through the crowd for them; people used their staves to trip up the unfortunates and one drunken sailor dragged Mother Buchan to the ground by her hair and ran of with a handful of it without being challenged by the constables. The Magistrates and constable accompanied them for about a mile out of the town on the Kilmarnock road to “protect her from insults” but this does not seem to have worked.

The first night of their expulsion was spent in an old cart shed owned by a Mr. Dykes at Killogie near Dundonald,  On the second day they moved slowly via the back roads towards the village of Mauchline, always followed by crowds of people curious to see such a well dressed procession, Mother Buchan was placed in a cart along with a few more who were unaccustomed to walking. Eventually more carts were acquired and finally a white pony on which Mother Buchan was seated draped in a red cape doing all she could to attract attention on the way and often stopping to lecture her followers on the loveliness of the countryside or to give them food from her “Garner of Mercy” or drink from her “Comforter”.

A few days later others from Irvine joined them thinking it better to wait a few days before leaving. They brought with them such necessities as they could hastily gather together. When all who were likely to join the group from Irvine had arrived they set off in earnest for the New Jerusalem. They were dressed generally in simple clothing as was common to the peasantry of the 18th century. The women were short gowns over petticoats, these fitted close from the neck to the waist then hung free to the thigh; the younger women were bareheaded with long flowing hair held back with combs. The company consisted for the most part of “clever chiels and bonny, spanking, rosy cheeked lassies, many of them in their teens”

As they progressed on their journey, people who were unaware of their reputation would sell cakes to them which they would stop and eat by a stream or river on their journey. Friend Mother would break the bread and give each one a piece followed by a woman with a tankard of water. This is the scene described by Andrew Innes “Thus a piece of oatcake and a drink of cold water was our common fare; we all shared alike, except our Friend Mother, who, after she divided the bread, lighted her pipe, and took a smoke of tobacco”. Somehow the woman clothed with the sun, crowned with twelve stars, and the moon at her feet, having a puff on a clay pipe by a stone dyke seems to be an unlikely female Messiah!

By this time they numbered forty six and they were finding it difficult to find inns which could accommodate them. From Dundonald they made for Auchinleck and from there to New Cummock where they used a hay loft for a comfortable nights sleep. At Slunkford and Edenhall they had to sleep rough, though they managed to get two nights comfortable lodgings at Kirconnel  as well as the use of a large room where they held a service for as many as the room would hold. The locals did not seem impressed with Mr White’s doctrine.

Before reaching Thornhill they were overtaken by a posse of constables, some friends of Mr Hunter who had left his business in great confusion had obtained a “Fugie-Warrant” to have him return and put his affairs in order. Several other members fearing the same thing decided to return also to put their own affairs in order before going on to “Hasten Translation”.