Home | The Buchanites | The CCI | The Village Hall | The Millenium Book | Contact Us | Links | Index After the trial one of the Lords of the court stopped his carriage and spoke to Mother Buchan and assured her that he had put an end to the mobbing of her. There were many more attempts to have them prosecuted for heresy and blasphemy none of which succeeded. Over the time they were at Closeburn they recruited many new members, some of them quite wealthy. One such member was Mr Brown, a merchant tailor who had travelled from Sunderland to hear for himself the words of Mother Buchan. He published an account of this new religion which fell into the hands of a wealthy farmer and Methodist Minister in County Durham. He was Thomas Bradley of Stranton near Hartlepool; he also came, saw and was conquered. After staying several weeks at Buchan Ha’ he returned home to dispose of property in Yorkshire and livestock at Stranton after which he returned to Closeburn with his wife and family. These two converts certainly helped to top up the failing coffers of the group. Another story worth telling is that of Charles Edward Conyers, a First Lieutenant of Marines; he had committed forgery and was on the run from the authorities. While in Sunderland he came across Mr Brown, and hearing about the Buchanites decided this would be the ideal hiding place. On his way to New Cample he lodged for the night at Brownhill and having no money to pay for his room the landlord took his hat. At his first meeting therefore with Mother Buchan he was bareheaded; this she took as a great display of profound respect. The group received him with open arms. Here was a young gentleman of His Majesty’s Service who had left all the vain glory of his former life to come and live with them and await the coming of Jesus. The Reverend White suggested that Conyers write a letter to the secretary of the Admiralty to resign his commission giving a full explanation for his decision. This Conyers did and insisted on posting it himself but the letter was never posted. He made himself very useful to the community by transcribing hymns and poems penned by the Reverend White for use in the society. It was not long however before he was discovered by detectives, arrested, tried and taken to Tyburn where he was hanged. After this episode the Buchanites were much more careful who they admitted into their bosom. Mr James Purvie, an Edinburgh schoolmaster, seems to have upset the Buchanites about this time by publishing a pamphlet. What this pamphlet contained is not made clear in any of the reading I have done but it did provoke the Reverend White to write a book, which he entitled the Divine Dictionary. This was a sort of Handbook on being a Buchanite and seems to have been a mixture of strange assumptions, which appear to contradict themselves at every turn. Nobody would buy it and they ended up giving it away. Unfortunately there do not seem to be any copies left on which to make a judgment. Andrew Innes tells the story of the Midnight Manifestation. “One evening when we were all as usual employed, on a sudden a loud voice was heard as if from the clouds. The children assisted by our great luminary, struck up the hymn beginning- Oh Hasten translation and come resurrection
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