Walworth Jumpers
Encyclopedia
The Walworth Jumpers were a cult
created by Mary Ann Girling (née Clouting) in the 1870s in England. Born in Ipswich
, Suffolk
, Girling preached the Second Coming
, celibacy
, chastity
and communal life
(a kind of Christian communism
). In 1871, the Children of God were invited to London by another new religious movement
, the Peculiar People of Plumstead
, and established themselves there. In London, they gathered around the railway arches of Walworth Road
.
This ecstatic, esoteric sect claimed that they died with conversion, and were then reborn to eternal life. Once evicted from Walworth Road by hostile mobs, Girling founded in 1872 a Forest Lodge at Hordle
, Hants
. 160 believers gathered there, cultivating vegetables and worshipping. They were prohibited from sexual activity, as well as from economic transactions. Unable to pay their rent, they were expelled by the police, and then moved from one refuge to another.
Girling, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Christ
, died in 1886 of uterine cancer
. A large crowd attended her funeral. (A photograph of Mary Anne Girling is held in the Isle of Wight Victorian photographic archives at Dimbola Lodge)
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
created by Mary Ann Girling (née Clouting) in the 1870s in England. Born in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Girling preached the Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
, celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
, chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
and communal life
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
(a kind of Christian communism
Christian communism
Christian communism is a form of religious communism based on Christianity. It is a theological and political theory based upon the view that the teachings of Jesus Christ compel Christians to support communism as the ideal social system...
). In 1871, the Children of God were invited to London by another new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
, the Peculiar People of Plumstead
Peculiar People
For the book by Rodney Clapp see: A Peculiar People."The Peculiar People", is also a Quaker novel by Jan de Hartog.The Peculiar People were originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford, Essex, by John Banyard, a farm worker's son born in 1800...
, and established themselves there. In London, they gathered around the railway arches of Walworth Road
Walworth, London
Walworth is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Southwark. Walworth probably derives its name from the Old English "Wealhworth" which meant Welsh farm. It is located south east of Charing Cross and near to Camberwell and Elephant and Castle.The major streets in Walworth are the Old...
.
This ecstatic, esoteric sect claimed that they died with conversion, and were then reborn to eternal life. Once evicted from Walworth Road by hostile mobs, Girling founded in 1872 a Forest Lodge at Hordle
Hordle
Hordle is a village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. It is situated between the Solent coast and the New Forest, and is bordered by the towns of Lymington and New Milton. Like many New Forest parishes Hordle has no village centre...
, Hants
Hants
Hants may refer to:*Hampshire, a county in England** Mid Hants Watercress Railway, in Hampshire*Hants County, Nova Scotia, a Canadian county named for the English one**East Hants, Nova Scotia, a municipal district...
. 160 believers gathered there, cultivating vegetables and worshipping. They were prohibited from sexual activity, as well as from economic transactions. Unable to pay their rent, they were expelled by the police, and then moved from one refuge to another.
Girling, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, died in 1886 of uterine cancer
Uterine cancer
The term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
. A large crowd attended her funeral. (A photograph of Mary Anne Girling is held in the Isle of Wight Victorian photographic archives at Dimbola Lodge)
Further reading
- M. Davies, Unorthodox London (1873), I, 89ff (quoted by Eric HobsbawmEric HobsbawmEric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
in Primitive Rebels, chapter on "The Labour Sects") - Philip Hoare, England's Lost Eden: in search of a Victorian Utopia, Fourth Estate, ISBN 978-0007159116
- Heimann, Mary (2004). Mary Ann Girling (Nee Clouting), 1827–1886 in: Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National BiographyThe Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
(DNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 347–348. ISBN 0-19-861411-x
See also
- ShakersShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
, a sect with which they were sometimes conflated - Commune (intentional community)Commune (intentional community)A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
External links
- Stirred and shaken, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, 20 March 2005, review of Hoare's book - Spirit levels, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 12 March 2005, review of Hoare's book - New Forest Shakers, review of Hoare's book on the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...