The Panacea Society was amillenarian religious group in Bedford, England. Founded in 1919, itfollowed the teachings of the Devonshire prophetess Joanna Southcott,who died in 1814, and campaigned for Southcott's sealed box ofprophecies to be opened according to her instructions. The societybelieved Bedford to be the original site of the Garden of Eden.
History
The Society's inspiration was theteachings of the Devonshire prophetess Joanna Southcott (1750–1814).It was founded by Mabel Barltrop in 1919 at 12 Albany Road, Bedford.A clergyman's widow, Barltrop declared herself the 'daughter ofGod', took the name Octavia and believed herself to be the Shilohof Southcott's prophecies. Barltrop had originally heard of Southcottvia a leaflet written by Alice Seymour. She and 12 apostles foundedthe Society, originally called the Community of the Holy Ghost.
A central purpose of the Society was topersuade 24 Anglican bishops to open Southcott's sealed box ofprophecies, and to this end, advertisements were placed innewspapers, both national and local. In the late 1920s and early1930s the Society generated over 100,000 petitions for the box to beopened. The Society claimed to be in possession of the original box.The Panaceans also believed that the one that was opened in 1927 andfound to contain a broken horse pistol and a lottery ticket, was notthe genuine box.
During the 1930s the membership beganto dwindle as did Alice Seymour's smaller rival group.
Despite this, the group continuedplacing adverts in newspapers calling for action from the Church ofEngland. In the 1970s the Society rented billboards which proclaimed"War, disease, crime and banditry, distress of nations andperplexity will increase until the Bishops open Joanna Southcott'sbox."
Another main activity of the PanaceaSociety was to offer healing of all diseases, including cancer, tothose who would write to its headquarters in Bedford and receive apiece of linen blessed by Octavia. They were instructed to put thelinen in a jug of water, pray, and drink this "Water A"four times a day. Water A could then be diluted with additionalwater, producing "Water B," which should be appliedto the body as bath water or through sponges. From 1924 to 2012, some130,000 applicants received the pieces of linen for free, and wereonly asked to write back and report on the results of the cure. Thecorrespondence, coming from all over the world, is still conserved inthe Bedford Panacea Museum, and has been studied in 2019 in a book byBritish scholar Alastair Lockhart.
The Society had its headquarters onAlbany Road, close to the remains of Bedford Castle. Anotherproperty, an end-of-terrace house on Albany Road named The Ark, wasmaintained as a residence for the Messiah after the Second Coming.
Although small in size, the Society wasrelatively wealthy, owning several properties in the Castle Road areaof Bedford. By 2001, when the Society started to sell off some of itsproperty in order to retain its status as a charity, it was reportedto have assets valued at £14m.
Membership
In the 1930s, about 70 members weresaid to be living in the Bedford community. In 1967, the BedfordshireTimes reported about 30 members living there. When the last member,Ruth Klein (b. 1932), died in 2012, the Society ceased to exist as areligious community.
Charitable trust
Whilst the religious society is nolonger functioning, there still exists a charity whose main remit isto sponsor academic research into the history and development ofprophetic and millenarian movements, as well as provide financialassistance to support the work of registered charities and recognizedgroups concerned with poverty and health in the Bedford area. Thecharity officially changed its name to The Panacea Charitable Trustin 2012.
Panacea Museum
In late 2012, it was announced that thecharitable trust would be opening a museum detailing the history ofthe society, at 9 Newnham Road, Bedford. The Panacea Museum is in'Castleside', a Victorian house that was part of thecommunity's headquarters. It tells the story of the Panacea Societyand other similar religious groups.
The museum also incorporates severalother buildings, set within the gardens, that formed the originalcommunity's 'campus'. The museum is open every Thursday,Friday, Saturday and Sunday between February half term and the end ofOctober.