Manchester Spiritualists Procession (1901)
Exponents of Britain's newest religion don their Sunday best for a parade through Edwardian Manchester.
Spiritualism emerged in the mid-19th century and promoted the belief that the dead can communicate with the living. By 1901 the controversial new religion boasted millions of followers in the US and Britain, and not one but three reels of film were lavished on this lively procession. The smart dresses, hats and suits attest to the Spiritualist Church's largely middle-class congregation.
The film was made by showman Arthur Duncan Thomas, who passed himself off as the American inventor Thomas Edison. "Edison Will Reproduce this Procession in Animated Photograph Twice Daily, St. James' Hall Manchester", reads a promotional placard seen in the film. Contemporary viewers may be surprised to see so many younger participants - among the colourful banners, including one held aloft by members of the 'Royal Spiritual Lyceum', one slogan reads "Open the door for the children". Despite a resurgence of popularity in the 1920s, the movement went into sharp decline, but a network of Spiritualist Churches remains, including several in Greater Manchester.
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Sunday Best
Church is the place to pray, meet and be seen for these faithful Edwardians.
On a weekday, Mitchell & Kenyon's cameramen might expect to filming workers leaving factories or schoolchildren parading. On occasional Sundays, they found a more sombre subject: the faithful leaving places of worship, or marching in parades or processions.
Mitchell & Kenyon's 'church gate' films mirror their 'factory gate' films, filling the frame with faces, though typically shot from a more respectful distance. Collectively, they reveal how integral Christianity was to Edwardian public life. Not surprisingly, Anglican churches are pre-eminent, but we see non-conformist denominations too, while Catholicism has a particularly strong presence, reflecting its strength in M&K's Lancashire backyard and in southern Ireland.
42 videos in this collection
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Manchester and Salford's Harriers Procession (1901)
3
Congregation Leaving St Mary's Dominican Church in Cork (1902)
4
Blue Coat Children Marching to Curzon Hall, Birmingham (1901)
5
Manchester Catholics Whitsuntide Procession (1904)
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Carnival Processions in Birkenhead (1902)
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Congregation Leaving New Jerusalem Church in Accrington (1902)
8
Congregation Leaving St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin (1901)
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Morecambe Church Lads Parade at Drill (1901)
10
Southport Carnival and Trades Procession (1902)
11
Manchester Italian Catholic Procession (1902)
12
Congregations Leaving the Centenary Chapel, Middlesbrough (1902)
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Manchester Spiritualists Procession (1901)
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Procession in Accrington Park (1900)
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Manchester Catholic Orphanage Boys (1901)
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Congregation at Preston Parish Church (c.1901)
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Warrington Walking Day Procession (1902)
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Treat to 5000 Poor Burnley Children (1905)
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Old Poulton Parish Church, Morecambe (c.1901)
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Congregation Leaving Warrington Parish Church (1902)
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Accrington Catholic Procession (1912)
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Scenes Outside St Elphin's Church, Warrington (c.1901)
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St. Joseph's Catholic Whit Procession, Blackburn (1911)
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Church Parade of the Boys' Brigade in Birmingham (1902)
25
Hunslet Carnival and Gala (1904)
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Manchester Sunday Schools Whit Monday Procession (1904)
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Congregation Leaving St James' Church, Hessle Road, Hull (1902)
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Congregation Leaving Wesleyan Chapel in Mansfield (c.1901)
29
Halifax Catholic Procession (c.1905)
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Oldham Catholic Schools Procession (1904)
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Congregation at Hanley Old Church (c.1901)
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Congregation Leaving Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier, Dublin (1902)
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Congregation Leaving St Patrick's Church in Cork (1902)
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Congregation Leaving Parish Church, Sheffield (1902)
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Crowds Leaving Park Congregational Church in Accrington (1902)
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Congregations Leaving St. Hilda's Church, Middlesbrough (1902)
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Congregation Leaving All Saints Church, Blackburn (c.1903)
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Boys' Brigade Review at Racecourse (c.1902)
39
Liverpool Church Parade and Inspection (1901)
40
March Past of 20,000 Coventry Children (1902)
41
Royal Halifax Infirmary Annual Street Procession (1908)
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