The Spiritualist Association of Great Britain (the SAGB) is a British

spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

organisation. It was established on 10 July 1872.

History

The SAGB grew out of the Marylebone Spiritualist Association (founded 1872). The story of the association's early struggles "to propagate spiritual truths in the

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

area of London" is told in an SAGB publication, "One Hundred Years of Spiritualism", which also states that

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

allegedly held several séances after the death of the Prince Consort. A famous and outspoken supporter of the SAGB was

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

, who (according to his obituary in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'') in later years "often expressed a wish that he should be remembered for his psychic work rather than for his novels". Serving the principles of the Spiritualist movement, and open to members and non-members alike, the SAGB offers rooms where the public, whether Spiritualist or not, may sit for readings with spirit

mediums Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spir ...

. Sunday services are free and include a public Demonstration of

mediumship Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or ghost, spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or ...

. Private 30-minute sittings are available daily during opening hours for a fee. They may be recorded if the client wishes. The nature of the sittings is strictly limited by a policy which states that the mediums are "to try to provide evidence of survival f the spirit after deathand not to predict the future." The library of the SAGB was named after the spiritualist

William Crookes Sir William Crookes (; 17 June 1832 – 4 April 1919) was an English chemist and physicist who attended the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London, and worked on spectroscopy. He was a pioneer of vacuum tubes, inventing ...

. The SAGB's current

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

is at the Victoria Charity Centre at 11 Belgrave Road, London."History of the SAGB (1872-2015)"
Spiritualist Association of Great Britain.

Beliefs

As an organization, the SAGB describes their goals as: The SAGB and its mediums abide by the following seven principles of belief: * That there is an Infinite Intelligence, Who governs all * That personal identity and all sentient forms of life survive physical death * That continuous existence and eternal progress occur for all in the Hereafter * That there is communion with the spiritual realms * That all of humanity is spiritually linked * That in the Hereafter, all must account for their actions on earth and will judge themselves accordingly * That all are responsible for the way they conduct their earthly lives.

Notable members and supporters

* Emma Hardinge Britten * Doris Collins * Lord Dowding *

* Thomas Everitt *

James Manby Gully James Manby Gully (14 March 1808 – 27 March 1883) was a Victorian medical doctor, well known for practising hydrotherapy, or the "water cure". Along with his partner James Wilson, he founded a very successful "hydropathy" (as it was then calle ...

G. Wilson Knight George Richard Wilson Knight (1897–1985) was an English literary critic and academic, known particularly for his interpretation of mythic content in literature, and ''The Wheel of Fire'', a collection of essays on Shakespeare's plays. He was a ...

Florence Marryat Florence Marryat (9 July 1833 – 27 October 1899) was an English author and actress. The daughter of author Capt. Frederick Marryat, she was particularly known for her sensational novels and her involvement with several celebrated spiritual m ...

* Estelle Roberts * W. T. Stead *

Ena Twigg Ena Twigg (1914-1984) was a British psychic medium. Born in Gillingham in Kent on 6 January 1914, Twigg claimed psychic ability from an early age. She married Harry Twigg, a soldier in the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare ...

Controversy surrounding Headquarter relocation

The SAGB historic headquarters at 33

Belgrave Square Belgrave Square is a large 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for ...

was sold in 2010 for 6 million pounds. It relocated to a new home in the Victoria Charity Centre at 11 Belgrave Road, London, near Victoria Station. In 2013, the

Charity Commission for England and Wales The Charity Commission for England and Wales is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government that regulates Charitable organization, registered charities in En ...

launched an investigation in to the sale of the property, after discovering that the subsequent owners sold the property for 21 million pounds shortly after purchasing it from the SAGB. The Committee published a report of its findings on 30 March 2017. The Commission's report concluded SAGB's

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

s had failed to fulfil their legal duties and responsibilities towards the charity, and that ‘the failures and breaches were not minor or technical in nature’ but ‘amount to basic and serious mismanagement’. The charity responded to the Commission's report claiming that they "could not have foreseen what would happen in future" regarding property prices."Regulator finds serious mismanagement at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain"
ThirdSector.co.uk, Accessed 30 March 2017 S.A.G.B headquarters are now at 341,Queens town Road, Battersea, London SW8 4LH

References

External links