Ann Bathurst Explained

Ann Bathurst was a prophet and member of the 17th century English dissenter group, the Philadelphian Society.

Life and work

Not much is known of Bathurst's family, and what is known is due to her two-volume manuscript diary covering the period 1679 to 1696. This survives as a autograph fragment (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawl. Q. e. 28) and two fair copies, Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Rawl. D. 1262 and St Petersburg, Library of the Russian Academy of Science, MS Q. 538.^[1] It appears that Bathurst came from a religious background, and her diary begins with an autobiographical account that describes family prayer and Bible reading.

By 1697, the Philadelphians met at Bathurst's house in Baldwins Gardens, London every Sunday, where she lived with Joanna Openbridge. This group are known to have held millennialist views, and Bathurst produced prophetic visions that resulted in a 'lyrical, woman-inclusive representation of mystical theology'.^[2] She was considered as a possible successor to Jane Leade who led the group until her death in 1704. This was prevented by Bathurst's own death at around the same time.

Further reading

• Entry in RECIRC: The Reception and Circulation of Early Modern Women’s Writing, 1550-1700

Notes and References

1. Leena Kahlas-Tarkka and Matti Kilpiö, 'O Thou Sea of Love: Oxford and St. Petersburg manuscripts of Ann Bathurst's religious visions', in Western European Manuscripts and Early Printed Books in Russia: Delving into the Collections of the Libraries of St Petersburg, ed. by Leena Kahlas-Tarkka & Matti Kilpiö, Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English, 9 (Helsinki: Varieng, 2012).
2. Web site: Ann Bathurst – Poet. 2017. RECIRC.