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Panacea Society
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Journalist writes book on Panacea Society, a
'weird cult' which allows no strangers into its closed world
Secret sect awaits Shiloh’s coming
Bedfordshire Times and Citizen 16th April 1998
WHEN Mabel Barltrop was released from a lunatic asylum in the 1920s she decided to settle in Bedford.
Along with thousands of others in that credulous era, she venerated a 17th century prophetess called Joanna Southcott and was convinced of her imminent return.
Charismatic and highly strung, she persuaded a group of 'Southcottians' to hand over all their worldly goods to her, with which she bought a compound of houses and a mansion on Castle Road and founded the Panacea Society.
Journalist Val Lewis, who has written a book about the society, explained: "Barltrop exerted enormous pressure on members to join and then made them hand over all their wealth and possessions to the society.
"The Panacea Society is very sinister. Its members are enormously secretive and allow no strangers into their closed world."
The Panaceans’ only direct contact with the world is via adverts they regularly place in national newspapers calling on 24 bishops of the Church Of England to open ‘Joanna’s Box'.
Like the Ark of the Covenant to the Jews, Joanna's Box, containing prophecies about the end of the world and the birth of Shiloh as well as news of other up-and-coming millennial events, is the Panaceans’ main article of faith.
So far the bishops have been slow in coming forward, and until they do the Panacea Society claims to have the box ready and waiting in a secret hiding place in their compound.
Mrs Lewis said: "They use the box and its supposed secrets as a way of perpetuating their mystery and keeping adherents keen, but the fact is, the box has already been opened."
She says she has a letter that is evidence that the box was opened earlier this century and its contents were found to be, puffing it mildly, "tat".
She says the papers it contained are filed in the British Library and that the box is being kept in a huge storeroom along with piles of other junk, in London.She said: "I have a letter in which they admit they haven't got it."
What they have got is a huge ornamental cot, which Mrs Lewis says the Panaceans borrowed from Salford Museum and still have yet to return.
It is kept in The Haven, the huge 20-room mansion on the corner of Castle Road and Newnham Road, which Panaceans believe will be Earth’s control centre when Shiloh is born in 2004 and the world as we know it comes to an end.
Mrs Lewis said: "At the moment it stands empty, though apparently it is stuffed with antiques.
"Other houses in the compound are kept empty but are finished and tidied every day."
"They are said to be housing the spirits of dead Panacea Society members."
"I have also been told that there is a chapel with a huge stained glass window showing Joanna holding the child Shiloh."
Mrs Lewis was unable to penetrate the weird world beyond the walls of the compound, but gained an idea of the Panacea Society’s beliefs from former members and other groups around the country who venerate Joanna Southcott.
She said: "The feeling was that the only person good enough to have given birth to a divinely chosen body pure enough to contain Shiloh's spirit was Princess Diana.
"Joanna Southcott prophesied that: 'There must come a second Eve to bring the Godhead to Manhood to perfect likeness' which modern Southcottians interpret as referring to Diana."
Mrs Lewis was unable to penetrate the world of the Panacea Society, but 20 years ago local historian Andrew Underwood succeeded in his quest.
He made notes which he promised would not be released until the next century.
He said: "The Panaceans are now all getting very old and they should really be left in peace.
"I don't think they are sinister, they just have some very misguided beliefs."
The Panacea Society has always refused to speak to the press, but their number can be found in the phone book.
A voice I spoke to, when I gave them a call, said: "We don't wish to reply to the claims of this author. "We are quite used to people saying bad things about us."
It will be interesting to see what happens in the year 2004.
Page last updated: 22nd January 2014