Many other medical gentlemen had also lent their help to Mr. Smith and his patient. All was in vain. No cure could be found for the mysterious malady, with George himself declaring that in the middle of his fits no doctor could do him service. a b Encyclopædia Britannica; or A dictionary of arts, sciences, and... Encyclopædia Britannica. 1823 . Retrieved 31 December 2007. He asserts that Lukins's first seizure was nothing more than a fit of drunkenness that he always foretold his fits, and remained sensible during their continuance; that he frequently saw Lukins in his fits, 'in every one of which, except in singing, he performed not more than most active young people easily do; that he was detected in an imposture with respect to the clenching of his hands; that after money had been collected for him, he got suddenly well; that he never had any fits while he was at St George's Hospital in London; nor when visitors were excluded from his lodgings, by desire of the author of the Narrative; and that he was particularly careful never to hurt himself by his exertions during the paroxysm. In the daemoniac his personality seems to be destroyed, and his actions, words, and even thoughts to be overborne by the evil spirit on its path for the kingdom of man”. They were not vessels but rather gateways for demonic entities. George Lukins was not possessed in the traditional sense so much as he had stopped the entities from traveling through him. An appeal to the public respecting G. Lukins, (called the Yatton Demoniac) containing an account of his affliction and deliverance, etc . Retrieved 31 December 2007.

Sarah Barber, a member of the Temple Church for nine years, knew of Lukins's condition because her husband was from the same village. She approached her Anglican vicar, Reverend Joseph Easterbrook on Saturday, 31 May 1788 and asked him for help. Barber claimed that: The concept of the existence of paranormal activity is an intriguing thought for many people. With so many unnatural incidents being reported which are directly associated with demonic possession, it is important to uncover the truth.In 1787, George Lukins was 44 and lived in the village of Yatton, just outside of Bristol. He was originally trained as a tailor, but earned his living as a "common carrier, a singer, actor of Christmas mummeries, [and] a ventriloquist." He was described by his neighbors as being of "extraordinary good character from his childhood, and had constantly attended the church and sacrament." According to the Easterbrook's writings he was "little expecting that an attention to such a pitiable case would have produced such a torrent of opposition, illiberal abuse upon the parties concerned in his relief." At the time of the exorcism, many writers asserted that Lukins was an impostor. One critic of the exorcism as a local surgeon named Samuel Norman who wrote and printed a pamphlet called "Authentic anecdotes of George Lukins, the Yatton demoniac". For his part, Norman led a vocal opposition showering ridicule on the clergy that had been duped by Lukins. Norman also asserted that another motivation for Lukins deception could be an excuse for the return of the Roman Catholics. After a while, George started to suffer regular fits and his character began to change sporadically. He would suffer flashes of rage, during which he would often shriek and howl like an animal. He was soon put under the care of a group of eminent physicians and remanded in the custody of a local hospital. During his time there he continued to suffer his fits, but the doctors were unable to diagnose the problem. After 28 days under the care of the General Hospital in Bristol, George Lukins was deemed incurable.

It was on Friday 13 June 1787 that seven clergymen gathered to perform an exorcism upon George Lukins. He was apparently calm during the ceremony and even conversed with those present about various topics such as philosophy and theology until he eventually fell asleep. When he awoke, it appeared as though the demon had left him alone – for now at least. The Aftermath Regardless of whether you view exorcism as a spiritual service or exploitation, the practice has a fascinating, unsettling history, and it’s left an indelible mark on pop culture. Here are six historical exorcisms that are every bit as chilling as anything Hollywood can produce. 1. The New Mexico Colony Exorcisms // 1764Grose, F. (1790) A Provincial Glossary With A Collection Of Local Proverbs And Popular Superstitions, S. Hooper, London Some time ago I had a letter requesting me to make one of the seven ministers to pray over George Lukins. I cried out before God, “Lord, I am not fit for such a work; I have not faith to encounter a demoniac.” It was powerfully applied, “God in this thy might.” The day before we were to meet, I went to see Lukins, and found such faith, that I could then encounter the seven devils which he said tormented him. I did not doubt but deliverance would come. Suffice to say, when we met, the Lord heard prayer, and delivered the poor man.”[15] In 1906, Clara Germana Cele, a 16-year-old Christian schoolgirl living in South Africa, was allegedly possessed by a demon. Rumor has it that she made a pact with Satan and, very soon after, began to exhibit signs of possession. She could understand languages like Polish and French, which she had no former knowledge of.

When the voice thought to be the devil was asked why he tormented George, it answered: That I may show my power amongst men. All the while, George continued to suffer violent convulsions, despite his small size and weakened body. Reverent Easterbrook examined George Lukins directly on his arrival at Bristol. Easterbrook, along with his colleagues who had gathered to examine Lukins, were surprised at the things they saw. The sounds and expressions exhibited by Lukins, along with the unexplainable convulsions and aggression, led Reverend Easterbrook and some of his colleagues to believe that it was a real case of demonic possession. However, other colleagues of Reverend Easterbrook were more skeptical about George being possessed by some demonic entity. Upon visiting the village of Yatton in Somerset, Mrs. Barber had been disturbed to find a man she once knew in a state of extraordinary illness. George Lukins, a tailor and common carrier by profession, had been a child of good character, who constantly attended the church and sacrament. However, for the last eighteen years, his demeanor had shifted and his nature changed. One such case of demonic possession, marked in the annals of history as a particularly confusing episode, is the demonic possession of George Lukins. As a matter of fact, the case of George Lukins was well known at the time, garnering infamous popularity in England in 1778. Let us dive deeper into the mysterious case of George Lukins to find out what exactly transpired, in one of the strangest cases of demonic possession on record. Where It All StartedAlexander Lyon, 2nd Lord Glamis (c.1430-86), alias Earl Beardie, was a horrible man. He drank heavily, was cruel to everyone, and prone to violence. He was also an unrepentant gambler. One Saturday night, he was enjoying a drunken game of cards at Glamis Castle with his friend, the Earl of Crawford, when his servant interrupted to warn the men that, as midnight approached, it would soon be the Sabbath, when games were forbidden. Furious at this insolent interjection, Earl Beardie roared ‘I will play until doomsday!’, flinging the unfortunate servant from the room. Midnight approached, and still they played on. This exorcism reportedly took place while Dali was having frequent episodes and had broken from the Surrealist movement due to ideological differences—perhaps a sign of the demonic possession he was suffering from. 3 Gottliebin Dittus

she had seen a poor man afflicted with a most extraordinary malady, who when in fits would sing and scream in various sounds, scarcely human, and which fits to her knowledge he had been troubled with for near eighteen years. He had tried several medical gentlemen, but in vain. The people of Yatton conceived him to be bewitched; that he himself declared he was possessed of seven devils, and that nothing could relieve him but the united prayers of seven clergymen who could ask deliverance for him in faith." On May 31, 1778, a woman named Mrs. Sarah Barber traveled to the Yatton Village in Mendip, Somerset, and summoned Rev. Joseph Easterbrook of Temple Church. She said she knew a man she felt was afflicted with an odd infirmity, a tailor named George Lukins who would sing and scream with different voices that barely sounded human. Because of his bizarre behavior, Lukins eventually ended up at St. George’s Hospital, where he was confined for over five months. He was pronounced incurable by the doctors. Russell, Jeffrey Burton. Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1984. Reverend Mac Geary adjured the Devils in Greek and in Latin but according to the priest, the "pretended Devils were so unclassical as not to be able to reply."

9. The Earling Possession

Anyone who thinks demonic possessions were dreamed up in a Hollywood studio, should think again. The idea that demonic entities could invade the bodies of mortals is age old. Throughout history men and women have feared any sign that someone near them might have succumbed to the powers of a demon. This was exactly happened in the case of George Lukins, who, in 1788, underwent a now famous exorcism in the vestry of Temple Church in Bristol.