A Very British Cult
Rogue Priests and the Abode of Love
Book • 2024
This book delves into the story of the Agapemonites, a religious sect in Victorian Britain founded by Henry James Prince, who claimed to be the immortal conduit of the Holy Spirit.
The sect, also known as the Abode of Love, was notorious for its practices including free love and ceremonial sex.
After Prince's death, John Hugh Smyth-Pigott, known as the Clapton Messiah, took over and continued the sect's controversial activities.
The book details the lives of the followers, many of whom were young, prosperous women, and the societal and media reactions to the sect's practices.
It also highlights the eventual decline of the sect after Smyth-Pigott's death in 1927 and the last follower's death in 1956.
The sect, also known as the Abode of Love, was notorious for its practices including free love and ceremonial sex.
After Prince's death, John Hugh Smyth-Pigott, known as the Clapton Messiah, took over and continued the sect's controversial activities.
The book details the lives of the followers, many of whom were young, prosperous women, and the societal and media reactions to the sect's practices.
It also highlights the eventual decline of the sect after Smyth-Pigott's death in 1927 and the last follower's death in 1956.
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Ellie Cawthorne
A Victorian cult: inside the strange world of the Agapemone
