Mary Girling

Mary Ann Girling (1827–1886) was an English religious leader, the founder of the sect called "The People of God", also known as New Forest Shakers.

Girling was the daughter of William Clouting (or Clowting),[1] a small farmer, born in the parish of Little Glemham, Suffolk, on 27 April 1827.

This was likely due in part to her style of preaching—an eyewitness who called her "the high priestess of Jumperism" wrote "the woman prayed volubly, and used her long arms freely in gesticulation…actually screaming in a which I thought might have caused a jump or two.

She was a tall, lean woman, with an upright carriage, a strong, intelligent countenance, bright eyes, a very good expression, and a rather winning voice.

[3] The eviction took place in very severe weather, and the pitiable condition of the people excited much commiseration, particularly following reports that an infant had died of exposure.

[2] The farm became a tourist attraction, with visitors arriving in charabancs on the weekends and buying quantities of beer from the nearby public house.

The cold and exposure at last told on Mrs. Girling, and she fell ill. During her illness she did not lose faith in what she had preached, and believed that she would never die, but would live until the second coming of Christ.

[2] According to author Philip Hoare, Girling inspired Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson's interest in spiritualism and mesmerism.

[4] In the 1870s and 1880s, local newspapers regularly reported "rescues" and escape attempts related to the Children of God, claiming that members of the community were terrified of Girling.

In Hampshire and Isle of Wight Folk Tales,[9] author Michael O'Leary reports that in the 1990s, a group of young men who had robbed a service station stashed the money in Hordle churchyard.