The Exorcism of George Lukins
Excerpt From A History of Anglican Exorcism by Francis Young
George Lukins, a 25-year-old tailor, began showing the symptoms of possession at Christmas 1769 while he was mumming in his home village of Yatton, Somerset. Lukins spent time in several hospitals, but in 1787 he declared he was possessed by seven devils which needed to be cast out by seven minis-ters. In May 1788 Lukins's neighbour Sarah Baber approached Joseph Easterbrook, vicar of the Temple Church in Bristol, about the possibility of saying prayers over Lukins. Easterbrook invited Lukins to Bristol. Easterbrook approached other Anglican clergy, but without success:
“I applied to such of the clergy of the established church (among those comprehended within the circle of my acquaintance,) as I conceived to be most cordial in the belief of supernatural influences, namely to the Rev. Mr. Symes, Rector of St Werburgh’s; the Rev. Dr. Robins, Precentor of the Cathedral; and the Rev. Mr. Brown, Rector of Portishead; requesting that these Gentlemen would with me attend a meeting for prayer in behalf of this object of commiseration; but though they acknowledged it as their opinion, that his was a supernatural affliction, I could not prevail upon them to join with me, in this attempt to relieve him.”
On 13 June 1788 Easterbrook was joined by six Methodist lay preachers and eight others in the vestry room of the Temple Church, while a large crowd gathered outside.
The exorcists began by singing a hymn, which exacerbated Lukins’s symptoms. The exorcists proceeded to interrogate the demoniac, demanding the name of the devil possessing him. Easterbrook asked Lukins to try to say the name ‘Jesus’:
“During this attempt a small faint voice was heard saying, ‘Why don’t you adjure?’ On which Easterbrook commanded, in the name of Jesus, and in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, the evil spirit to depart from the man; which he repeated several times: – when a voice was heard to say, ‘Must I give up my power?’ and this was followed by dreadful howlings. Soon after another voice, as with astonishment, said, ‘Our master has deceived us.’ – Easterbrook still continuing to repeat the adjuration, a voice was heard to say, ‘Where shall we go?’ and the reply was, ‘To hell, thine own infernal den, and return no more to torment this man.’ – On this the man’s agitations and distortions were stronger than ever . . . But as soon as this conflict was over, he said, in his own natural voice, ‘Blessed Jesus!’ – became quite serene, immediately praised God for his deliverance, and kneeling down said the Lord’s prayer and returned his most devout thanks to all who were present.”
Source Texts
Young, F. (2018). A history of Anglican exorcism: Deliverance and Demonology in Church Ritual. Bloomsbury Publishing.
