D D Home (1833-1873)

A Scottish medium, who was born in Edinburgh. He supposedly showed his paranormal abilities from an early age. H was adopted by his Auntie Mary Cook and they moved to America when he was 9. When he was 15 his Aunt asked a local preacher to rid the boy and her home of demons. Homes were kicked out of his home in 1850 when he claimed he was having visions of his dead mother. He started to do his home séances after he believed that most of them already happening were fraud. He became known for the changes such as elongation to his body and the movement of objects during his séances.  He himself was accused by many to be a fraud but he was never caught in the act. He travelled worldwide to perform his séances. In 1868 in England he was taken to court by a Mrs Lyon who accused him of putting her under a spell in order for her to borrow him of £30 000, he was found guilty. This though did not stop him but seemed to make him more favourable. Home was made even more famous for two notable events was one the Browning Circle in 1855 where he held a séance for John S Rymer, his wife and 12 others in their home, he contacted their son Wat and many sitters felt they had been touched by him, Elizabeth Browning even had a wreath placed on her head, also ghostly hands seemed to play an accordion.  Elizabeth became a believer in Homes but her husband accused him of being a fraud and became very anti spiritualist, even writing a poem attacking mediums and especially Homes. The other was in 1867 at Ashley Place  London where 3 of the sitters claimed that Homes rose out of his seat went into the next room levitated out of the window and floated back in through the window in the room he was holding the séance. Even though the sitters gave varying accounts the reports caused a media frenzy. 1871 Sir William Crookes a physicist and investigator of the paranormal put Homes through a number of scientific tests and he passed easily. Later that year he made a return to Russia and married Julie de Gloumelie. He retired in 1873 and died the same year whilst in France from tuberculosis. His wife went on to write 2 biographies about him.