ON THIS DAY: 12 July 1827 – John Wroe, a self-proclaimed prophet, wandered the streets of Bradford, Yorkshire, dressed in torn rags that deliberately exposed his buttocks.
Far from an act of madness or public indecency in his own mind, Wroe believed God had commanded him to become a living prophecy, following the example of Old Testament figures such as Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. His ragged clothing symbolised Britain’s spiritual nakedness and moral corruption, while his public humiliation was intended as a warning for the nation to repent.
Most people dismissed him as a religious fanatic, mentally disturbed or a dangerous impostor. His followers, however, saw his willingness to endure ridicule as proof of his devotion to God.
The incident was just one of many that damaged Wroe’s reputation. Yet his movement attracted thousands of followers across Britain, Australia and North America.
Wroe founded the Society of the Christian Israelites. He spent 40 days wandering in the wilderness, surviving by foraging. He built churches in Lancashire and Yorkshire using tithes from followers, leaving many impoverished. Although married and claiming to be ‘spiritually married’ to another woman, he announced in 1829 that the ‘Spirit of the Lord’ had instructed him to take seven virgins ‘to cherish and comfort’ – not carnally – but he ignored his own rule. Among his more bizarre Mosaic laws was a ‘cleansing’ ritual in which a woman held a man’s genitals while striking him with a wet piece of lint.
John Wroe died in Australia in 1863, aged 81. Today, Wroe is remembered less as a major religious reformer than as one of Britain’s most colourful and eccentric prophetic figures. His life illustrates how charismatic leaders could inspire extraordinary devotion while also attracting intense criticism. Yet the fact that the Christian Israelite movement outlived him by many decades shows that, for at least some followers, his message had enduring appeal.