Estelle Roberts

Taken from ''While I Remember by Ivy Northage'' - A demonstration by Estelle Roberts changes Ivy's indifference to genuine dedication.

When Chan told me I should go and hear Estelle Roberts - the foremost medium of that day - and see exactly how she demonstrated, it proved to be a watershed for me. What is now the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain was then the Marylebone Spiritualist Association based in Bloomsbury and they used to hire a large hall in Southampton Row. On Sundays, coming home from a walk with the children we used to see crowds queueing outside the entrance. Occasionally we would see Estelle Roberts arriving, a distinguished figure in the beautiful velvet cloak that she always wore.

At the time Chan told me to go and watch her demonstration she had left the Marylebone Spiritualist Association and was working independently. She had taken the Odeon Hall in Bond Street above Chappells, the piano people, a very beautiful room, reached by a side door from a flight of steps that by-passed the shop. My mother and I arrived early, knowing that for an Estelle Roberts demonstration one might not otherwise get in. The stairs were carpeted and we had sat down on the upper step to wait for the doors to open when we were joined by a very ordinary-looking woman in a navy blue costume with a very large hat. Sitting on the step immediately below us she looked up timidly and asked, very hesitantly, if we had been there before. I replied that we had not seen Mrs Roberts demonstrate but that we knew her and about what she did.

As this lady then told us that her brother, a vicar, had just died, she burst into tears. 'I'm so ashamed,' she said. 'Here I am, the sister of a vicar. I have supported him all these years and now that he has died I have no belief, no comfort. I have nothing I can hold onto, and I am so ashamed.' Here she wiped some fresh tears away and murmured as if to herself, 'If only he could tell me that he is still around somewhere! Then I feel I could face life without him.'

She went on to tell us that he had only suffered a brief illness. It was still the custom then to bring the dead home and the night before he was to be buried she had entered the room where his coffin was placed in the centre. She went up to the open coffin, took hold of his hand and held it, and said, ''Oh, Charles, if there is anything - anything at all - that you can tell me that will assure me that you have not gone, please, please, try!''

'Then,' she told us, 'for some reason I went across the room to where I had put a vase of roses. I took one, I snapped off the stem and I uncurled his fingers and placed it between his fingers and the palm of his hand, and closed them again.' She went on: 'I don't know how I heard of this lady but somehow her name was given to me, and the address of this place. I don't really know why I am here, it may be very wicked of me, but I must know. I must know one way or the other.'

My mother and I felt terribly sorry for this woman. Our hearts went out to her and when the doors opened she came in and sat beside us. In due course Estelle Roberts entered, her appearance and her somewhat regal bearing just as I had observed from the street when passing by. After greeting the audience she launched confidently into her demonstration giving message after message that, judging from the way in which they were received, were remarkable in the accuracy of their detail. This went on until the end, when she said,

'I want to come to the lady sitting near the back. The lady in navy with a very large hat.'

I nudged her and told her just to answer ''Yes''. She lifted her head and murmured assent.

'Your brother is here,' announced Estelle Roberts from the platform. 'He has asked me to say that he heard exactly what you were asking of him and that yes, of course he is still with you and of course he will continue in his love and protection of you. He is telling me that you did this -' and she turned and marched across the platform to a vase of flowers, took one out and snapped the stem. 'you brought it back,' she went on, 'You uncurled his hand, you placed the flower within his fingers and you put it back on his chest. He knew,' she said. 'He is saying ''I knew. I was there and I will always be there.'' That was the last message of the afternoon.

The lady's tears after that were of joy and for the very first time I realised what a wonderful gift of mediumship could be.

I often wonder have the SAGB or SNU recordings of Estelle Roberts demonstrations.

Azur wrote:I often wonder have the SAGB or SNU recordings of Estelle Roberts demonstrations.

I have never seen or heard of any but I do have the following:

THE CENTENARY CELEBRATION OF MODERN SPIRITUALISM

Royal Albert Hall, London, March 31st, 1948

Demonstration by Helen Hughes

At the Great Centenary Celebration in the Royal Albert Hail the first medium to demonstrate the truth of survival and communication with spirits was Mrs. Helen Hughes, the celebrated North Country medium.


Mrs.Hughes began her demonstration by asking for someone named Mrs Wilcox. After a lady had responded, she described to her a boy named Tony. This was accepted.
The name Hobbs was then given as the surname, with the request that birthday greetings should be conveyed to his family.

To another person in the hall Mrs Hughes described an old gentleman, and with him Jimmy Brown. “I’ve got to tell you,’said the medium, “that he has found out all about George who, when in the body, was a bit of a mystery. He was at your home on Sunday and heard all the good things you were saying about him, (Yes) but he says he was not as good as all that. He wouldn’t change places with any of you. I get the name Alma.’’ (That's my name). ‘‘Do you know Doris?’’ (My sister) ‘‘Have you been laying down the law to Arnold?” (Yes) “He says you had a dickens of a time, but don’t be so dogmatic; Arnold will come to it eventually. Have you been trying to convince him?”(Yes, rather) ‘‘Arnold will come to an understanding shortly, take your time.’’

“I have a boy here named Ian Moore,” said the medium to a lady in another part of the hall. (Accepted). “He has never communicated before has he?” (No) “Do you know Digby, a young boy, he’s with David?” (Yes). “Reginald has come with Mary Rankin,” said Mrs. Hughes pointing to a lady in the hall. “This young man was shot through the hip.” This was not immediately accepted. Then Mrs. Hughes said, “Have you lived in India?” (Yes.) “Mary Rankin knows you, she is talking about India.” (I can place her.) “You have always studied the occult.” (Yes.)
“Mary Rankin met you in India. Did you stay in Calcutta?” (Yes.) ‘‘Well she is here with you now in London.”

To another recipient Mrs. Hughes gave the name, Duke, which was recognized. “Michael is
with him” (My son) “They are both R.A.F. boys and have come together.’’ (Yes.) “There is a boy with Michael named John, he knows you, he crashed over Essen, Germany; he is now saluting and saving, ‘All is well with the boys you loved’.”

“I would like to coma to the gentleman with his hands over his face,” Helen said as he pointed to one of the galleries.
“I have to give you the name Tony, a boy killed in the American Army.” (Accepted) ‘‘He is so glad to see you here, Mary is here too, she is of the Catholic faith.’’ (Yes, that’s right.) “She tells me she will help you till you meet again.”

Further messages were given and accepted.


Demonstration by Estelle Roberts


Mrs Estelle Roberts commenced her demonstration by trying to contact a person in the very top gallery of the Royal Albert Hall, but after giving some evidence of the return of a spirit,it became clear that the difficulties of speaking to the recipient, at so great a distance made it impossible to continue further.

Turning to a lady in one of the galleries on the immediate right hand of the stage, she gave the name of Taylor. Mrs. Roberts made a very fruitful contact, and was able to convey a considerable amount of acceptable evidence of spirit return.

“Do you know George?” (Yes) ‘‘William?” (Mother’s brother.) “Jimmy?” (Yes.) “He speaks of Emily.” (Yes, my mother-in-law.)
“Elizabeth?” (Yes.) “Ann” (Yes.) “Fred”. (Yes.) “Jane-Jenny-cousin of mother? ‘ (Yes) “Arthur is with them. “(Arthur who?) – “Just a, moment, I will ask him for his surname - Arthur Mitchell.’’ (Yes.) ‘‘He reminds you of an anniversary just now.’’ (Yes, my wedding.) ‘‘I now get Flora Annie Williams, you called her Aunt Flossie when a young girl.’’ (Correct)

‘‘I now receive the name of a gentleman Geoffrey Scott;you used to call him Scottie; he had auburn hair and a freckled face; you have a photo of him with Teddy, they are leaning over their bicycles.’’

Mrs. Roberts then gave several anniversary dates. “There is one on April 12th,” she said. (Yes my sister).
“She hasn’t forgotten. The 14th June?” (Mother’s birthday) “16th October?” (Anniversary of my father’s passing). “2nd December? ‘‘ (Father’s birthday.) “All convey their love to you.”

“I don’t know you, do I?” (No, not at all.)

“I want someone named Mrs Andrew,” said Mrs Roberts facing the body of the hall. A lady responded.

“Your husband is here, and is calling Mary.” (Yes) ‘‘He on the platform and I have never seen anyone so excited before. Has he recently,passed over, about four or five months ago?” (Yes, only six weeks)

“He has met John - known as Jack.” (Yes.) “He says that the pain that he endured in the physical body has all gone, he can now walk about everywhere. ‘Give my love to the boys’, he calls. He will be with you on the anniversary in June.” (Yes.)
“As soon as it is possible he will help to adjust your physical condition especially your arms, legs, and feet.” (That’s true)

“I do not know you, do I?” (No.)

Mrs Roberts gave several more messages which were accepted.


POSTSCRIPT

In a dynamic speech, speaking of the work of those celebrated mediums, Mrs Estelle Roberts and Mrs. Helen Hughes, Hannen Swaffer said that he had spoken with them in town after town, and had challenged the representatives of the press to interview the recipients of the messages, follow them to their homes, and try to disprove one message.

The challenge had never been accepted.

But suppose we had had fifty Estelle Roberts’ and fifty Helen Hughes’, we could have proved our case triumphantly over the whole of Britain.


Note by Zerdini: This is the type of demonstration which convinced me of the truth of Spiritualism when I began my investigation fifty years ago. I have been privileged to witness and sit with some of the finest mediums, mental and physical during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Fantastic, thanks for sharing Z.

Two great mediums never matched.

Will we ever have the likes again.

Thanks again Z brilliant material Estelle's book 50 years a medium is well worth a read and of course it is downloadable from the link I have already provided