WILLIAM CHARLES PARTRIDGE: Horticulturalist and Medium

[Karyn]

WILLIAM CHARLES PARTRIDGE: Horticulturalist and Medium

William Charles Partridge was born to William and Mary Ann (Potter) Partridge in 1893 in Bradninch, Devonshire, England. He was raised in the Anglican church and enjoyed participating in Sunday School, choir and other church activities. The estate where he lived, “The Willows,” was haunted and he had his first experience with hearing footsteps at the age of 12.

William finished school at 15 and moved to Exeter where he took a three-year horticulture course. That was followed by an apprenticeship with a florist. During that time, he continued his interest in religion by visiting various churches in search for the truth.

William moved to Canada in 1913 and worked for Lord Clarendon and Lord Hyde near Pickering, Ontario. When WWI broke out, he joined the Canadian Army, 116^th Battalion, Canadian Infantry. He was shipped to France and spent 20 months fighting in the trenches of France and Belgium.

William met Annie Elizabeth Galway, who had attended Spiritualist meetings in Belfast with her aunt and had developed clairvoyant abilities early on. They were married while he was on leave. After the war, William and Annie returned to his family estate at Bradninch. He tended the orchard and flower gardens. They had four children, including James Lloyd who was born in 1920.

The Willows continued to be “haunted,” with spirit rappings at the doors and under chairs continuing in 1919. A medium was called to the house and identified the “ghost” as the spirit of William’s mother. She also told William that he would end up moving back to Canada. After attending Spiritualist meetings in Exeter and sitting in on development classes, the medium’s prediction came true. The Partridges moved to Canada in 1925.

William worked for a stockbroker until 1928, when the market crashed. The family suffered like the rest of the nation for a while, but that did not shake William’s interest in Spiritualism. He and Annie attended the Britten Memorial Church under the direction of Reverend Martha Stier McGuire, one of the best mediums in Canada. They also made annual pilgrimages to the Fox family cottage.

After studying three years in a development circle, an Indian spirit came to William while he was in a trance state and threw him to the floor. He was told that he would receive healing powers. William became a gifted medium, producing knocks and table tipping, as well as exhibiting clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry and healing.

William purchased property along the Muskoka River near Bracebridge, Ontario to create a camp like the one he had visited in Lily Dale in New York. The Springdale Park Spiritual Association of Ontario was founded in 1938. William became pastor of the Springdale Church.

William and Annie were active members of the society until Annie was stricken with ill health. They moved to British Columbia where their son James was living. Annie died in 1977. William remained near his son until 1984, when he died at the age of 91.

Additional Reading:

Denniss, Gary (1998) The Story of Springdale Park. Springdale Park Spiritualist Association, Bracebridge, Ontario.

“Canada’s Spiritualists Unite!” Psychic News, No. 1328 (16 Nov 1957)

Photo from Ancestry.com