[ Walton Adams, pioneering photographer and British Israelite racist. ] Collection relating to the Second Coming of Christ and the Great War, including typescripts and drafts of 21 articles, autograph notes, cloth map, model of the Great Pyramid.

The collection consists of 21 typewritten articles, with some drafts of the same; two folders of miscellaneous typed and autograph texts, a cloth map, a folding card model of 'The Pyramid' and a diagram of the 'City & Temple to scale'. BACKGROUND: Walton Adams, the founder of a family of notable British photographers and artists, including his son Marcus (1875-1959) and grandson Gilbert (1906-1996), was at his death 'believed to be the oldest professional photographer in the country' and 'the first photographer to use dry plates' (see his obituary, Times, 15 June 1934). The present collection relates to another of his interests, and what was clearly his main preoccupation. Adams was a member of the British Israelites, a racist organisation dedicated to the belief that the Anglo-Saxons are the lost tribe of Israel, among whom were an elect (as opposed to 'gentiles', dismissed as 'dross') who alone would be saved with the Jews at the Second Coming. An active Freemason, Adams was a leading member of a sub-group of the British Israelites called 'The Knights of Tara', and was a prime mover, with Charles Groom in the destruction between 1899 and 1903 of archaeological remains on the Hill of Tara in Ireland, with the aim of locating the Ark of the Covenant, and presenting it to the monarch (see Anne Byrne, 'Demolishing the myths at Tara', Irish Times, 30 May 1998). The present collection dates from around the period of the Great War, and in a 32-point 'Syllabus', Walton summarises his views regarding that crisis: '8. The Gentiles stop the way. | 9. British must go if they be gentiles. | 10. The mighty people to come - the jews not they. [...] 13. German's claim to be the chosen people. [...] 16. Elijah comes to British and absolutely we are the Chosen. | 17. Jews come to us and wish to be amalgamated. | 18. Great awakening of Anglo Saxons Dross removed from us and Jews. [...] 28. Crash of Germans and their dupes.' Elsewhere ('Elijah and the making of the New World') he elaborates: 'That the Jews and the Anglo-Saxons will be miraculously taken out of the present WAR. The other Powers however continuing until completely decimated or broken. [...] That the division of the human race into two camps at the present time - the German-combination - and the British-combination represents "HELL" and "Heaven" Satan against Christ - the final world combat (commonly termed "The Armageddon" [...] We should only create eighty million rabid enemies, and thus necessitate an immence [sic] standing army of British subjects which would utterly prevent the advent of the NEW WORLD PEACE. [...] That when the great tumult is over, there will be no great Gentile Powers left standing. The only Kingdom left will be that of the British Throne'. As the above indicates, Adams can with justice be described as insane. The following passage, from an article titled 'The War, the Jews and the Queen's Chamber of the Pyramids', is not unusual: 'When Anglo-Saxon Israel arrived at the foot of the Mysterious ALTAR OF THE MOST HIGH just at the end of the Grand Gallery - Judah in her travel had just arrived at the very middle of the Queen's Chamber; that was in the year 1909 (Aug. 2nd.)' He is also a racist. In an article titled 'The Rapture of the Saints viewed from the Identity Platform', he explains his position with regard to the establishment of the 'Millennial Kingdom': 'Our I[d]entity teaches that we are Abraham's heirs and are to pos[s]ess and govern the WORLD', and elaborates: 'The British Isles and the United States of America contain the bulk of christian Israelites [in an earlier draft described as 'HUMAN ISRAEL'], and it would therefore be from these localities that the "Rapture" would proceed. These Israelitish centres would thus be denude[d] of the very SALT of their composition [...] When the angels come it will be ushered in by the resurrection of the holy dead to which will be added those that are caught up and do not suffer death. The whole of this grand galaxy of redeemed saints with their LORD and SAVIOUR will constitute the New Heaven and the New Earth - in the which human beings will take no part.' In another draft of the same paper he imagines the 'coming times': 'Jerusalem is being besieged by a vast and awful combination of Gentile hordes, the distressful Israelites are at their wits end. [...] My strong argument is that, when the angels take possession the human will cease to exist [...] mankind will degenerate into mere marionettes - prompted with strings'. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The 21 typescripts and their drafts total 150 pp., folio, with numerous emendations and reworkings in autograph. They are as follows. ONE: 'The New World. In - The - Making. (Momentous questions)'. Author named at end: 'Walton Adams Dolwyn Caversham | Reading'. 11pp., folio. Headed in pencil: 'Paper sent to Taylor and rejected | Second Copy revised)'. (J. G. Taylor was the editor of the British Israelite's Fleet Street newspaper 'The Banner of Israel'.) With two drafts. The first, under the same title, headed in pencil 'Good (first Copy)', dated at end 'Walton Adams | Dolwyn | Kidmore Road | Caversham | Reading | Aug. 20th 17.', 10pp., folio. The second, titled 'The New World in Making. (Hypothesis by Walton Adams)', 7pp., folio. TWO: 'The Divine Chronometer for 2520 Years. Its Bisectional Punctuations and Wonderful Numerical Fulfilments - as proved by Israel's Threefold Calendar.' Author named at end: 'Walton Adams. | Reading.' 14pp., folio. THREE: 'The Coming Millennium is it for Angels or Men? | By Walton-Adams.' At end: 'Walton-Adams | Delamore. | Parkstone Avenue. | Lower Parkstone. | Dorset.' 3pp., folio. With earlier draft under same title, also 3pp., folio. FOUR: 'The Resurrection of the Righteous - as it effects [sic] Israel.' 3pp., folio. Headed in ink: 'By Walton Adams'. With earlier draft under title 'The General Resurrection of the Righteous, as it effects [sic] Israel', also 3pp., folio. FIVE: 'God's Great Surprise to Humanity.' 8pp., folio. Headed in pencil: 'Very good but not finished | (2nd attempt)'. With four earlier drafts, one titled 'God's Great Surprise, "Human Perfection"?', 1p., folio; another titled 'God's Great Surprise "Humanity"', 3pp., folio; and the last two both titled 'God's Great Surprise, "Humanity"', 1p., folio, and 13pp., folio. SIX: 'Millions of Questions and the Coming of Elijah'. 8pp., folio. Headed in pencil: 'not published I believe | Fine Gold'. SEVEN: 'Elijah and the Making of the New World. (My opinions - What are your's?)' 3pp., folio. Headed in pencil: 'Good (both papers)'. EIGHT: 'The Feast of the Covenant'. 2pp., folio. Headed in red ink: 'not Daily Sacrifice'. NINE: 'Some Remarks Relative to the Two Discriptions [sic] of Ezekiels Temple or Oblation'. 7pp., folio. TEN: 'Opinions, and the Crisis of the Day.' 5pp. Including sections in autograph. ELEVEN: 'The First Resurrection viewed from Identity Platform.' 5pp., folio. With two earlier drafts, both with same title, 5pp., folio, and 1p., 8vo. TWELVE: 'What a Commotion.' 2pp., folio. THIRTEEN: 'The Gigantic Human Explosion, and what the Sequal? [sic]' 2pp., folio. With commencement of earlier draft, titled 'The Truth for Israel - Or what is to be the Sequal?' 1p., folio. FOURTEEN: 'The Great Preparation.' 5pp., folio. Including sections in autograph. FIFTEEN: 'The Resurrection and Israel.' 3pp., folio. SIXTEEN: 'A Strange Position. By Walton-Adams'. 2pp., folio. SEVENTEEN: 'The Shekinah and the Millenium.' 3pp., folio. EIGHTEEN: 'The War, the Jews and the Queen's Chamber of the Pyramid.' 1p., folio. The start of the article only, as with an earlier draft titled 'The War and the Jews and the Queen's Chamber. In the Pyramid.' Also 1p., folio. NINETEEN: 'The Rapture of the Saints viewed from the Identity Platform.' 7pp., folio. Possibly incomplete, as are two earlier drafts, both with the same title. One is 5pp., folio; the other, 1p., folio. TWENTY: 'The Vanishing of the Old and the Making of the New'. Commencement only. 1p., folio. TWENTY-ONE: 'Syllabus'. 1p., folio. In addition to the typescripts listed above, the collection includes a folder containing 40pp. of miscellaneous texts, mainly typed, including material in a paper folder marked 'Oblation Papers | And Daniels Taking away of the Daily', including typed calculations of 'Figures to submit to Dr. Aldersmith', similar calculations headed 'Aldersmith says', and a typed text (3pp., folio) titled 'The Removal of the Daily Sacrifice'. Also a harmony of texts headed 'Ezekiel's Oblation - The two account[s] placed in juxtaposition'; a similar harmony, with diagrams, titled 'The Two Accounts of Ezekiel's Oblation placed in Juxtaposition. Chapters 45. 48.'; an autograph page headed 'Elijah & Moses | Dr Wiles of America "The Lost ten Tribes"'. Also present is a typescript (1p., 8vo) headed 'The Atmosphere we breath [sic]' ('the Writer believes that he has made a strange discovery [...] the air we breath [sic] is composed of three gases'.). The collection also includes a second folder, containing miscellaneous autograph material, mainly relating to the Hebrew language, but also containing an article titled 'The Resurrection and Israel' (5pp., folio). Also present are three non-textual items. First: Neat 44.5 x 132 cm diagram of unnamed area (reference to 'Granite Wainscoat'), in cloth, in red, blue and black, with dimensions ('Cubit of Memphis' and 'Sacred Cubit'), titled 'Northern face of portion of Upper Stone of "Granite leaf" showing position of Raised Boss.' Second: Hinged card model (23 cm square at the base) of 'The Pyramid', folding flat. Third: Autograph diagram (31.5 x 44 cm), with calculations, titled 'City & Temple to scale'.