Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" Volume 13, Slice 6

Born in 1833 near Edinburgh, Daniel Dunglas Home emerged from a lineage that blended aristocratic rumor with claimed “second sight.” After a childhood move to America and the loss of his mother, he began offering séances without ever seeking profit, quickly gaining a reputation as a striking spiritualist medium. By the mid‑1850s he had crossed back to England, where his performances attracted a mix of curiosity and skepticism, even drawing the poet Robert Browning to a session that inspired an unflattering verse.

Home’s career soon took him to European courts, where royalty and scientists alike witnessed his alleged phenomena, and his personal life grew increasingly tangled. A wealthy widow’s generous inheritance was later challenged in court, forcing Home to prove the legitimacy of the gift through the very “spiritual” influence she claimed he possessed. Undaunted, he continued to present séances across the continent, eventually submitting to a series of scientific tests devised to evaluate his extraordinary claims.