Emma Hardinge Britten (1823 - 1899) is, perhaps, the most renowned and most 
respected advocate and proponent in the early Modern Spiritualist Movement. She was born in the Eastend of London and, as a child, often saw the spirits of relatives and family friends who had passed over. She could also predict coming events.
In 1855 she travelled to America where, after having a reading with a medium, she decided to develop her obvious gift for mediumship. As a young medium, she furnished one of the best attested cases of early Spirit return. A member of the crew of the mail steamer Pacific,which had sunk in the ocean, controlled young Emma and, in trance, disclosed the facts of the tragedy. Because of the nature of the details given through her mediumship, Emma Hardinge was threatened with prosecution by the owners of the boat when the story was made public, but all the details were found to be true and accurate.
Following this message, she became well known as a medium and often worked alongside Miss Kate Fox, who was one of the “Fox” sisters from Hydesville. She worked in many different ways including automatic and inspirational writing, psychometry, healing and inspirational writing. However she became best known for her inspirational addresses which were both inspiring and informative. It was while living in America that she channelled the basis of The Seven Principles from the spirit entity of Robert Owen.
For many years she travelled all over the United States, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand giving public talks on the philosophy of Spiritualism. In her public speaking, Emma was often in a light trance state where she allowed her spirit guides to inspire her words or even to speak through her directly.
By the time she returned to England she was an acknowledged leader of the Spiritualist Movement, to which she devoted all her energies. In 1887 she started ‘Two Worlds’ and she was the editor of this publication for the next five years. In 1890, she convened a meeting at which the National Federation of Spiritualists was founded, later to be called The Spiritualists National Union. She was also among the founders of the Theosophical Society but later moved away from the Society.
Emma Hardinge Britten was unequalled in her enthusiasm and commitment to the Spiritualist movement. She did more than any other person in her time to take the word of Spiritualism around the world and to encourage the formation of many Spiritualist groups, societies and churches.