`Prophet' John Wroe (1782-1863), found fame through his many predictions, his preaching and the establishment of the Christian Israelite Church in the early 1820s. Under Wroe the Christian Israelites were surrounded by scandal and controversy. The best known of these is when Wroe publicly announced that he had received orders from heaven that seven virgins should be delivered to him to `comfort and cherish him'. As might be expected, the girls did not remain virgins for long. Everywhere Wroe went scandal followed, whether financial or sexual, with extravagant building projects, including his own mansion, Melbourne House near Wakefield, forcing many of the sect's members into the workhouse.
