Nothing is known about the youth of Ernest James Gerrard; his life only appears in records in adulthood, when he settled in Lancashire, at the heart of the booming English steel industry. He then became assistant works manager in iron and steel rolling mills, leading a quiet life with his wife Mary Jane and their daughter, Enid Leyland, born in 1903 in Cheshire. In 1911, Gerrard demonstrated an inventive mind by filing a patent for a new type of rolling mill roller. Published the following year under the title Improvements in Rolling Mills for Rolling Sheets of Metal, this device aimed to reduce the frequent breakages of traditional rollers and reflects his practical sense combined with technical rigor.
The death of Mary Jane in 1919 profoundly disrupted his life. He then left his position and moved with his daughter and niece, changing professions to become a traveling salesman for Benson Bros Ltd. In postwar England, marked by mourning and social upheaval, Gerrard turned to spiritualism, then very much in vogue. He became an active member of a spiritualist church and, in 1925, contributed to the funding of the Britten Memorial, in tribute to Emma Hardinge Britten, an emblematic figure of the movement. It was probably during this period that he discovered his abilities as a medium, particularly in automatic drawing.
His works, created in ink or colored pencil—often on papers stamped “Lancashire Steel Corporation”—are populated with spirals and whirlwinds, evoking cosmic forces and celestial visions. Some include mirror writing, readable only in reflection, which spiritualists interpreted as communication from spirits. The texts accompanying his drawings often speak of light, resurrection, and spiritual elevation, revealing the intensity of his inner quest.