History of Christianity Commons^™

Freeman's "The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust: A Study In Quaker Philanthropy And Adult Education" - Book Review, Pink Dandelion

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Tonsing's "The Quakers In South Africa: A Social Witness" - Review, Gerard Guiton

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

H. & J. Mellor's "Seekers And Finders: Quakers In High Wycombe 1650-2000: A Brief History", Sheila Wright

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

British Quakers And A New Kind Of End-Time Prophecy, Charles Stroud, Pink Dandelion

Quaker Studies

This research note challenges the accuracy of Dandelion's claim that British Quakerism will survive until 2108 and presents two mathematical calculations of the point when there would be no Quakers left in Britain. It concludes that the 2108 figure may not be so far from the truth although this depends on the date from which decline is charted. The article also raises questions about the date at which a critical minimum might be reached.

'Will The Last (Woman) Friend To Leave Please Ensure That The Light Remains Shining?', Bill Chadkirk

Quaker Studies

This paper analyses trends in membership of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, the number of members per Meeting and the changes in the gender balance of membership. It identifies polynomial equations to curves that match the data very closely. An accelerating decline in membership commencing in 1990 is identified. Trends are extrapolated to determine an end-point in 2032. The paper makes clear that as this date approaches the relationship between the data and trend is liable to breakdown.

A Case Of Political Philanthropy: The Rowntree Family And The Campaign For Democratic Reform, Jonathan S. Davies, Mark Freeman

Quaker Studies

This article examines the attitude of the Rowntree family - and in particular its three prominent members, Joseph, Arnold and Seebohm Rowntree - to campaigns for democratic and constitutional reform in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It explores their views on women's suffrage, reform of the House of Lords and proportional representation, and their practical involvement in the promotion or otherwise of democracy in their dealings with the press, their model community at New Earswick and in the adult education institutions with which they were associated. The article argues that, in common with many other Quakers, the Rowntrees' …

'Some Account Of The Progress Of The Truth As It Is In Jesus': The White Quakers Of Ireland, James Gregory

Quaker Studies

The White Quakers were a small but vocal sect of schismatic Quakers in Dublin, Waterford, Clonmel and Mountmellick, under the leadership of Joshua Jacob and Abigail Beale, between c. 1840-1854. The history of the sect, its connections with contemporary utopian leaders in England, its contemporary reputation in the Quaker and non-Quaker world, and treatment in historiography are examined. White Quaker ideas on religious authority, gender and marriage, capitalist and commercial activity, are also outlined in the following study.

The 'Desert' Society In Languedoc (1686-1704) As Popular Culture And The Roots Of French Quakerism, Jeanne H. Louis

Quaker Studies

The 'Desert' society in Cevennes, Languedoc, was an offshoot of the persecution of French Protestants by Louis XIV. The clandestine assemblies that met in the ravines gave rise to lay ministry, as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) had forced professional ministers to flee abroad. At first, Predicants replaced ministers, then Prophets and Prophetesses in turn replaced the killed Predicants. The 'Desert' society gave birth to a popular culture. At the end of the seventeenth century, the Protestants' resistance was peaceful, but as persecutions grew, the Camisard war broke out in 1702. But a minority of Prophets refused …

In Search Of A New Jerusalem: A Preliminary Investigation Into The Causes And Impact Of Welsh Quaker Emigration To Pennsylvania, C.1660 - 1750, Richard C. Allen

Quaker Studies

The establishment of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History (NAASW CH) in the mid 1990s has informed the work of historians on both sides of the Atlantic, and yet the important early history of Welsh emigration to America and reverse migration has still to be fully addressed. Research on Welsh migratory patterns and the impact of America on Wales in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, notably by Gwyn Alf Williams, Barry Levy, and Bill Jones, has made an important contribution to our understanding of the experiences of Welsh-Americans. However, further research is needed if …

'Ministering Confusion': Rebellious Quaker Women (1650-1660)', Catie Gill

Quaker Studies

This paper assesses the position of women within the Quaker community, concentrating on their ministerial roles. Female prophets and preachers were visible during the first decade of Quakerism, and the early years prove fruitful for exploration of women's experiences. In order to consider the difficulties women faced when taking a public role in support of Quakerism, some context on seventeenth-century attitudes to women will be provided. It will be argued that women had to challenge patriarchal notions that the 'weaker' sex should be silent, passive and obedient. In contrast to prevailing seventeenth-century norms, the potential radicalism of the Quaker approach …

Seventeenth Century Published Quaker Verse, Rosemary Moore

Quaker Studies

Early Quakers disapproved of most aspects of popular culture, and before 1661 they published very little verse. During the 1660s some thirty Quaker authors published verse, addressed both to Quakers and to the public. The impetus behind this surge of verse publication was probably the appearance during 1660 and 1661 of a number of papers by John Perrot, a Quaker preacher who had been arrested in Italy and imprisoned by the Inquisition . His writings, which were brought to England, included a considerable amount of poetry. Perrot was released in 1661 and returned to England, feted by many Quakers as …

Guest Editorial (Quaker Studies Vol. 9, Issue 1), Richard C. Allen

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

David Butler's "The Quaker Meeting Houses Of Britain" - Book Review, Peter J. Collins

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Glenn Hinson's "Love At The Heart Of Things" - Book Review, Rachel Muers

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Joseph Edward Southall, Roger Homan

Quaker Studies

Joseph Southall (1861-1944) was an artist distinguished in his field, a political activist of considerable stamina and a Quaker greatly loved and honoured by some Friends, albeit not by all. His political involvement as chairman of the Independent Labour Party in Birmingham from 1914 to 1931 afforded an opportunity for witness that was in harmony with his religious affiliation. But his profession as an artist was pursued against a climate of ambivalence toward the arts within the Quaker community, which was diminishing in the early twentieth century but had not altogether disappeared. This paper illustrates the traditional disapprobation of the …

A Quaker Inheritance: An Analysis Of Family Values, Religion And The Childhood And Youth Of George Newman (1870-1948), Heather Smith

Quaker Studies

This paper looks at the early life of George Newman, who became an influential figure in the public health movement in England and Wales. It establishes his acceptance and integration within the Quaker community, the adoption of Quaker ideals of mission and service and explores the thinking behind a career choice in public health. Newman was a product of the times in which he lived and it was these unique influences (especially those of individuals) that shaped his understanding and development of services for the education and welfare of school children and the advancement of public health and preventive medicine. …

Elias Hicks And Thomas Shilltoe: Two Paths Diverge, Cynthia E. Kerman

Quaker Studies

Two prominent Quaker ministers, English Thomas Shillitoe and American Elias Hicks, at the end of their long lives of exhortation devoted to the mission of persuading others to follow the will of God, came together on the American continent in 1826-29. They turned out to be key players on opposite sides in the struggle which ended with the splitting of American Friends into two antagonistic groups, the Orthodox and the Hicksite.

Through a close reading of the journals of these two men, supplemented by biographies and other relevant materials, this paper analyzes similarities and differences in their views on humanity …

The Nantucket Quakers' Message As An Alternative To Benjamin Franklin's Message To The French Revolution, Jeanne H. Louis

Quaker Studies

Benjamin Franklin lived in France from 1778 to 1785. He was successful in drawing the country into the American Independence war against Britain in 1778. He became the idol of future French revolutionaries, and remained so even after his death in 1790. The French revolutionaries also admired American Quakers, but they mistook Benjamin Franklin for a Quaker, which he was not.

From 1786, American Quakers from Nantucket settled down in Dunkerque, in France. In February 1791, together with Jean de Marsillac, a French Quaker from Congenies, they brought a petition in favour of a non-violent revolution. But Mirabeau, who was …

Editorial (Quaker Studies Vol. 5, Issue 1), Pink Dandelion

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Davie, Heelas, And Woodhead's "Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular And Alternative Futures" - Book Review, Peter J. Collins

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Hamm's "The Quakers In America" - Book Review, Douglas Gwyn

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Brown's "'The Truest Form Of Patriotism': Pacifist Feminism In Britain, 1870-1902" - Book Review, Sandra S. Holton

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Besse's "Collection Of The Sufferings Of The People Called Quakers. Selections: Etc." - Book Review, Richard C. Allen

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Buckley's "Twenty-First Century Penn: Writings On The Faith And Practice Of The People Called Quakers By William Penn" - Book Review, Jani Kurki

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Glines's "Undaunted Zeal: The Letters Of Margaret Fell" - Book Review, Sally Bruyneel

Quaker Studies

No abstract provided.

Keeping The Light Shining? The End Of British Quakerism Revisited, Paul F. Burton

Quaker Studies

This paper follows on from two earlier articles in Quaker Studies on the predicted end-point for the Religious Society of Friends in Britain and presents analyses of the membership data for individual General Meetings (GMs) within Britain Yearly Meeting which suggest that the picture is not as straightforward as initially presented in the earlier articles. Based on an analysis of membership numbers since 1899, some GMs are predicted to increase over the next 30 years, although most will apparently decline. The data are also analysed on a regional basis and three models of the changing membership are presented.

John Brewin's Tracts: The Written Word, Evangelicalism, And The Quaker Way In Mid Nineteenth Century England, Edwina Newman

Quaker Studies

This study explores seven volumes of tracts collected between 1827 and 1850 by John Brewin, a Cirencester Quaker. This period was a critical one for the Religious Society of Friends, notably in its relationship with Evangelicalism. The collection allows us to test something of the nature and extent of change at grassroots level, by providing an insight into the range of issues that were of interest to provincial English Quakers, the means by which ideas were disseminated, and how they might have been received by readers. The conclusion is that, while Evangelical influence was clearly growing, Quakers remained deeply attached …

Quakers In Thirsk Monthly Meeting 1650-75, John Woods

Quaker Studies

Primary Quaker source evidence of three clusters of Quakers, within Thirsk Monthly Meeting during the period 1650-75, is examined. There were groups in Kilburn, Wildon Grange, near Crayke, and Sutton-on-the-Forest. There is material that describes their sufferings for breaking the law by holding a meeting for worship. From this material some indication is found of their backgrounds, their famili es, and their contact with each other. Church and other records show that these Friends had a place in their local as well as in their Quaker communiti es. There was also contact with Friends travelling in the ministry. Friends such …

Women In The Quaker Community: The Richardson Family Of Newcastle, C.1815-60, Jonathan Mood

Quaker Studies

The town of Newcastle in the early nineteenth century offered many diverse forms of entertainment and socialising for middle class men and women. Although the religious beliefs of Quakers excluded them from sharing in many of these activities, their faith offered them unique opportunities to participate in, lead, and challenge middle class lifestyle. Through examining the domestic, religious, and charitable conduct of the women of the Richardson family it can be seen how their understanding of society was mediated through religious beliefs that allowed them to challenge the role of the typical middle class woman.

'The Inferior Parts Of The Body': The Development And Role Of Women's Meetings In The Early Quaker Movement, Gareth Shaw

Quaker Studies

This article is a study of the development and role of early Quaker women's Meetings during the second half of the seventeenth century. It is based upon the contemporary records of the Owstwick women's Monthly Meeting, held in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Rather than focussing upon the individual travelling Quaker female ministers or their writings, as the historiography has tended to, it examines the everyday organisation and responsibilities that were held by early Quaker women. It argues that although the women's Meetings were regarded as inferior to those of the men, they evolved alongside each other and operated in …