Quaker Beginnings in England (from Wikipedia)
George Fox, an early Quaker
During and after the English Civil War (1642–1651) many dissenting Christian groups emerged, including the Seekers and others. A young man, George Fox, was dissatisfied with the teachings of the Church of England and nonconformists. He had a revelation that "there is one, even, Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition",[22] and became convinced that it was possible to have a direct experience of Christ without the aid of an ordained clergy. . . . he travelled around England, the Netherlands,[23] and Barbados[24] preaching and teaching with the aim of converting new adherents to his faith. The central theme of his Gospel message was that Christ has come to teach his people himself.[22] His followers considered themselves to be the restoration of the true Christian church, after centuries of apostasy in the churches in England.
In 1650, Fox was brought before the magistrates Gervase Bennet and Nathaniel Barton, on a charge of religious blasphemy. According to Fox's autobiography, Bennet "was the first that called us Quakers, because I bade them tremble at the word of the Lord".[22]:125 It is thought that Fox was referring to Isaiah 66:2 or Ezra 9:4. Thus, the name Quaker began as a way of ridiculing Fox's admonition, but became widely accepted and is used by some Quakers.[25] Quakers also described themselves using terms such as true Christianity, Saints, Children of the Light, and Friends of the Truth, reflecting terms used in the New Testament by members of the early Christian church.
James Nayler, a prominent Quaker leader, being pilloried and whipped
Quakerism gained a considerable following in England and Wales, and the numbers increased to a peak of 60,000 in England and Wales by 1680[26] (1.15% of the population of England and Wales).[26] But the dominant discourse of Protestantism viewed the Quakers as a blasphemous challenge to social and political order,[27] leading to official persecution in England and Wales under the Quaker Act 1662 and the Conventicle Act 1664. This was relaxed after the Declaration of Indulgence (1687–88) and stopped under the Act of Toleration 1689.
The movement in its early days faced strong opposition and persecution, but it continued to expand across the British Isles and then in the Americas and Africa.
The Quakers, though few in numbers, have been influential in the history of reform. The colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn in 1682, as a safe place for Quakers to live and practice their faith. Quakers have been a significant part of:
* movements to promote equal rights for women, and peace.
* They have also promoted education and the humane treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill, through the founding or reforming of various institutions.
* Quaker entrepreneurs played a central role in forging the Industrial Revolution, especially in England and Pennsylvania.
Conscientious objection
FAU ambulance and driver, Germany, 1945
During World War I and World War II, Friends' opposition to war was put to the test. Many Friends became conscientious objectors and some formed the Friends Ambulance Unit with the aim of co-operating with others to build up a new world rather than fighting to destroy the old, and the American Friends Service Committee. Birmingham, UK had a strong Quaker community during the war.[58] Many British Quakers were conscripted into the Non-Combatant Corps during both world wars.
Famous Quakers
You may have heard of some of the following Quakers:
- George Fox – founder of Quakers, 1624–1691
- William Penn – friend of George Fox, founder of Pennsylvania, 1621–1670
- John Woolman – American Quaker involved in the abolition of slavery, 1720–1772
- John Dalton – British scientist who invented the atomic theory of matter, 1766–1844
- Edward Pease – first Quaker member of Parliament, 1767–1858
- Elizabeth Fry – British prison reformer, 1780–1845
- Joseph Rowntree – Chocolate manufacturer, 1837–1925
- George Cadbury – Chocolate manufacturer, 1839–1922
- Arthur Eddington – physicist, 1882–1944
- James Dean – actor, 1931–1955
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell – astronomer, discoverer of pulsars, born 1943
- Bonnie Raitt – musician, born 1949
- Tom Robinson – musician, born 1950
John Dalton
Chemist
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his research into color blindness, sometimes referred to as Daltonism in his honour. Wikipedia
John Dalton was born in 1766 into a Quaker family in Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, in Cumberland, England. His father was a weaver. He received his early education from his father and from Quaker John Fletcher, who ran a private school in the nearby village of Pardshaw Hall. Dalton's family was too poor to support him for long and he began to earn his living at the age of ten in the service of a wealthy local Quaker, Elihu Robinson. When he was 15, Dalton joined his older brother Jonathan in running a Quaker school in Kendal, Westmorland, about 45 miles (72 km) from his home.
George Cadbury, aged 78
George Cadbury (19 September 1839 – 24 October 1922) was the third son of John Cadbury, a Quaker who founded Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company in Britain.
Background[edit]
He worked at the school for adults on Sundays for no pay, despite only going to school himself until he was fifteen. [1] Together with his brother Richard he took over the family business in 1861. In 1878 they acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land in open country, four miles (6 km) south of Birmingham, where they opened a new factory in 1879. He rented 'Woodbrooke' - a Georgian style mansion built by Josiah Mason, which he eventually bought in 1881.
In the early 20th century, he and John Wilhelm Rowntree established a Quaker study centre in the building,[2] and it remains the only such centre in Europe today, offering short educational courses on spiritual and social matters to Quakers and others. He also created a hospital in Normandy called "l'hopital de Normandy".
The Cadbury brothers were concerned with the quality of life of their employees and provided an alternative to grimy city life. As more land was acquired and the brothers moved the factory to a new country location, they decided to build a factory town (designed by architect William Alexander Harvey), which was not exclusive to the employees of the factory. This village became known as Bournville after the nearby river and French word for "town". The houses were never privately owned, and their value stayed low and affordable. Bournville was a marked change from the poor living conditions of the urban environment. Here, families had houses with yards, gardens, and fresh air. To the present, the town offers affordable housing.
The brothers cared for their employees; they both believed in the social rights of the workers and hence they installed canteens and sport grounds. Nineteen years after brother Richard died, George opened a works committee for each gender which discussed proposals for improving the firm. He also pressed ahead with other ideas, like an annuity, a deposit account and education facilities for every employee.
In 1901, disgusted by the imperialistic policy of the Balfour government and opposed to the Boer War, Cadbury bought the Daily News and used the paper to campaign for old age pensions and against the war and sweat-shop labour.[3]
George Cadbury was one of the prime movers in setting up The Birmingham Civic Society in 1918. Cadbury donated the Lickey Hills Country Park to the people of Birmingham. He also donated a large house in Northfield to the Birmingham Cripples Union that was used as a hospital from 1909. It is now called the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.[4] In 1890 he, along with a number of other leading Quakers, helped re-establish Grove House School as Leighton Park School in Reading as the leading Quaker school in Britain.
Joseph Rowntree
Photo: Rowntree around the age of 26
Born: 24 May 1836, York, England
Died: 24 February 1925 (aged 88)
Occupation: Chocolatier
Spouse(s):
Julia Seebohm (m. 1862; died 1863)
Emma Seebohm (m. 1867)
Children: 6
Rowntree Society
Joseph Rowntree (24 May 1836 – 24 February 1925) was an English Quaker philanthropist and businessman from York. Rowntree is perhaps best known for being a champion of social reform, partner and friend of Charles Booth, and his time as a chocolatier at family business Rowntree's, one of the most important in Britain. Even as a powerful businessman, he was deeply interested in improving the quality of life of his employees; this led to him becoming a philanthropist, pursuing many charitable causes. In 1904 he created three trusts, the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust (JRVT) which was originally set up to build and manage the garden village of New Earswick, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) and the Joseph Rowntree Social Services Trust (JRSST). The latter two were both set up to effect social reform, the difference between them being that whereas the Charitable Trust was set up as a charity, the Social Services Trust was set up as a limited company so that if necessary it would be able to undertake social and political work not legally allowed by a charitable Trust. He suggested that only the JRVT would be permanent but in fact all the trusts are still in existence although the Social Services Trust has changed its name to the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and with the separation of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust from the Village Trust in 1968, there are now four trusts that exist today.
Early life[edit]
Rowntree was born the son of Sarah and Joseph Rowntree, on Pavement (the name of a street) in York where his father owned a grocer's shop.[2] He attended Bootham School.[3] At fourteen he accompanied his father on a visit to Ireland, and witnessed the effects of the potato famine.[4] This experience was to provide the grounding for his political views and business ideas later in life.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell - Wikipedia
Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS FRSE FRAS FInstP is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, co-discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967.
Bloomfield Health Services is an independent non-profit healthcare provider located at the foot of the Dublin mountains at Stocking Lane in Rathfarnham.
Bloomfield was founded in 1812 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) using money from annuities, donations and annual subscriptions from individuals Friends and Monthly Meetings.
Almost from day one, the management committee wished to admit non-Quakers to Bloomfield, and this wish was formally ratified in 1828, arguably making Bloomfield an early model of multi-faith tolerance.
. . . we continue to deliver our services routed in those principles, honouring the intrinsic dignity of each person.
In 2005, Bloomfield moved from Donnybrook to its current site in Rathfarnham.
Our services bridge both neurological and psychiatric disciplines and this joint approach is part of what sets us apart from other providers.
We provide specialist mental health assessment, treatment and support services to adults with a range of serious and enduring mental health issues and neuro-psychiatric disorders, such as
* Alzheimer’s Disease,
* Schizophrenia,
* Parkinson’s and
* Huntington’s Diseases.
Our Mental Health service is also an approved teaching hospital and clinical site affiliated with Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
Online References:
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/350-years-of-a-unique-witness-quaker-timeline
Tough topics but good to learn a bit about them.
