Prosecutions of Quakers in England
Prosecutions of Quakers in England
For Refusing to Pay for the Support of the Established Church
I believe there were more Quakers among our ancestors than we realize. In my own ancestry, several immigrated to this country due to persecution they experienced in England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland, though after migrating to places now in Southern West Virginia, they joined other Christian churches, usually Presbyterian or Baptist.
I do not pretend to fully grasp the calendar, the history, or the laws involved in this, but I found a source naming Quakers who had been persecuted and prosecuted for not supporting the established Church of England and thought there may be some familiar names. In most cases, the sentence carried out was excessive and cruel, even in cases where the amount of money owed was ridiculously small. I suppose we can think of situations in our own country in which people are targeted for unacceptable beliefs and are suffering unfairly because of a corrupt judicial system. That should give us pause if we dare think we are superior in some way to the government of 18th century England.
Here is the source I will be referring to: A Brief Account of Many of the Prosecutions of the People Called Quakers in the Exchequer, Ecclesiastical and other Courts for Demands Recoverable by the Acts Made in the 7th and 8th Years of the Reign of King William, the Third, for the More Easy Recovery of Tithes, Church Rates, etc.
The link, again, is https://archive.org/details/briefaccountma00bess/mode/2up and the Errata: https://archive.org/details/briefaccountma00bess/page/n211/mode/2up
There appear to be several later publications that refer to this document, but I have not looked at them. They are:
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_a-defence-of-the-examina_1740
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_remarks-on-a-pamphlet-la_besse-joseph_1738
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_an-examination-of-a-book_hayter-thomas_1742
https://archive.org/details/vindicationofboo00bess/mode/2up
My main source (A Brief Account . . .) starts out as below. It is important to remember that what often appears to be “f” is actually “s”. Read the entire Preface if you wish to understand more about the issues.
The first part says: “That the people called Quakers do profess a conscientious Scruple against the Payment of Tithes, and all forced Contribution for Maintenance of Ministers, and other religious Uses, is well known.
This their Scruple, we conceive, will appear not ill grounded, so such as shall duly consider the Nature of Gospel Liberty, the Precept of Christ, the Practice of his Apostles, the Usage of the Christian Church in the first three centuries, and the testimonies of several Protestant Martyrs, and early Reformers from Popery, concurring to acquit them of Novelty or Singularity therein.”
In today’s post, I am listing the individuals mentioned in the Counties Bedfordshire through Essex as shown in this Index. I will compile the names of additional counties as soon as possible. Some of the surnames are very odd, which makes me wonder how those surnames changed in later years.
Bedfordshire
1696 Joseph Clark
1704 Robert Impey
1707 William Francis
1710 Thomas Evans, Robert Impey, John Myos, William Pearson
1714 Robert Impey
1717 John Jenkins
1721 James Marks
1724 John Horne
1727 Henry Smith
1734 John Wilcox
Berkshire
1697 John May, Mary Cotterell
1702 Adam Laurence, Elizabeth Vokins
1706 John May
1708 William Wickens
1715 Richard Stamp
1716 Simon Howard
1722 Josiah Collett, Richard Kidd, Joshua Chesterman, William Townsend, Richard Dawes, Michael Sargood, Silas Hutchins, Mary Laurence, Esther Staploe, Mary Laurence
1724 John Townsend
1727 John Townsend
Buckinghamshire
1704 John Babington
1705 Samuel Wilson, Thomas Redman
1706 John Babington
1707 John Babington, John Pennington, Thomas Ellwood, Abraham Butterfeild (sic), Edward Butterfield, William Catch
1714 Samuel Wilson, Zachary Wallis
1719 Abraham Barber, Thomas Olliffe, Nicholas Larcum
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely
1696 (incorrectly listed as 1796) Job Thompson, George Smith, Edward Wormwell, John Presland
1700 William Wright
1703 William Wright (son of previous), John Tydd, John Warth, William Claxon
1715 John Morden
1719 Isaac French, John French
1722 Mary Ash, Samuel Pooley
1725 Thomas Wright
1734 Alice Clark, Amey Robinson, Thomas Laundey
Cheshire
1706 Samuel Trafford, John Roswell, Joseph Endon, John Plant
1708 Elizabeth Crimes
1710 Jeffery Alcock
1720 Nathaniel Ashbrook
1721 William Ashton
1726 John Lamb
1732 Joseph Walker, Hugh Burgis
1735 Peter Beckett
Cornwal (sic)
1697 John Peters
1698 John Scowne, Peter Rogers
1699 Laurence Groudon
1703 Richard Richards
1704 Richard Hitchins
1706 Samuel Brown
1707 Samuel Brown, Tabitha Fox
1710 Philip Deeble
1715 Philip Deeble
1720 Samuel Allen
1721 Mary Scantlebury, Stephen Richards, Joseph Tregellis, John Scantlebury
1722 Philip Deeble
1723 Gabriel Rundell
1731 Joseph Deeble
1733 Thomas Giddy, Thomas Contable
Cumberland
1696 William Greenhow, Emanuel Todhunter, Thomas Priestman, John Sowerby, John Slee, Chriitopher (sic) Todhunter, Thomas Edmonson, Joshua Mark, John Taylor, Robert Atkinson, John Smith, Richard Chambers, Richard Barnes, John Miller, John Benson, Anthony Skelton, William Kiddy, Francis Stubb, William Cockton, John Kembly, John Glaster, William Messenger, John Parkin, John Pow, Arthur Skelton
1697 George Bewley
1698 William Graham, Archibald Bell, Joseph Atkinson, Thomas Drape
1701 Ann Henderson, Robert Henderson (son of Ann)
1702 Mable Henderson (x2), John Brown
1708 Robert Atkinson
1710 Robert Atkinson, John Henderson, William Henderson, Isaac Crookdalk, John Stordy, Margaret Hodgson
1715 Thomas Wilkinson, William Caddy, Anthony Skelton, Richard Kirkbride, John Drape Sr., John Drape Jr.
1720 Mary Beeby
1728 Isaac Huntington, Thomas Mitchinson, John Huntington
1731 John Huntington (x2)
1733 John Huntington
1735 John Huntington, Edward Tyson, Daniel Tyson
Derbyshire
1711 John Freeth, Joseph Freeth, William Hancock
1712 William Hancock
1723 Stephen Arnold, Samuel Bolsover
1725 George Turpin
1727 Stephen Arnold, Samuel Bolsover
Devonshire
1696 John Colesworthy
1697 Robert Ford, Thomas Fry, Thomas Stamper
1701 Jane Splatt
1702 Jane Small, Jacob Phillips, Isaac Brooking, Andrew Stone, Joshua Weymouth, Roger Garvis
1703 James Taylor
1704 Andrew Goss, Hilary Macey, John Frayne, William Yelland
1707 Thomas Saunders, Joshua Weymouth
1709 Margaret Lee
1712 John Colesworthy
1713 John Colesworthy
1716 James Tucket
1719 Susanna Hinson
1721 Ann Pengelly
1722 Ann Pengelly
1725 Sarah Ford
1729 James Tucket
1730 James Tucket, Elias Tucket
1732 Peter Macey
1735 Archelaus Holworthy
Dorsetshire
1696 William Mocket, James Haviland
1699 James Haviland, Thomas Strong
1706 The Widow How, George Harris
1709 Ann Seymour
1720 Thomas Hart
Durham
1697 Thomas Hunter
1698 James Wood
1700 John Wilkinson
1703 John Hall, John Wilkinson, Joseph Maud
1710 Thomas Hunter
1714 John Walton, Thomas Lackenby, Ralph Dixon, Love-God Murwaite, John Dalton
1715 Thomas Kipling
1717 Thomas Kipling, William King, John Horseman, John Robinson
Essex
1696 John Bailey
1697 Ann Green
1698 Michael Pettit, Andrew Hill, Richard Addy
1699 Thomas Pettit, Thomas Hutchinson, Henry Starr
1700 John Haile, Susannah Cutting
1701 William Bramham, John Hawkins, William Lobdy, Mary Cooke, Richard Addy, the Widow King, Francis Waldegrave
1702 Robert Havens
1704 William Reynolds, Roger Palmer, Henry Smith, John Clark
1705 John Raven (x2), Edward Lucas
1706 Stephen Weare
1707 Richard Munshaw
1709 Zacheus Routh
1710 John Clark, William Drewett
1711 Samuel Parmentor
1713 Stephen Choppin
1717 Daniel Aylett
1719 Robert Levitt, Joan Forster, William Giver
1720 Thomas Cobham, Daniel Aylett, David Chapman, Richard Chapman, David Chapman Jr., James Rawlins, Robert Pettit
1724 Sarah Wheat
1728 John Evans, John Fryatt, Daniel King, John Stacey, John Raven
1729 Matthew Pitchford
1731 John Warner, John Bennet, Joseph Tabraham, Benjamin Larks
1735 John Jasper, Robert Levitt, Joseph Smith