Blackwell Reference Online

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Margaret Fell (1614–1702), often regarded as the mother of the Quaker movement, served energetically as a leader, a writer, and a defender of early Quakers. After George Fox (1624–91), the charismatic founder of the sect, converted her and her daughters to Quakerism in 1652, Fell immediately began to use her gentry status, her connections, and her wealth to lend financial and political assistance to the Society of Friends. Her first husband, Thomas Fell (d.1658), a distinguished judge and local politician, did not convert; however, he protected Quakers from persecution and invited them to hold meetings at his home, Swarthmoor Hall, in Ulverston, Lancashire. Swarthmoor continued to provide an important refuge and organizational center for the movement throughout Fell's lifetime. It was there that Margaret died in 1702. Fell's polemical writing and activism advocated religious tolerance for peaceful sectarians and sought release for imprisoned Quakers. Between 1655 and 1657, Fell wrote letters to Cromwell, who esteemed her, protesting Quaker persecution and asking him to fulfil his promise to protect ‘liberty of conscience’. By the Restoration, Quakers, estimated to be 50,000 strong, had become the largest religious sect in England. After the uprising of Fifth Monarchists in 1661, persecution of dissenters substantially increased under Charles II. The passage of the Quaker Act in ... log in or subscribe to read full text