| | by admin | | posted on 14th February 2023 in Quakers Through the Ages | | views 1879 | |
A founder of the Society of Friends, Margaret Fell (1614 – 1702) is affectionately known as the Mother of Quakerism.
Born Margaret Askew in Lancashire, Fell married the barrister Thomas Fell in 1632 and became lady of Swarthmoor Hall near Ulverston. During the upheavals of the English Civil War period many people were questioning established religion and seeking a more direct experience of God.
In 1652 George Fox travelled through Furness preaching his message of inward revelation. At a parish meeting in Ulverston he challenged those present by asking, ‘What canst thou say?’ insisting that true faith came not from repeating Scripture but from lived spiritual experience. Fell later recalled that his words cut her to the heart and brought about her convincement.
Shortly before Fox's arrival, James Nayler had already visited Swarthmoor and spoken with members of the household. When Fox departed to continue his itinerant ministry, Nayler and other Friends returned, and Judge Thomas Fell became convinced that the new movement was peaceful. Swarthmoor Hall was soon opened as a meeting place and organising centre for the growing fellowship.
From this rural estate the earliest Quaker missionaries were sent out across Britain, Ireland and continental Europe. Margaret Fell emerged as a central correspondent and coordinator, linking travelling ministers and maintaining the fragile networks of the new movement.
The convergence of George Fox, James Nayler and Margaret Fell in 1652 proved decisive for the formation of Quakerism. Fox articulated the movement's core insight that Christ speaks inwardly to every person, rendering outward priesthood and ritual unnecessary. Fell supplied the organisational backbone and social protection that allowed the message to spread.
Nayler, a former Parliamentary soldier turned radical preacher, added urgency and emotional force to early Quaker proclamation. His eloquence attracted large crowds and demonstrated that the Society of Friends was becoming more than a local curiosity. At Swarthmoor and in the north of England, Fox and Nayler preached alongside one another, drawing in seekers who were already dissatisfied with established churches.
Although Nayler's later career would become controversial after his dramatic actions in 1656 and the brutal punishment that followed, in the early years he stood at the heart of the movement's explosive growth. Together Fox, Nayler and Fell helped transform scattered seekers into a recognisable and disciplined religious community.
Following the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Quakers faced renewed persecution for refusing oaths, declining military service and holding unauthorised meetings. Fell used her status as a member of the gentry to gain access to political authorities and argue for liberty of conscience.
In 1660 and again in 1662 she travelled to London to present the Quaker Peace Declaration to King Charles II and Parliament. The document insisted that Friends rejected violence and posed no threat to the state, while demanding freedom to worship according to conscience.
These petitions became foundational statements of Quaker pacifism and public witness. Although they did not immediately end persecution, they marked a decisive step in Friends engaging the state directly rather than retreating into secrecy, and they shaped the emerging Peace Testimony that would define Quaker identity for centuries.
In 1664 Fell was arrested at Swarthmoor for hosting meetings and refusing to swear an oath. She was imprisoned in Lancaster Gaol and temporarily lost control of her property. During her confinement she continued to write vigorously in defence of Quaker principles.
Her most famous pamphlet, Women's Speaking Justified (c. 1666), argued that since the Inner Light was given equally to all people, women possessed the same spiritual authority as men and therefore the right to speak in worship. Drawing on Scripture and Quaker experience, Fell dismantled conventional arguments for female silence.
The pamphlet became one of the most influential defences of women's religious leadership in the 17th century and is now regarded as a landmark in the history of early feminist thought.
Fell was released from prison in 1668 by royal order. In 1669 she married Fox after years of shared labour in the ministry. Soon afterwards Fox travelled to the American colonies to strengthen Quaker meetings overseas, while Fell remained at Swarthmoor managing correspondence and sustaining the English network.
After Fox's return and later imprisonment, Fell worked to secure his release. Following his death in 1691 she continued to oversee Quaker affairs from Cumbria well into her eighties, advising younger Friends and maintaining the discipline of the Society during a period of partial toleration.
She died in 1702, reportedly declaring, ‘I am in peace.’ She was buried without headstone in accordance with Quaker simplicity. In the years after her death her writings were gathered and published as A Brief Collection of Remarkable Passages and Occurrences, ensuring that her voice continues to shape Quaker theology and witness.
Rooted in Quaker radical faith & activism, YQN empowers young adults to explore Quakerism, challenge injustice, and build a more peaceful future through friendship.
