Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox (1614 - April 23, 1702) was one of the founding members of the Religious Society of Friends, and was popularly known as the "mother of Quakerism". She is considered one of the Valiant Sixty, early Quaker preachers and missionaries. Events April 5 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe. ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (114th in leap years). ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) is a Christian religious denomination that began in England in the 17th century by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. ... The Valiant Sixty were a group of early leaders and activists in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). ...

She was born Margaret Askew in Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, England. In 1632, she married Thomas Fell, a barrister, and became the lady of Swarthmoor Hall. (Thomas Fell became a judge and a member of Parliament, but disapproved of Oliver Cromwell's assumption of authority, and so later ceased to actively participate in government.) Aiskew is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. ... Market Street, Dalton-in-Furness Dalton-in-Furness is a small town of approximately 11,000 people outside Barrow-in-Furness. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen... Swarthmoor Hall was the home of Margaret Fell, a 17th Century English Quaker. ... The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, in 1640, following the Bishops Wars. ... Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599–September 3, 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for making England a republic and leading the Commonwealth of England. ...

In 1652, Margaret first heard the ministry of George Fox and became convinced of its truth. Over the next six years, Swarthmoor Hall became a center of Quaker activity, and she wrote many epistles as part of this activity. After the death of her husband in 1658, she inherited Swarthmoor Hall, and it continued in this role of meeting place and haven from persecution. // Events April 6 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. ... For other persons named George Fox, see George Fox (disambiguation). ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... Events January 13 - Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 - Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross The Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark over frozen sea May 1 - Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by...

Because she was one of the few founding members of the Religious Society of Friends who was an established member of the gentry class, she was frequently called upon to intercede on their behalf in case of persecution or arrest of leaders such as Fox. After the Stuart Restoration, she travelled from Lancashire to London to petition King Charles II and his parliament in 1660 and 1662 for freedom of conscience in religious matters. A submission signed by George Fox and other prominent (male) Quakers was only submitted subsequently in November of 1660. Although the structure and phraseology of these submissions were quite different, the import was similar, arguing that, although Friends wished to see the world changed, they would use persuasion rather than violence towards what they regarded as a "heavenly" (i.e. spiritual) end. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The English Restoration or simply Restoration was an episode in the history of Great Britain beginning in 1660 when the monarchy was restored under King Charles II after the English Civil War. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ... Events February 1 - The Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. ...

In 1664 Margaret Fell was arrested for failing to take an oath, and for allowing Quaker Meetings to be held in her home, Swarthmoor Hall. She defended herself by saying that "as long as the Lord blessed her with a home, she would worship him in it". She spent six months in Lancaster Gaol, whereafter she was sentenced to life imprisonment and forfeiture of her property. She remained in prison until 1668, during which time she wrote religious pamphlets and epistles. Perhaps her most famous work is the one known as "Women's Speaking" or "Women's Speaking Justified", a scripture-based argument for women's ministry. Events March 12 - New Jersey becomes a colony of England. ... 1668 (MDCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

She was released by order of the King and council, and in 1669, she married George Fox. On returning to Lancashire after her marriage, she was again imprisoned for about a year in Lancaster for breaking the Conventicle Act. Shortly after her release, George Fox departed on a religious mission to America, and he too was imprisoned again on his return in 1673. Margaret again travelled to London to intercede on his behalf, and he was eventually freed in 1675. After this, they spent about a year together at Swarthmoor, collaborating on the organizational structure of Friends Meetings. // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ... The Conventicle Act of 1664, 16 Charles II c. ... 1673 (MDCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim June 18 - Battle of Fehrbellin August 10 - King Charles II of England places the foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London - construction begins November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ...

George Fox spent most of the rest of his life thereafter abroad or in London until his death in 1691, while Margaret Fell spent most of the rest of her life at Swarthmoor. Surviving both husbands by a number of years, she continued to take an active part in the affairs of the Society including the changes in the 1690s following partial legal tolerance of Quakers, when she was well into her eighties. Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 20 - Leislers Rebellion - New governor arrives in New York - Jacob Leisler surrenders after standoff of several hours March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender May 6...

Margaret Fell's meeting with George Fox and her subsequent conversion are the subject of the first part of the novel The Peaceable Kingdom by Jan de Hartog. A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic, Jan de Hartogs historical memorial The Hospital (1964), which exposed the horrid conditions of Houstons charity hospital in the 1960s, led to significant reforms of that citys indigent healthcare system. ...

External links

• Swarthmoor Hall Website
• Women's Speaking
• A brief biography and selected writings by Margaret Fell for Quaker Women Online
• Excerpted in the Norton Anthology of English Literature
• Margaret Fell's Letter to the King and Parliament On Religious Persecution, 1660

References

• An abstract of the life of Margaret Fell