Imagine if you would that you are amongst the first 2 or 3 people in the world who came to be named “Quakers”. To use a phrase from Professor Brian Cox describing when the Big-Bang occurred, he said that “there was only today, no yesterday”. 

One can imagine how it was for the first-generation Quakers. There was no Kelvin Grove Meeting House, no Committees, no QRM and AYM, no Handbook or This we can say, no newsletters or journals for us to read and study.

There was also no social stability; the political environment was in chaos.

From 1639 to 1653, there was civil war between the Royalists [the Cavaliers] in the North and West of England and the Parliamentarians [Roundheads], in the South and Eastern regions. Charles I was executed, his son exiled, and Oliver Cromwell rose to power and became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, also called The Great Dictator. He was also known as a Puritan – one who wanted to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices – religious persecution.

Added to this, there was persecution by the Church and the Courts against some so-called “Dissenters” – those who had access to the Bible, now available in English, and who became dissatisfied with the teachings of the Church. What was in the sermons by the priests did not match up with what was in the Bible. Many early Quakers were very Bible centred, and this led them on a road that would clash with the authorities The Bible does not say anything about churches, cathedrals, clergy, popes or consecrated land, any fixed form of service, hymns etc.  But it does say “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” – Matthew 18:20. This means in a field, in a barn, in a house and, with so many early Friends, prison – anywhere but a church.

It was not a good time to be a free thinker or a Seeker; you were ostracised by the Church if you didn’t attend services regularly, you were expected to support the Church by tithing, and could be hauled before the courts for non-compliance. This led to them to quote from the Bible – the very book that they were asked to swear on – which landed them in more trouble.  Early Friends knew that the Bible said not to swear an oath. In Matthew 5:33 it reads “You are not to swear at all, plain yes or no is all you need”. And in James 5:12 “do not use oaths…….when you say yes or no, let it be plain ‘Yes’ or ‘No’”.  George Fox writes “they gave me the book to swear on, and the book saith, Swear not at all”.

Many early Friends were jailed simply because they preached, which was called “blasphemy”. When charged, they declined to swear an oath, which led straight to prison. Hundreds of Friends were jailed in the harshest of conditions for their beliefs.

So, what did the early generation Quakers have?

I am convinced that they had a deep Spiritual awakening. They had no one they could ask. What they did was to turn inward, wait, pray and seek out the experience of the divine, that we call that “inner voice” that comes to us.  They hearkened to “Inward Light and Truth”.

 George Fox had his “light bulb” moment in 1652 after wandering round parts of mid England for a few years, facing an inner struggle over what was in the Bible and how the priests were behaving and preaching. George received a revelation that “there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition” and became convinced that one could have a direct experience of Christ – without the aid of the clergy or church. He believed that “the Lord let me see in what places He had a great people to be gathered”.

Many Friends believed that they experienced the voice of God, guiding them, leading them onto forming what is now called The Religious Society of Friends [Quakers].  William Penn wrote that “they were changed men and women, before they went out to change others.”

 If you want to read more about the turmoil that surrounded early Friends, my article “A brief journey back in time” was published in The Australian Friend in June 2022. You can find it by using the search box under “Articles” on the front page of the online version, or through Google.

 I have to acknowledge the immense contribution that Wikipedia, Britain YM Handbook and the writings of David Johnson, plus my week at Silver Wattle studying first and second-generation Quakers, that have given me the information contained in these articles. Any errors are mine.