A Book of Quaker SaintsHodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Religion
A Book of Quaker Saints
Hodgkin, L. V. (Lucy Violet)
Society of Friends
There are memories of him also in the town which was then called
Smethwick, and is now called Falmouth, as well as at grim old
Pendennis Castle: one of the twin castles that had been built by King
Henry the Eighth to guard the mouth of Falmouth harbour. Here George
Fox was confined. From hence he was carried to Launceston, where he
lay for many weeks in prison in the awful den of Doomsdale, under
conditions so dreadful that it is impossible to describe them here.
When, at length, he was set at liberty he found a refuge at the
hospitable farmhouse of Tregangeeves near St. Austell--the Swarthmoor
of the West of England--with its warm-hearted mistress, Loveday
Hambley. At Exeter he stayed at an inn, at the foot of the bridge,
named 'the Seven Stars.' In our own day some of his followers have
found another 'Inn of Shining Stars' at Exeter also, when their turn
has come to be lodged within the grim walls of the Gaol for conscience
sake.
* * * * *
Now let us borrow the Giant's Seven-Leagued boots, and fancy ourselves
in the far North of England, in 1657, just leaving Cumberland and
crossing the Scottish border. Again the same square-set figure in the
plain, soft, wide hat is riding ahead. But on this journey George Fox
has several others with him: one is our old acquaintance, James
Lancaster: Alexander Parker is the name of another of his companions:
the third, Robert Widders, Fox himself described as 'a thundering
man.' With them rides a certain Colonel William Osborne, 'one of the
earliest Quaker preachers north of the Tweed, who came into Cumberland
at this time on purpose to guide the party.'[14] Colonel Osborne, who
had been present with the other travellers at a meeting at Pardshaw
Crag shortly before, 'said that he never saw such a glorious meeting
in his life.'
'Fox says that as soon as his horse set foot across the Border, the
infinite sparks of life sparkled about him, and as he rode along he
saw that the seed of the seedsman Christ was sown, but abundance of
clods of foul and filthy earth was above it.'[15]
A high-born Scottish lady, named Lady Margaret Hamilton, was convinced
on this journey. She afterwards went in her turn to warn Oliver
Cromwell of the Day of the Lord that was coming upon him. Various
other distinguished people seem also to have been convinced at this
time. The names of Fox's new disciples sound unusually imposing:
'Judge Swinton of Swinton; Sir Gideon Scott of Highchester; Walter
Scott of Raeburn, Sir Gideon's brother; Charles Ormiston, merchant,
Kelso; Anthony Haig of Bemersyde and William his brother'; but
Quakerism never took firm root in the Northern Kingdom, as it did
among the dalesmen and townsfolk farther South.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account