At the time this video was made, Anne Adams was a local Quaker of Leominster, who was interested in Quaker history. She had written a small book about early Friends and their beliefs called “Is there not a New Creation?”, published in 2012.
This was part of the programme of the Spring One Day Regional Meeting of the Quaker Family History Society, held in the former Quaker Meeting House in Leominster on 16th April 2016.
Anne was known by some as ‘the lady on the bike’ and she died four years after this recording was made on 23rd November 2020. Before her death, she wrote another book, ‘Quakers in Leominster, a Brief History’: https://smquakers.org.uk/quakers-in-leominster-a-brief-history-by-anne-adams/
She was buried in the place she talks about in her history; Newlands Burial Ground in Leominster.
Her life can read about in these online articles:
https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18943097.tributes-paid-veteran-environmental-activist-anne/
Filmed by Jonny Wicken.
Well this is the early history of Quakers in ler I must confess that I knew almost nothing about the history of Quakers in ler until a few months ago I got interested then and also relating what was happening nationally to other to Quakers and others in England at the
Time quakerism was fairly well established in the northwest of England before the early preachers came South thas Parish seems to have been the first he spoke at the meet of Independence in 1655 at the house of Colonel John Jones of tripleton near lento d by the ri team
With a message keep to the Lord’s watch The Independents believed in freedom of worship in contrast to both the Presbyterians and the episcopalians both of whom wanted a state Church which everyone had to belong Parish may have been one of the soldiers dis charged by a monk in
1657 in which case Colonel Jones may also have been in the New Model Army and they got to know one another then as was a very egalitarian body as well as a hot bed of political and religious ideas parish’s talk affected many of those present in 1656 a year later four of the
Valiant 60 were sent from the north to the area of herish by George Fox to preach his Everlasting gospel these four were Thomas goodair a yman Thomas killum a gentleman and the Parker husbandman and a soldier or he may have been in the New Model Army as well
And John SCA a day laborer SCA and Parker held a meeting at Henry bedfords to which a large crowd came however they were stopped by the bay and John TBS the incumbent Minister and taken away to prison they attempted to hold a discussion with tombs but he was unwilling Alexander Parker was arrested
And imprisoned for a few days on another occasion seems they weren’t arrested went in prison for very long that those occasions Fox came to lster twice with 10 years in between he came in 1657 with Thomas Taylor from from radnar where he’ had a very successful time
Near the pales actually he describes his lster meeting in detail in his journal he spoke of the Light of Christ which lighted every man quoting John 1:4 John tombs disputed this saying it was a natural light and there was a long argument with fox in Freely from the Bible tombs became discomforted and
Left next day Thomas Taylor went to see him overcame him by the power of the word according to Fox Thomas Taylor was an Oxford graduate and seems to have been less aerial than Fox there was a contrast between the way the early preachers were treated some FL some people flopped to hear them
Probably relieved at their positive interpretation of the Bible in the Christian message on know these seem to the middling sort of people yman Traders husband men farmers and Artisans on the other hand the authorities were fearful that Law and Order would be challenged and the Ministers of the churches were jealous
Of their popularity dear the mobbing and ill treatment of them by some of the general population may have been due to fear and hostility as they were strangers with Northern accents and also rumors that they were witches Quaker suffered greatly all over the country both in the 50s but especially
In the 60s after the restoration this was when the peace testy was written and it was in fact a letter to Charles II to explain that they weren’t involved in any kind of fighting whether it for for the king or against him however it didn’t seem to mitigate
Their their suffering they was ued for tithes which they refused to pay for preaching for holding meetings for disrespect as they refused to Mo their hats in front of the authorities and under the blasphemy act as they spoke of the Christ within in lster they often attacked physically knocked down hit with sticks
Put in the stocks also sent to prison in LST or Herford one actually died in prison goods were taken away and L tithes sometimes much more than the actual tithe there are several P pages of descriptions their sufferings in hered Records Office which wendley B had kindly sent me she’s actually here this
Conference mid all this persecution Fox realized that a structure needed to be set up to keep the whole group together and he traveled the C country sitting up monthly quarterly and yearly meetings according to his belief in gospel order he came Herford in 1667 10 years after
His first visit and writes that they had several blessed meetings setting up a monthly meeting for lster and Ross and others in the South meetings for worship in lster were held in private houses at first some in the town others in the surrounding Villages first burials took place in
Private Gardens but land was bought for a burial ground in 1660 by friends from neighboring Villages which is this present site thank you much they did not build until much later memorial stones were not introduced until 1850 and was just a mound over the grave the first Meeting House was built
In was built in 1687 just before the Toleration Act which is quite sensible was before their meeting houses were sometimes attacked and destroyed as the hered one was there were two buildings a separate one was built for the women’s buiness bus meeting I got a picture of it on display the
Women’s the women’s house had a chimney it had a fireplace with a chimney um it was separated by the yard from the men’s but they they met together for worship but they had separate business meetings Al the women dealt with more with overseers matters of pastoral care total of five meeting houses were
Fun functioning in Herford in the late 17th century in am bromyard Herford Ross and lster which only amily Ross and herriage remain in the 18th and 19th century lmst was a center of non-conformists Presbyterians moravians Baptists 7th Day Adventists pth Brethren and Lites who were a small group who
Didn’t last very long they all built places of worship the Quakers were the first to build the original Meeting House collapsed was built on the Old Town ditch so a new one was built in 1834 which was a Georgian building of brick and slate with t sash windows
There was a covered passage to an altered women’s meeting room plans are available to display on the side in 1869 the old buildings were removed leaving only the 1834 room which a matching extension was built for the women’s meeting in the partition in s shutters it occupied the whole width of
The site and included a door opening onto the burial ground there were cloak rooms in a new Lobby along the South Street side there are plans for this play as well the map of 1825 marks the Quaker Meeting House quers in the 18th century rather quiet the leaders had mostly died many
Had immigrated to America and they kept a low price profile however in the 19th century Quakers were Keen to evangelize and Mission Halls were built in some of the neighboring Villages there was one at luckton one at pudleston one at sto pry under the care of lster one at am at won
Under the care of Amy traditional Services were held on Sundays the feature from the responsible meeting and hymns were sung Quakers were very active in Social projects in lster now speakers will tell you about them by the turn of the century the baral ground was full and land on new’s
Drive was bought in 1904 the um old memorial stones were moved up to this site and placed along the sides the the meeting L was actually discontinued in 1969 and the property sold to the Jehovah’s es in 1978 n years later tendance must have fallen off quite considerably at that
Time it’s interesting how Quaker meetings rise and fall 17th century Quakers are very active 18th they were rather quiet 19th they were extremely active 20th seems to be rather uming we haven’t really a great deal but they do tend to change because historically the am meeting was dis was disconnected disused
More or less in 1797 but he was revived with help from hamster and Ross also had a difficult time but he being revived now at the pleas time only three Quakers resident in lster one shorted to move in all all of us are members of Leo meeting
Have we held a meeting for worship once a month in lster on the last Friday morning in the community center everyone is welcome to come there’s some items for display on the side in the plan of the present perr yes I don’t knows it’s possible