Methodist Women: Mary Bosanquet Fletcher P/4

                                                           Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on a Methodist Woman named Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, who lived from 1739 - 1815

Mary was born in September 1739. Her family were Anglicans of Huguenot descent. He father was lord of the manor in Leytonstone, as well as one of the chief merchants in London. She was introduced to Methodism about the age of seven when a Methodist servant girl began to discuss religion with her. However, the servant was dismissed when the parents objected.

Through her father, Mary was confirmed as an Anglican at St Paul's Cathedral at the age of 13. However, Mary's older sister then introduced her to a member of the London Foundery Society, a Mrs Lefevre. This furthered Mary's interest in Methodism, and she began to reject her luxurious lifestyle.

In 1757, Mary met Sarah Crosby, who at the time was a Methodist Class leader. Meeting Sarah was the final impetus behind Mary's conversion to Methodism. She then dedicated her life to the Church and charity, rejecting her wealth and becoming active in the Foundery Society. She began to visit Sarah Crosby and Sarah Ryan in the Moorfields to learn more about religion.

By 1760, tensions between Mary and her family had become pronounced and her family eventually asked her to leave. She moved into unfurnished accommodation in Hoxton Square where she soon settled in company with Sarah Ryan.

Mary had something of a change of heart over her wealth in 1763; she decided to accept it, but use it for charitable purposes. On 24 March 1763, Mary and Sarah Ryan moved to one of the family's properties, The Cedars, in Leytonston and turned it into an orphanage. Over time other Methodist women, including Sarah Crosby and Mary Clark, joined them in their work. 

Mary was not just the owner of the orphanage, but was in charge of much of its operation. She would plan and lead worship, administer the finances, teach the children, conduct weekly children's meetings, act as a supervisor for Methodist meetings and nurse the sick.

Mary and Sarah Crosby instituted nightly Scriptural readings and prayer, as there was no Methodist Society in Leytonstone. To improve the religious environment in the orphanage, the women asked John Wesley to supply them with a preacher. Wesley sent a Mr Murlin to preach, who evidently had success, as the orphanage soon became a Society. Mary and Sarah continued to hold their own religious services on Thursday nights and began to attract large crowds. So successul were they that The Cedars became a centre of Methodism in Leytonstone. Though some Methodist men began to express opposition toward Mary's and Sarah's activities, they were unable to stop them.

In 1768, the orphanage relocated to a farm named Cross Hall in Morley, Yorkshire where Mary continued to hold Methodist meetings at night. In the summer of 1771 she wrote to John Wesley, to defend their work, This is seen as the first full and true defence of women's preaching in Methodism. Marys argument was that women should be able to preach when they experienced an "extraordinary call," or when God asked them to. John Wesley accepted the idea and formally began to allow women to preach in Methodism in that year. Her preaching attracted, in fact, large numbers of people -  in September 1776 she addressed a crowd of 2,000 in Golcar. 

Mary married John Fletcher in 1781 and they moved to Madeley, Shropshire where she continued to hold Methodist meetings. Sadly, her husband passed away in 1785. However, Mary continued to preach and teach at Madeley and started to do so at the nearby villages of Coalbrookdale and Coalport.

She continued her work with the Wesleyan Methodis Connexion until shortly before she died in 1815.

Read Part Five HERE

Methodist Women: Sarah Crossby P/3

                                                                   Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on a Methodist Woman named Sarah Crossby. She lived from 1729 - 1804.

Sarah was born in Leeds. Like many of the women in early Methodism, she was drawn to religion early in life and seems to have come under the influence of a dissenting minister before hearing George Whitefiled preach and converting to Methodism.

In 1750 Sarah married and in 1752 she became a class leader for the first time. In 1757 her husband left her and Sarah moved to London - then the centre of Methodism in England. While in London Sarah came in contact with several women who were to become vastly influential in Methodism -becoming a kind of spiritual mother to them.Sarah Ryan was a member of her class, and she was also the spiritual advisor to Frances Mortimer Pawson and a young Mary Bosanquet, advising the latter in how to best deal with a father who disapproved of her growing involvement with Methodism.

In 1761 Sarah first experienced the call to preach when, while leading a class meeting in Derby, nearly 200 people showed up instead of the usual 30. Unsure about the propriety to speak to such a large crowd, but realising that she could not speak to each individual personally, Sarah recounts that she "gave out an hymn, and prayed, and told them part of what the Lord had done for myself, persuading them to flee from all sin." Afterwards she wrote John Wesley, asking for his advice and in a letter he wrote, "I think you have not gone too far. You could not well do lesss. I apprehend all you can do more is, when you meet again, to tell them simply, "You lay me under a great difficulty. The Methodists do not allow women preachers; neither do I take upon me any such character. But I will just plainly tell you what is in my heart..." I do not see that you have broken any law. Go on calmly and steadily. If you have time, you may read to them the Notes on any chapter before you speak a few words, or one of the most awakening sermons, as other women have done long ago." In so doing Wesley both maintained the conservative line against women's preaching, but tacidly acknowledged Sarah's "extraordinary call" and authorised her sharing of her "experience" in public.

Sarah continued to travel and preach over the rest of her long life. In fact in December 1777 she records that, in the course of the past year, she rode 960 miles, preached at 220 public meetings, 600 private meetings, written 116 spiritual letters of advice. 

Furthermore, Sarah was deeply involved with the most important community of Methodist women who gathered around Mary Bosanquet Fletcher at Cross Hall in Madely. At various times Sarah, Sarah Ryan, Mary Tooth, Ann Tripp, and Elizabeth Mortimer were all part of this community in Yorkshire that, among other things, operated an orphanage.

Towards the end of her life, Sarah moved back to her hometown in Leeds where she lived with Ann Tripp. She died October 24, 1804 at the age of 75.

Read Part Four HERE

Methodist Women: Selina Hastings P/2

                                                                   Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on women in the Methodist Movement, this time looking at Selina Hastings. She lived from 1707 - 1791.

Selina was born in England, the daughter of Washington Shirley, Earl of Ferrars. She lived her young life among the aristocracy and at the age of 21 she was married to Theophilus Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, Though she was raised to fear God, it wasn't until after the death of her four young children and her own severe illness that she began to see her need for a relationship with God and began to seek Him. Selina's conversion experience came at at time when revival was coming to England and from the beginning of her Christian walk she was ready to help the cause of Christ with her faitful witness, financial support, and influence.

Soon after her conversion, Selina developed friendships with both John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. Selina had power and influence and did not hesitate to use it for the good of revival. Being in her company opened many doors for these men, including opportunities to preach to the aristocracy and to gain fiancial backing for their work.

While her husband was a religious man, it doesnn't appear that he was a Christian. Yet, he never interfered with Selina's new found faith. However, it wasn't until her husband's untimely death in 1746 that Selina was able to give herself fully to the work of the Lord and turn her full attention toward revival. She spoke of revival to everyone she had contact with and her witness spread widely, especially among the nobility. Lady Huntingdon was held in high regard, even by the King himself.

Selina not only devoted herself, her time, and her influence to God, but she also used her incredible fortune to further the Lord's work. Her husband had left his vast fortune in her control and it is estimated that she gave many milions of pounds in her lifetime to furthering the spread of the Gospel. The Countess lived simply and sacrificially, selling her country homes, jewellery, and other trappings of the aristocracy, giving the proceeds of these sales to Christian work.

Lady Huntingdon humbly served the Lord by simply touching the lives of those with whom she came in contact with, giving of her time and her resources. Even at her death she thought of the welfare of others, bequeathing her entire estate to support Christian work. She gave herself to her Lord in both life and death. Her last words were, "My work is done; I have nothing to do but go to my Father."

Read Part Three HERE

Methodist Women: Susanna Wesley P/1

 

In this post I will begin to focus on Women in the Methodist Movement starting with Susanna Wesley, who lived from 1669 - 1742.

As a wife and a mother in a small 18th century English parish Susanna Wesley herself received little recognition for how she managed her household, raised and educated more than a dozen children and coped with an occasionally difficult clergy husband. Yet from her personal influence and loving home came a son who would experience a spiritual awakening and use that inspiration to start a ministry that would fill a void in the national spiritual life and also develop into a world wide church. Indeed, it might be said that the movement Methodism had its foundations in the home of Susanna Wesley.

Born on January 20, 1669, as the daughter of a London pastor and the youngest of 25 children, Susanna Annesley was quite familiar with both a clergyman's household and large families.

Susanna was eduated at home, with her lessons supplemented by the intellectual atmosphere of her father's many scholarly visitors. One of these was a young man, Samuel Wesley.

Samuel Wesley was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1689 and they were married soon after.

Following his ordination and marriage, Samuel served other parishes before 1696 when he came to Epworth, Lincolnshire, the church he would serve most of his life. Also during this time, Susanna had seven children in these years, three of who died.

Ten of Susanna's eventual nineteen children lived to maturity, making for a large family to raise and educate while she carried out all her other household responsibilities. 

The Wesleys had many challenges over the years, occasionally caused by some parishoners'opposition to Samuel as pastor.

To manage her large household and properly educate her children Susanna established a definite routine for her household and family, aiming to help each child learn, mature and develop Christian character. Her policy was "strength guided by kindness." She gave each child individual attention by purposely setting aside a regular time for each of them. Later John wrote his mother fondly remembering his special time with her.

In 1711 Samuel was attending a long church conference leaving his pulpit in charge of another minister, Mr Inman. However, he proved to be a poor choice.

Since there were no afternoon church services, Susanna began an evening family gathering where they sang psalms, prayed and Susanna read a short sermon from her husband's library.It began with the family and servants but soon word spread and other neighbours appeared, and soon there were too many for the parsonage. Susanna had written her husband of what she was doing. However, Mr Inman had complained to Samuel writing that such irregular services could cause criticism or even scandal for the church for the idea of a woman having any part in a worship service - even in her own home -, was unheard of. Samuel eventually told Susanna to discontinue the meetings but she declined since the meeting were a genuine and effective ministry to those who attended. The services continued.

After Samuel passed away in 1735, Susanna settled in a daughter's home. Not long thereafter, John and Charles were converted and were inspired to begin the preaching and outreach that would be part of their new ministry named "Methodism."In 1740 John moved Susanna into the centre of this new ministry in London. This large building held chapels, a school, a clinic and living quarters for John and other workers. Susanna would spend her final days among loving people involved in a new ministry with her other children nearby. Then as the end neared and with her family around her, she instructed them, "Children, as soon as I am released sing a psalm of praise to God." She passed away July 23, 1742.

Read Part Two HERE

Quaker Women: Joan Vokings P/5

  

Read Part Onre HERE

In this post I will focus on a Quaker Woman named Joan Vokins, who lived from 1630 - 1690.

Joan was born as Joan Bunce. Her father Thomas Buncr was a yeoman of harney Bassett in what was then Nerkshire. She married another local farmer, Richard Vokins. of West Challow and she joined the Quakers, She was an enthusiastic evangelist for the Quakers. She persuaded her family and then set about to preach.

In February 1860 she went to America, arriving in New York in May of that year. She visited Long Island, Rhode Island, Boston East and West Jersey, and Pennsylvania. On the return journey she went to the West Indian Islands, including Barbados, Antigua and Nevis. 

After she returned to England on 3 June 1681 she continued preaching in Kent. Five years later she travelled to Ireland. She was at the annual meeting in London in 1690, and died at Reading, on her way home, on 22 July. Her husband was not with her as he was in jail for their paying their taxes. 

Besides three sons one of wom predeceased her, she had three daughters.

Quaker Women: Margaret Fell P/4

 

                                                                       Read part One HERE

In this post I will focus on a woman named Margaret Fell, who lived from 1614 -  1702. 

Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox, a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, known popularly as "the mother of Quakerism", is considered one of the Valiant Sixty early Quaker preachers and missionaries.

Born Margaret Asket in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, she married Thomas Fell, a barrister in 1632, and became the lady of Swarthmoor Hall. Thomas became a judge and a member of Parliament, but disapproving of Oliver Cromwell's assumption of authority, he ceased to participate in government.

In 1652, Margaret heard the ministry of George Fox and was convinced. Over the next six years. Swarthmoor Hall became a cente of Quaker activity; she served as an unofficial secretary for the new movement, receiving and forwarding letters from roving missionaries, and occasionally sending admonitions to them from Fox, Richard Hubberthorne, James Nayler, and others. She wrote many epistles herself and collected and disbursed funds for those on missions. After her husband's death in 1658, she retained control of Swarthmoor Hall, which remained a meeting place and haven from persecution, even though it was sometimes, in the 1660's raided by government forces.

Because she was one of the few founding members of the Religious Society of Friends who was an established member of the gentry, she was frequently called upon to intercede in cases of persecution or arrest of leaders such as Fox. After the Stuart Restoration in 1660, 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. In her work " A Declaration and an Information from Us, the People called the Quakers, to the Present Governors, the King and Both Houses of Parliament, and All Whom It May Concern" published in 1660 she explains the principles of Quakerism and pleads for religious freedom. This work is regarded as the first public declarationof the peace testimony as it came some months before the declaration of January 1661. In it she says that Friends "bear our testimony against all strife, wars, and contention that come from the lusts that war in the members...." The declaration by George Fox and other prominent (male) Quakers was only subsequently made in Novermber of 1660. Although the structure and phraseology of these submissions were quite different, the import was similar 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.

In 1664 Margaret Fell was arrested for failing to take an oath and for allowing Quaker Meetings to be held in her home. 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 "Women's Speaking Justified," a Scripture-based argument for women's ministry, and one of the major texts on women's religious leadership in the 17th century.

Having been released by order of the King and council, she married George Fox in 1669. 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 a year together at Swarthmoor, collaborating on defending the recently created organizational structure of separate women's meetings for discipline against their anti-Fox opponents.

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 contimued to take an active part in the affairs of the Society, including the changes in the 1690's following legal tolerance of Quakers when she was well in her eighties. In the last decade of her life, she firmly opposed the effort of her fellow believers in Lancashire to maintain certain traditional Quaker standards of conduct (for example, in matters of dress). She died aged 88.

Read Part Five HERE

Quaker Women: Katherine and Sarah P/3

                                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on two Quaker Women named Katherine Evans and Sarah Cheevers. Not much is known about their early lives, but they were both Quaker missionaries by 1653. They did not yet know each other at that time

Katherine, who was born in appr. 1607, was married to John Evans. They had several children and lived in Inglesbatch near Bath, England. John Evans wasa Quaker minister.

Sarah, who was born in appr.1617, was married to Henry Cheevers and they too had a number of children. They were settled in Slaughterford, Wiltshire. 

In 1657 both women separately sensed that they should travel to Alexandria, Egypt. Upon their introduction through a London-based Quaker community, they decided to make their journeys together.

The transit from England to Turkey on their way to Eypt was difficult and slowed by multiple storms, so that the captain decided to go to Malta. Katherine and Sarah arrived there on 21 December 1658. At that time, Malta was a country under control of the RC Church, which strictly forbade women from preaching any religious message. When Katherine and Sarah began to distribute Quaker texts they drew attention from the Maltese Inquisitor. Arrested for preaching and distributing Quaker literature, they were put under house arrest with the English consul from December 1658 to April 1659. In 1659, under the orders of Cardinal Barberini, they were removed from their place of residence to a local prison. 

While in prison, they resisted repeated efforts to convert them to Catholicism and continued to write and preach about their religious beliefs despite bouts with illness, starvation/fasting, isolation, restraints, and continual interrogation. The women were intentionally treated as if they were insane, to discredit their ideas and activism. This resistance continued even after they were separated with the intention of breaking their resolve. Instead, it strengthened it.

During their incarceration many prominent Quaker leaders, including George Fox, attempted to intervene on their behalf, but this was unsuccessful except in one case. Quaker missionary Daniel Baker went to visit them and to offer himself up as a prisoner in exchange for their freedom, but this was denied. Instead he made efforts to deliver to England letters and works the women had written. These he only managed to obtain when they were thrown out of a window to him.

Katherine and Sarah were released in 1662. Not much is known of their subsequent lives.

Read Part Four HERE

Qaker Women: Elizabeth Hooton P/2

 

                                                                       Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on a Quaker Woman named Elizabeth Hooton, who lived from 1600 - 1672. She was the first of the Quaker women missionaries. She travelled several times to the New World and endured persecution well into her old age.

Not much is known of Elizabeth's early life. She was born Elizabeth Carrier in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire. She married Oliver Hooton and the two moved to Skegby, where they had several children. By 1646, when George Fox came to Skegby, she had become part of the local Baptist community. But her meeting with George Fox was to change her whole life.

Initially against the wishes of her husband, she began to organise meetings at her house where the remnants of her Baptist group could hear Fox's ministry. This group became known as the Children of Light.

It was the power of Hooton's words that persuaded Fox that God anointed women for ministry as well as men. Within a few years, she had become one of his itinerant preachers. In 1651, she was imprisoned in Derby for "reproving a priest," and in 1652 she was jailed for 16 months in York for preaching in a church at Rotherham.

She was literate and wrote letters to judges and other public officials. When in jail in Lincoln in 1654, she wrote a letter to the authorities there protesting conditions in the prison and calling for separation of the sexes and useful employment for the prisoners.

In 1661, at the age of sixty, Elizabeth made her first trip to New England with her friend Joan Brocksop. Quakers in New England were suffering severe persecution. Not long belore four Quakers had been hanged in Boston. Though the death penalty had since been revoked by King Charles II, other punishments had been devised for Quaker "blasphemers," of which the harshest was the "Cart and Tail Law" - those condemned were stripped to the waist, tied behind a cart and dragged from town to town, where they were whipped with the knotted rope....

Ships bringing Quakers to Massachusetts were threateded with steep fines, so Elizabeth and her friend Joan travelled via Virginia. Having reached Boston by small boat and overland, they attempted to visit Quakers imprisoned there, but were waylaid and taken before Governor Endicott. After they had been imprisoned for days without food, put in the stocks and beaten in three towns, they were taken out into the wilderness and left. The two women survived by following wolf tracks through the snow until they found a settlement.

Having made their way to Rhode Island and thence to Barbados, the two women returned to England. Once there, Elizabeth, petitioned the King to stop the persecution of Quakers in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Following him to where he played tennis, she refused to kneel in his presence, but walked beside him as an equal. She must have won the King's respect, because he gave her a document authorizing her to buy land in Massachusetts and use it to make a safe haven for Quakers in the colony.

Elizabeth returned to Massachusetts accompanied by her daughter. However, the royal seal on the letter proved no protection. Once again,she was repeatedly stripped, beaten and left in the wilderness by the authorities in Boston and Cambridge.

In 1666 Elizabeth returned to England. She clearly had no taste for a quiet life, though, as shortly after, she was imprisoned again in Lincoln for disturbing a congregation.

In 1672, George Fox planned a trip to Jamaica, his first and only voyage to the New World. Although Elizabeth was  now 71, she was determined to accompany him. Fox fell ill on the voyage and Elizabeth nursed him, probably ensuring his survival. However, withim one week of their arrival, she herself fell suddely ill and died the next day. Fox wrote of her death: "Elizabeth Hooton, a woman of great age, who had travelled much in Truth's service, and suffered much for it, departed this life. She was well the day before she died, and departed in peace, like a lamb, bearing Testimony to Truth at her departure."

P.S. George Fox was the founder of the Society of Friends or the Quaker Movement.

Read Part Three HERE

Quaker Women: Anne Hutchinson P/1

 

In this post I will focus on a Quaker Woman named Anne Hutchinson, who lived from 1591 - 1643. She was born in Lincolnshire, England. Her father, Francis Marbury, was a Puritan minister who insisted his daughter learn to read.

After her father's death, Anne married William Hutchinson in 1612 and began to work in Alford as a midwife and a herbalist. Around the same time, Anne started teaching Bible sessions in her home with other women.

The Hutchinsons became followers of Puritan minister John Cotton. 

The ascent of King Charles I in 1626 led to the persecution of certain Protestant sects by the Anglican Church of England. Puritans fled in large numbers. 

Cotton was questioned by the Court of High Commission over concerns that his preaching about church reform was causing dissent. Cotton immediately went into hiding and fled to Boston in 1633.

At the age of 43, Hutchinson and her family, which included 10 children, joined Cotton in Boston in 1634.

Her husband rose to prominence in Boston, becoming a magistrate, while Anne joined a group of women who treated illnesses and assisted in childbirth.

Anne began to hold meetings in her home. By 1636, she was holding two meetings a week with as many as 80 people attending. During these meetings she was providing commentary on recent sermons. These meetings became so popular that she began offering meetings for men as well, including the young governor of the colony, Henry Vane.

However, she was at some point forbidden to continue her meetings and was eventually proclaimed a heretic at a church trial when she was put out of her congregation. She and her family were then banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony. They then went to live in the Rhode Island territory.

After her husband's death, Anne and her children moved to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam.

One afternoon in the summer of 1643, Anne's family was attacked by Native Americans. Sadly she died that day.

Read Part Two HERE