Library of the Society of Friends

Today is the start of the 2026 annual gathering of Quakers (Yearly Meeting). Friends will be gathering online and in person at Friends House, London. 50 years ago in 1976, Friends also met here. Hearing W. Grigor McClelland's Swarthmore lecture, 'And a new earth: Making tomorrow's society better than today's', in the Large Meeting House.

'For at least four hundred years, the history of East London has been characterised by immigration, emigration and diversity. The history of the Quakers in East London is no exception to this...'
In the latest Quaker strongrooms blogpost, Sam Barber shares insights from a two-month research project in 2025 into the links between Radcliffe Monthly Meeting and the transatlantic slave trade up to 1700.

Following the Money: Quakers of East London and their ties to slavery in the Caribbean This blog post has been written by Samuel Barber, a PhD candidate, who completed a two-month research project in 2025 into the links between Radcliffe Monthly Meeting and the transatlantic slave tr…

We've had a very busy March with lots of group visits and enquires, as well as research appointments! Here's a roundup of our March activities:

👫Group visits: 5 (including Quakers and special interest groups)
🎤External talks: 1
📖Displays: 1
📨Enquiries answered: over 78 (subjects include war relief, poor relief and genealogy)
📚Collection items produced: over 240 (that's archives, books, pamphlets, posters and more!)
🕵️Research appointments: 28 across 6 days

Thank you to all those that visted us! We're closed now for the long weekend. Wishing all those celebrating a happy Easter.

To mark the end of earlier this week, we shared Elizabeth Hootten's* letter to the Bishop of London and Canterbury with colleagues from Friends World Committee for Consultation - FWCC World Office.

Elizabeth Hootten was the first female Quaker preacher, and arguably the first Quaker preacher of any gender. Hootten was likely the person who convinced George Fox of the case for women's ministry.

*Various spellings available, but this is the spelling she used in the letter this post refers to

Through the course of Women's History Month we have reached more than half a million people with a message of gender equality from our Quaker foremothers.

To finish the month we had a look at the papers of the first female Quaker preacher (arguably the first Quaker preacher of any gender) Elizabeth Hootten*, who was likely the person who convinced George Fox of the case for women's ministry.

It turns out that she too corresponded with the 'Bishop of London and Canterbury', around the same time as Margaret Fell wrote 'Women's Speaking Justified' whilst imprisoned.

Tantalisingly, there is a curt note on the end of the letter in handwriting resembling that of William Juxon (Archbishop of Canterbury 1660-1663), which implies that the letter was read.

An engaging new episode of Thee Quaker podcast explores Hootten's eventful life in greater detail, including her work for religious freedom in America: https://quakerpodcast.com/elizabeth-hooton-the-radical-life-of-the-first-quaker-woman-preacher/

Thank you to Library of the Society of Friends for allowing us to look at and photograph these historic documents.

*Various spellings available, but this is the spelling she used in the letter this post refers to

Our collections tell the stories of many inspirational women who have worked hard for equality, peace and truth. For we're sharing an up coming talk by Lucy Saint-Smith which explores the lives of Margaret Fell’s seven daughters through their personal documents held in our collection.

The Women of Swarthmoor Hall - Woodbrooke Over 90 minutes, participants will be introduced to each of the Fell sisters and gain an understanding of the tension between the demands of their Quaker

Women's preaching still justified For International Women's Day, Rhiannon Grant reflects on early Quaker support for women's religious leadership ahead of a modern translation of Margaret Fell's seminal text.

This year’s LGBT+ History Month theme is scientists and innovators, so we’re highlighting disabled, fossil-hunting, school-starting ‘cottage lady’ Anna Gurney (1795-1857). 🏫🍄 🔎

Anna was born into the Gurney family, well-off and well-known Quakers. She had polio as a child and used a wheelchair throughout her life.

Anna researched geology, palaeontology, and ancient languages. She was the first woman to join the British Archaeological Association and her fossil collection is still in Norwich Castle Museum.

Anna lived with Sarah-Maria Buxton. They started a school together and were buried together in the local church (with Sarah-Maria’s family). In her will, Anna called Sarah-Maria her “faithful and beloved Partner”.

Read more of Anna and Sarah-Maria's story at: https://queernorfolk.com/news/anna-gurney-norfolks-queer-disabled-geologist/

Yesterday we shared with colleagues from Friends World Committee for Consultation - FWCC World Office our copy of Margaret Fell's 1666 'Women’s Speaking Justified', ahead of a new updated edition from Barclay Press next month. Check our catalogue for more works by Margaret Fell and other inspirational women https://quaker.adlibhosting.com/search/simple

In preparation for International Women’s Day, we’ve been revisiting one of the foundational texts of Quakerism, ‘Women’s Speaking Justified’ by Margaret Fell.

Written from her prison cell in 1666, it stands today as the first full length written defence of women in public ministry in English.

Ahead of a new updated edition from Barclay Press next month, the Library of the Society of Friends showed us one of the originals.

Here’s a summary in 20 points:

1. In the beginning God joined women and men together, in his own image, making no distinctions between them, as humans do.

2. God put enmity between the woman and the Serpent. If the woman’s voice is silenced then only the voice of the Serpent will be heard.

3. The people of God, and the church, are repeatedly described as a woman.

4. Women play an important role in the Gospels, including Mary, Martha, the woman at the well and the woman with the alabaster jar. In these stories women are given information or insights before men.

5. Several women supported Jesus and his ministry, financially and personally, out of their own resources. These included Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna.

6. At the crucifixion, it was women who stood by Jesus, while the men were far off, and Mary Magdalene who reported this to the men.

7. It was women - Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome - who brought spices to anoint Jesus upon his burial.

8. It was women who first learnt of the resurrection and told these things to the apostles.

9. In the book of Acts, the apostles are joined together in prayer and supplication with women as well as men.

10. In the same book the prophecy of Joel is fulfilled that “both sons and daughters will prophesy”.

11. We also read that Priscilla (a female teacher) co-tutored Apollos. He did not reject her teaching, although later generations of Christian men would have done, because of her gender.

12. Women spoke in early church meetings for the purposes of sharing a song, a teaching, or a prophecy, and this was understood to be in good order. In order to not have too much babble, in some circumstances both men and women were told to stay silent.

13. When all this is taken into account, Paul’s instruction for women to keep silent in church can’t have been a matter of gender preference, but must have been to reduce the amount of ungrounded ministry in a particular community from some members of it.

14. Paul did not say that women should not speak prophetically if they are called to, rather, those who are under strife, confusion, and malice should not be speaking in worship meetings.

15. Likewise in his letter to Timothy, Paul must be talking about some particular women, not all women.

16. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul praises the public ministries of Euodia and Syntyche – both of whom are women.

17. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul refers to women speaking, and does not command them to stop, but rather, calls them to do so in societal modesty - covering their heads as a means of embracing Jewish traditions.

18. In the book of Revelation the ‘New Jerusalem’, is depicted as a woman.

19. There are yet more examples of women giving ministry in the Bible, including Deborah, Huldah, Sara, Anna the prophetess and the four daughters of Philip.

20. Therefore it is hypocritical for priests to preach sermons about women’s words in the Bible, while still saying “Women must not speak!”.

We are delighted to say that we are reopening the Reading Room for research appointments! For more information, please visit https://www.quaker.org.uk/library/visit-the-library.

Check out our blog for 's religion and spirituality theme: Faith in action- the Library of the Society of Friends, an archive of protest.

Faith in action – the Library of the Society of Friends, an archive of protest — Explore Your Archive Demonstrating beliefs through action and protest is an important aspect of Quaker faith.