Margaret Fell, mother of Quakerism, 1614-1902
“And so, my dearly beloved, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and be faithful, and bold, and true to your Maker, and he will be a husband unto you, and set your feet upon the rock most sure, that if the storms beat, and the tempests blow, yet you will not be shaken, for He that keepeth you is greater than all, and none is able to pluck you out of His hand. Into whose arm and power I commit you, everlastingly to dwell and abide with the Lord God, with whom all things are possible. The God of love, whose mercies fail not, preserve and keep you all, and nurse you up in His own bosom, to His own praise and glory, that you may be a people saved by the Lord.” [An epistle to Friends in Ireland].
Born into a land-owning family, Margaret married Judge Thomas Fell; they had nine children. A deeply pious person, Margaret opened their house, Swarthmore Hall, to all religious people. During the winter of 1652, George Fox, leader of the Society of Friends, took advantage of this open invitation and as a result converted Margaret and most of the family to his views. Following the death of her husband in 1658, Margaret became much more active in the affairs of the Quakers, writing frequently to Charles II and gaining a number of interviews with him to plead the cause of imprisoned Quakers, including on occasion Fox himself.
In 1663 Margaret was arrested for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance; she was imprisoned and her estates given to her son. Following her marriage to George Fox in 1669 she was again arrested and later fined on a number of occasions for allowing meetings to take place at Swarthmore. After Fox's death in 1691, Margaret continued to take an interest in the Quakers but does not appear to have been actively employed on their behalf. From the time of her conversion Margaret wrote extensively, including a work called Women's speaking Justified, Proved and Knowed of the Scriptures (1666)