Margaret (Askew) Fox (abt. 1614 - 1702)

Born about 1614 in Dalton in Furness, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Wife of George Fox — married 27 Oct 1669 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England

Descendants

Died 23 Apr 1702 at about age 88 in Swarthmoor, Lancashire, England

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Biography

Margaret (Askew) Fox is Notable.

Birth and Parentage

Margaret was born in 1614 at Marsh Grange near Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire.^[1][2] She was the elder daughter of John Askew. Her mother may have been Margaret Pyper whom a John Askew married at Dalton-in-Furness^[1][2] on 8 February 1612/3 (1613 in modern reckoning).^[3] Her father was prosperous: he was able to leave her and her sister some £3000 each; her share included the estate of Marsh Grange.^[1]

Marriage to Thomas Fell, and children by him

Margaret married Thomas Fell of Swarthmoor Hall, Ulverston, Lancashire in 1632.^[2][4] They had eight children:

• Margaret, who married John Rous on 29 January 1661/2 (1662 in modern reckoning).^[5] She was probably born in about 1633.^[6]
• Bridget, born in about 1635, who married John Draper of Headlam, County Durham^[6]
• Isabel, born in about 1637, who married twice, her husbands being William Yeamans of Bristol and Abraham Morrice of Lincoln^[6]
• George, born in about 1638, who married Hannah (née Cooke) Potter and who died in 1670^[6]
• Sarah, born in 1642, who married William Meade and who died in 1714^[6]
• Mary, born in 1647, who married Thomas Lower and who died in 1720^[6]
• Susannah, born in about 1650, who married William Ingram^[6]
• Rachel, born in 1653, who married Daniel Abraham^[6]

Quakerism

George Fox came to Swarthmoor Hall, Lancashire, the Fell family home, in June 1652, and his persuasions led Margaret to join the incipient Quaker movement.^[2][7][8][9] She became a staunch member of the movement. While her first husband did not join, he gave Quakers a degree of protection, and Swarthmoor Hall became one of the main early bases of Quakerism.^[9][10][11] She helped to raise funds to support Quaker activity and missionaries, was in regular correspondence with other early Quakers and sought to give them advice and to encourage them when they faced persecution.^[2][11] She also lobbied the authorities on behalf of Quakers.^[2][11]

During the difficulties between George Fox and James Nayler, Margaret sided firmly with George Fox. She wrote a letter (full of flowery religious language) of admonishment to James Nayler, dated 15 October 1656, remonstrating with him and warning him to "mind while it is called to-day what thou art doing, lest thou walk naked and be a stumbling block to the simple" and to "beware of siding with unclean spirits lest thou be cut off for ever."^[12][13]

Death of First Husband; Dispute with her Son George

Margaret's first husband died in 1658. This led to a protracted dispute with her son George, who disapproved of her Quakerism, over the disposition of the estate. The case was complicated - and made more so by laws under which Quakers were persecuted - but the basic point at issue was how far George was entitled to a share of his father's estate. The issue dragged on for some 20 years before finally being resolved in favour of Margaret and her daughters.^[2][11][14]

Arrest and First Imprisonment

In 1664 Margaret was herself arrested because of her Quaker principles. She was held in prison at Lancaster, Lancashire, where she was tried and condemned at the Lancashire Assizes. During her time in prison, she wrote a number of Quaker tracts, and continued to correspond with other Friends. She was finally released in 1668.^{[2][15][16][17]}

Quaker Women's Meetings

One of the works Margaret wrote in prison was Women's Speaking Justified, a pamphlet (first published in 1666 and subsequently revised) in which she used scriptural arguments to justify women speaking in religious services and to argue for spiritual equality between men and women.^[18][19] She subsequently played a leading role in the organisation and growth of Quaker Women's Meetings.^[2][20]

Marriage to George Fox

Margaret married George Fox on 27 October 1669 at Bristol, Gloucestershire.^[21]

Margaret, although 55, longed to have a child by George Fox. She thought that she was showing signs of pregnancy, and news of this reached some Friends, one of whom mentioned it to William Penn: but there was no pregnancy, and the couple had no children.^[22]

Second Imprisonment

Margaret Fell was again imprisoned at Lancaster in 1670, partly due to the actions of her son George; she was released the following year after representations were made to Charles II and his Council.^[23][24]

Subsequent Life

Margaret continued active in the Quaker movement, making representations on behalf of George Fox and other Quakers, and providing a base at Swarthmoor Hall to which some of the leading Quakers came for periods.^[11]

Margaret lived at Swarthmoor Hall for much of the rest of her life, while George Fox spent long periods in London and overseas^[11] and died in London in 1691.^[2][25]

When, in 1696, the government of William III gave Quakers the alternative of making an Affirmation instead of swearing the oaths which were contrary to their beliefs, Margaret played a key role in persuading Quakers that this was an acceptable compromise.^[26] She also sought to persuade some of the stricter Quakers to take a somewhat more relaxed attitude to what she regarded as inessentials, like modes of dress or attendance at the funerals of non-Quakers.^[2][27][28]

Death

Margaret died on 22 April 1702 at Swarthmoor Hall^[29] and was buried near Swarthmoor Hall, at Sunbrick Friends Burial Ground Birkrigg Common^[30] on 27 April.^[29]

Research Notes

Suggestions that Margaret was a descendant of Anne Askew who was burnt at the stake in 1546 are wrong. See the profile of Margaret's grandfather William Askew for more information.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Isabel Ross. Margaret Fell, Mother of Quakerism, 2nd edition, William Sessions, 1984, p. 5
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Fell [née Askew], Margaret', 2004, revised online 2008, available online via some libraries
3. ↑ England Marriages, 1538–1973, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLWB-FYZ. Note that this transcript gives the marriage year as 1612: it was in 1612/3.
4. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, p. 6
5. ↑ England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837, records of Swarthmoor Monthly Meeting, Lancashire, Ancestry.co.uk and accompanying image: "29 11 (eleventh month, ie January) John Rous, late of the Island of Barbados& Margaret Fell of Swarthmoor Hall Did take Each other in Marriage in the presence of Divers Witnesses"
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7} Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, genealogical table inside end-cover
7. ↑ George Fox (ed. Norman Penney). The Journal of George Fox, J M Dent and Sons, 1924, p. 66
8. ↑ H Larry Ingle. First Among Friends. George Fox & the Creation of Quakerism, Oxford University Press, 1994, pp. 86-87
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} William C Braithwaite. The Beginnings of Quakerism, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 1955, pp. 100-104
10. ↑ George Fox, Journal, passim
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5} Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, passim
12. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, Appendix Nine, pp. 396-397
13. ↑ William C Braithwaite, The Beginnings of Quakerism, pp. 249-251
14. ↑ H Larry Ingle, First among Friends, pp. 274-275
15. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, Chapters 12 to 14
16. ↑ H Larry Ingle, First among Friends, pp. 218 and 221
17. ↑ William C Braithwaite. The Second Period of Quakerism, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 1955 (subsequently distributed by William Sessions), pp. 33-37
18. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, pp. 199-201
19. ↑ H Larry Ingle, First among Friends, p. 252
20. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, p. 286 and passim
21. ↑ England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Marriages 1578-1841, BRISTOL AND SOMERSET: Monthly Meeting of Bristol: Marriages (also includes an index from 1659 relating to entries in RG 6/1423, former ref 1509), RG6/1417, FindMyPast
22. ↑ H Larry Ingle, First among Friends, p. 278
23. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, Chapter 16
24. ↑ H Larry Ingle, First among Friends, p. 228
25. ↑ England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Burials 1578-1841, LONDON AND MIDDLESEX: Quarterly Meeting of London and Middlesex: Burials, RG6/499, FindMyPast
26. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, pp. 371-373
27. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, pp. 377-380
28. ↑ William C Braithwaite, The Second Period of Quakerism, pp. 517-519
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1} England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Burials 1578-1841, LANCASHIRE: Quarterly Meeting of Lancashire, ref. RG6/1616, FindMyPast and accompanying image: note that the transcript on FindMyPast, when accessed on 1 November 2019, mis-read "second month" (April) as "seventh month" (September)
30. ↑ Isabel Ross, Margaret Fell, p. 381

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Fell [née Askew], Margaret (1614–1702)', 2004, revised online 2008, available online via some libraries
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Vol. 18, entry for 'Fell, Margaret', Wikisource
• Braithwaite, William C. The Beginnings of Quakerism, 2nd edition, William Sessions, 1981
• Braithwaite, William C. The Second period of Quakerism, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press 1961 (subsequently distributed by William Sessions)
• Fox, George (ed. Norman Penney). The Journal of George Fox, J M Dent and Sons, 1924
• Ingle, H Larry. First among Friends. George Fox and the Creation of Quakerism, OUP, 1994
• Ross, Isabel. Margaret Fell, Mother of Quakerism, 2nd edition, William Sessions, 1984
• Vipont, Elfrida. George Fox and the Valiant Sixty, Hamish Hamilton, 1975
• Wikipedia: Margaret Fell
• Wikidata: Item Q524860, en:Wikipedia