Thomas
Lawson
Born in Lawkland, Yorkshire, England
Son of Thomas Lawson
and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Frances (Wilkerson) Lawson
— married
24 Mar 1649 in Great Strickland, Westmorland, England
Descendants 
Died
at about age 61
in Great Strickland, Westmorland, England
Profile last modified
| Created 26 Nov 2017
This page has been accessed 711 times.
Contents |
Biography
Thomas was a Friend (Quaker)
Birth and Education
Thomas was christened at Lawkland, Clapham, Yorkshire on 10 October 1630, with his father named as Thomas[1][2]; his mother was called Elizabeth.[2] His father was a farmer.[2]
He studied at Giggleswick School and Christ's Colege, Cambridge[3] though apparently he did not stay on to take his university degree.[2][4]
Conversion to Quakerism
He became a minister at a chapel at Rampside, Lancashire, where he invited George Fox to preach.[2][4] He went on to become a Quaker himself, resigning his position as minister, and one of the early Quakers known as the Valiant Sixty.[2][4] When he testified at Clapham, Yorkshire, he was assaulted.[2] He described the professional Anglican clergy as thieves, witches and blasphemers.[2] He was imprisoned for a short time in York castle.[2] He journeyed to various parts of England to testify publicly for the Quakers and seek to gain converts, and was also an active Quaker polemicist in print.[2]
Marriage
On 24 May 1659 he married Frances Wilkinson (1637-1693), daughter of William Wilkinson of Great Strickland, Westmorland, where he settled.[2][4][5] They had four children.[2]
Advocate of Social Reform
In 1660 he published an Appeal to Parliament in which he advocated that parishes be required to give support to the elderly, the disabled and orphans and help the able-bodied find work.[2]
Schoolmaster
He established a school at Great Strickland in 1659.[2][4] In 1671 he was summoned by the Bishop of Carlisle for teaching without a licence. He formally subscribed the 39 Articles of the Church of England and as a result recovered his licence, only to lose it again when he returned to Quakerism shortly after.[2]
Later Life and Botanical Interests
He frequently suffered distraint for non-payment of tithes. In 1673 he was again briefly imprisoned, and was accused (mistakenly) of being a papist. In 1674 went for a period to Swarthmoor, instructing daughters of Margaret Fell in botany.[2][4] That year George Fox floated the idea of his establishing a school near London where plants would be used in teaching, but this never came about.[2]
By now a keen botanist and herbalist, in 1677 he embarked on a walking tour of England to gather and study specimens. He contributed to publications and studies by other leading botanists.[2][4]
In 1684 he purchased 250 acres in Pennsylvania.[2]
In 1686 he re-opened his school at Great Strickland, accepting both Quakers and non-Quakers as pupils.[2]
Death
He died at Great Strickland, Westmorland on 12 November 1691.[2] He was buried as a Quaker that same month.[6] He left property in both Westmorland and Pennsylvania.[4]
Plant named after him
In 1786 a plant found in in the Pyrenees, southern France and part of the Alps was named after him: Hieracium lawsonii.[2]
Sources
- ↑ England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPBR-M99
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - entry for 'Lawson, Thomas', print and online 2004, available online through some libraries
- ↑ J A Venn. Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 1922-1954, Ancestry.co.uk
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Wikipedia: Thomas Lawson (botanist)
- ↑ England & Wales, Quaker Birth, Marriage, and Death Registers, 1578-1837, Ancestry.co.uk and accompanying image
- ↑ England & Wales, Society Of Friends (Quaker) Burials 1578-1841, records of Strickland monthly meeting, Westmorland, archive ref. RG6/1206, transcript at FindMyPast, image of original record at FindMyPast. Note that the transcript wrongly gives the year as 1690.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - entry for 'Lawson, Thomas', print and online 2004
- Wikidata: Item Q7791749, en:Wikipedia
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Michael Cayley
Michael Cayley
Michael Cayley
In a series of edits I have very substantially expanded the biography, removed dead weblinks to family trees on Ancestry, and added categories. On another day I will try to see if I can find any more info about his children.
posted
by Michael Cayley
Michael Cayley
I plan to do some work on this profile. Thomas Lawson was a prominent early Quaker as well as a noted botanist and herbalist. Meanwhile, I have added some Quaker categories and corrected the birthplace from Lakeland to Lawkland.
posted
by Michael Cayley
This week's featured connections are French Notables: Thomas is 17 degrees from Napoléon I Bonaparte, 22 degrees from Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, 24 degrees from Sarah Bernhardt, 34 degrees from Charlemagne Carolingian, 24 degrees from Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, 18 degrees from Pierre Curie, 26 degrees from Simone de Beauvoir, 18 degrees from Philippe Denis de Keredern de Trobriand, 20 degrees from Camille de Polignac, 18 degrees from Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, 20 degrees from Claude Monet and 23 degrees from Aurore Dupin de Francueil on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.