The Sufferings of early Quakers of Gloucestershire
The first Quakers arrived in Bristol in 1654. One of the first Bristolians to join the Quakers was Denis Hollister, an MP in the previous year’s ‘Barebones Parliament’ and future father-in-Law of William Penn. Quakerism became so popular in Bristol that there were no halls or meeting places large enough to hold the numbers of people attending their gatherings and meetings had to be held in the fields around the City. It was at this time that Nathaniel's first cousin Nehamiah Stinchcombe 1631-1710 became a Quaker he lived in Hawkesbury and worshiped at Frenchay also Nehamiah's brother Samuel was known to be a Quaker.
The clergy in Church of England churches spoke out against Quakerism. Bristol Quakers, seeing themselves as Apostles disrupted the services in Church of England churches (including St. Philips and the Cathedral). When Quaker James Naylor, entered Bristol he was placed under arrest, branded, tied to a cart and flogged through the City’s streets, he was never to recover from this treatment. In Bristol men and women Quakers were flogged in Bridewell Prison. The Sect was extremely political, and confrontational. Its no wonder that after persecution like this Quakers fled to the New World.
In 1661, the Corporation Act prevented Quakers from holding public office and following apprenticed trades. Quakers refused to swear oaths (saying that their word alone was good enough), this led to them being open to punitive fines for non-swearing. Laws forbid them from recovering debts, administering estates or taking up the freedom of cities. As ‘non-freemen’ they were not allowed to carry out trade of commerce in the Port of Bristol. Their harassment in the City was such that the Merchant Venturers paid local people to inform on Bristol Quakers. In 1662 Hollister and 65 other Quakers were rounded up and arrested, joining 125 other Quakers in Bristol’s Prisons.
In 1664 the State passed the Conventical Act. This Act said that no more than four people could meet in any one house for worship. Anyone breaking this law faced imprisonment and a fine. Bristol Quakers, and other non-conformist sects, were caught under this Act. However there were occasions were juries of Bristolian's refused to persecute their neighbours and when three Bristol Quakers were sentenced to transportation to North America or the West Indies sailors refused to carry them.
The famous Quaker George Fox first came to Bristol in 1654 and preached at Broadmead in an Orchard to an estimated 10,000 people he returned on many occasions and in 1658 he marries Mary Fell a Bristol girl in Broadmead friends meeting house in 1667 Fox meets with William Penn founder of Pennsylvania and he becomes a Quaker.