The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs

In Short

William Sewel’s history offers a comprehensive, systematic record of the Religious Society of Friends, tracing its emergence in the mid-seventeenth century through its expansion across Europe and the American colonies up to the early eighteenth century. Beginning with George Fox’s transformative spiritual revelations in the 1640s, the narrative details the movement’s rapid growth alongside the intense hostility it faced from civil authorities, religious institutions, and angry mobs. Sewel documents state-sanctioned persecutions, legal trials, public executions, and long imprisonments endured by early Friends under Oliver Cromwell, King Charles II, and King James II. Interspersed with trial transcripts, royal petitions, theological debates, and personal accounts of foreign travel, the chronicle records how a pacifist movement survived relentless efforts to eradicate it. The text endures as a primary source for early Quakerism, preserving both the foundational principles of the movement and the individual sacrifices of its earliest adherents.

The Story

The chronicle opens during the political and religious upheaval of mid-seventeenth-century England. George Fox, searching for spiritual clarity, experiences a series of internal illuminations revealing that every human being is endowed with a measure of divine light and that true worship occurs within the heart rather than inside church buildings or through state-appointed clergy. Driven to preach this message, Fox travels across the English countryside, calling on people to turn away from outward religious forms, tithes, and oaths, and to heed the inward light of Christ. His message attracts numerous converts who align themselves with these radical principles, adopting simple speech, plain dress, and a refusal to bow or remove their hats before authorities.

This swift growth triggers immediate backlash. Local magistrates, church ministers, and angry crowds view the new movement as a threat to social order and religious orthodoxy. Friends are dragged out of home gatherings, beaten, fined, and cast into overcrowded dungeons. Despite this suppression, the movement spreads beyond rural towns into major urban centers like London and York. Early leaders arise within the group, traveling as itinerant ministers across England, Wales, and eventually overseas to North America, the Mediterranean, and Continental Europe.

The political shifts of the era bring changing forms of hardship. During the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, Fox and other leaders are repeatedly arrested as potential instigators of civil unrest. Fox meets directly with Cromwell at Whitehall, clarifying that Friends explicitly renounce the use of physical weapons and political conspiracies, seeking only liberty to worship according to their conscience. Despite Cromwell’s occasional expressions of personal sympathy, state-sponsored imprisonments continue. The movement also faces internal trials, including public scandals and theological missteps, which early leaders work to heal through written confessions and communal reconciliation.

The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 brings a brief hope of religious tolerance, but it is quickly shattered. Fears of radical uprisings prompt Parliament to pass harsh legislation targeting non-conformist religious gatherings. The Conventicle Acts and the introduction of mandatory oaths of allegiance lead to widespread arrests. Because Friends conscientiously refuse to swear oaths of any kind—citing Christ’s command to "Swear not at all"—they become vulnerable to constant legal entrapment. Magistrates seize their livestock, property, and livelihoods, while hundreds are crammed into filthy, disease-ridden prisons like Newgate and Bridewell. In New England, colonial authorities enact even harsher penalties, banishing Friends under threat of death and hanging those who return to preach, including William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, and Mary Dyer.

Despite continuous losses and catastrophic national crises like the Great Plague of London in 1665—which thins the population and temporarily halts transport ships meant to banish imprisoned Quakers—the movement refuses to collapse. Imprisoned ministers continue to write theological treatises and pastoral letters to sustain their scattered meetings. Prominent figures join the cause, including William Penn, who brings legal acumen and high social standing to the movement. Penn’s high-profile trials demonstrate the arbitrary nature of the court proceedings and help establish vital precedents regarding the independence of juries.

As the decades progress into the reign of King James II, Friends maintain a resolute stance of non-violent resistance, presenting direct petitions and detailed records of their suffering to the crown and Parliament. Robert Barclay approaches authorities to document those who died in custody, while Penn uses his influence to advocate for broad liberty of conscience. Their long-suffering patience ultimately bears fruit following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when legislative changes grant dissenters legal protection to worship publicly without fear of fine or imprisonment. Sewel concludes his history with official yearly meeting epistles, demonstrating how a once-maligned and violently persecuted movement successfully established an organized, lasting society anchored in peaceful fellowship and steadfast faith.

How It Unfolds

The light revealed George Fox receives an internal spiritual revelation that the divine light of Christ enlightens every person, prompting him to leave his home and travel across England to proclaim an inward gospel of grace.

A movement takes root Despite hostility from ministers and magistrates who view house meetings as unlawful, Fox attracts thousands of followers across northern England who gather in quiet, unadorned fellowship.

Confrontation at Whitehall Apprehended and brought before Oliver Cromwell, Fox delivers a signed paper declaring his absolute rejection of physical weapons and war, asserting his sole commitment to a peaceable gospel.

Internal trials and repentance The young movement faces public reproach when prominent members fall into fanatical behavior, leading to heartfelt written confessions, pleas for forgiveness, and efforts to restore unity within the community.

Gallows in New England Puritan magistrates in Boston enact strict laws against Quaker ministers, culminating in the public hangings of William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, and Mary Dyer for returning to preach after banishment.

The Restoration clampdown Following the return of King Charles II, fears of insurrections lead to the passage of strict laws against conventicles, causing the mass arrest of peaceable Friends across the realm.

Plague and persistent faith A devastating pestilence sweeps through London, thinning the population and halting banishment ships, while Quaker ministers continue preaching publicly in newly constructed meetinghouses despite ongoing arrests.

Defiance in the courtroom William Penn stands trial in London for preaching in Gracechurch Street, where he and his co-defendant challenge the court's procedure, prompting a courageous jury to refuse a guilty verdict despite severe judicial threats.

Mission to foreign shores Ministers like Catharine Evans and Sarah Cheevers endure years of imprisonment by the Inquisition in Malta, while others travel to Tangier, Germany, and Holland to spread their pacifist tenets.

Doctrinal debates and schisms As the society matures, leaders engage in rigorous public disputations with Jesuit scholars, Baptists, and internal dissenters like George Keith, writing defenses to clarify their beliefs regarding scripture and the inward light.

Royal petitions and liberty Robert Barclay and William Penn present detailed records of Quaker imprisonments directly to King James II, paving the way for broad declarations of liberty of conscience and the end of active state persecution.

A peaceful legacy The society establishes regular yearly meetings, issuing formal epistles to guide future generations in child education, communal unity, and faithful adherence to Christian virtues.

The People

• George Fox: The foundational figure of the movement who seeks direct spiritual truth and discovers an inward teacher in Christ. He wants to turn people away from manufactured church structures, hired ministers, and outward sacraments toward the divine light within their own hearts. Opposed by church authorities, civil courts, and violent mobs, he endures repeated, harsh imprisonments, remaining an unyielding, mobile preacher throughout his life.
• William Penn: A well-educated son of an admiral who forsakes courtly advancement and wealth to join the despised society. He seeks to defend Quaker theology through public writings and to establish legal protections for freedom of conscience. Facing disownment by his father, imprisonment in the Tower of London, and corrupt trial proceedings, he uses his legal knowledge and prominent social standing to advocate for religious liberty.
• Edward Burrough: A fervent, articulate young preacher and writer who strives to warn English rulers of the consequences of religious persecution. He wants the government to grant liberty of conscience and stop punishing innocent people for their faith. Standing firm against political instability and state repression, he produces powerful written warnings and dies young after being cast into a congested London prison.
• Mary Dyer: A resolute Quaker minister who seeks to bear public witness against unjust religious laws in Puritan New England. Standing against the Boston magistrates who prohibit Quakers under penalty of execution, she refuses to remain banished, returning repeatedly to protest their laws until she is hanged on the Boston Common.
• George Keith: An early Quaker writer and scholar who initially defends the movement's principles alongside Fox and Penn. Seeking strict doctrinal uniformity, he grows increasingly contentious, breaks fellowship with the main body of Friends, and eventually leaves the society to align himself with the Established Church.
• Robert Barclay: An educated Scottish theologian who seeks to systematically articulate Quaker doctrines to scholars and monarchs alike. He confronts hostile clergy, visits imprisoned Friends, and presents evidence of severe persecution directly to royal authorities, helping secure legal relief for the society.

In Its Own Voice

When George Fox was brought before Oliver Cromwell to declare his peaceful intentions, he explicitly disavowed the political and military violence of his era.

"G. Fox considering this, next morning writ a paper to the Protector, by the name of Oliver Cromwell, wherein he did in the presence of God declare, that he denied the wearing or drawing of a carnal sword, or any outward weapon, against him, or any man..."

During a high-profile trial in London, the accused Friends challenged the court's attempt to strip them of their basic legal protections and rights to a fair defense.

"Then we cried out, will you not give us leave to speak for ourselves?"

Following decades of severe opposition and state-sanctioned violence, the author reflects on the ultimate survival and legal recognition of the peaceful movement.

"And they now enjoy an undisturbed liberty to perform the public exercise of their worship to God, since their religion is permitted by law; which liberty they in no wise have obtained by making resistance, but by a long-suffering patience, a peaceable deportment, and a dutiful fidelity to the government set over them..."

What It's Really About

At its core, the text investigates the fundamental tension between individual conscience and state power. It examines how a community can maintain strict fidelity to its religious principles when those principles directly collide with the legal, social, and political demands of the governing authority. The narrative argues that spiritual truth cannot be forced by external coercion, physical weapons, or state legislation, but must instead arise from an internal transformation guided by divine grace.

The book also explores the nature of Christian pacifism and non-violent resistance. By systematically documenting decades of beatings, property seizures, and deaths in custody, the text demonstrates how early Friends sought to overcome institutional violence not through armed rebellion or political plotting, but through patient, passive endurance. Refusing to take up "carnal weapons" or swear allegiance oaths, they posited that true moral authority resides in a peaceable life, honesty in speech, and an unwavering commitment to liberty of conscience for all people.

Furthermore, the work addresses the development of religious community without traditional hierarchy. It details how a movement lacking formal sacraments, hired ministers, or physical temples established a cohesive organizational structure capable of maintaining unity, caring for its impoverished members, and sustaining global missionary efforts amidst severe external hostility.

Why Read It Today

This history offers modern readers a direct, detailed window into one of the most turbulent periods of European religious history. It appeals to readers interested in the evolution of civil liberties, freedom of speech, and religious tolerance, presenting an exhaustive case study of how a marginalized group helped shape modern legal rights through passive resistance. The narrative carries a profound sense of human conviction, capturing the vivid voices, courtroom battles, and personal sacrifices of men and women who willingly forfeited their property, social standing, and lives for their beliefs.

Readers should be prepared for the distinct challenges presented by a eighteenth-century historical text. The work is extensive, detailed, and non-linear, often moving year-by-year through dense records of regional imprisonments, trial transcripts, and official petitions. The language reflects period spellings, formal theological terminology, and lengthy sentence structures typical of early modern historical prose. Additionally, the text reflects seventeenth-century religious polemics, featuring sharp, uncompromising debates between competing Christian sects.

Despite these challenges, what remains with the reader is the sheer tenacity of the central figures. The account provides a sober, detailed look at the real human cost of religious intolerance, balanced by the inspiring record of a community that successfully preserved its commitment to peace and conscience against overwhelming odds.