Quakers, Tithe Opposition, and the Presbyterian National Church: The Case of Cartmel, Lancashire, c.1644-16601

Abstract

This article will examine the development of the early Quaker movement in England during the 1650s, and by focusing on one north Lancashire parish, Cartmel, will seek to answer the question: why did people convert to a religious movement that undermined traditional communal worship, and which required a very public separation from one's neighbours? Disillusionment at the slow pace of religious reform, both nationally and locally, during the late 1640s and early 1650s will be highlighted as an explanation as to why a minority of inhabitants enduring a particular set of religious circumstances may have found Quakerism an attractive faith.

Review of periodical literature published in 2011

“…All these papers show the importance of the parish as a locus for activity. Conversely, Mawdesley considers the case of Lancastrian Quakers who rejected the traditional life of the parish. They also objected to paying their tithes.…”