Early Quaker Sufferings: Tithes and the Cost of Conscience
13 May 2026, Online
The Quaker testimony against tithes was often at the heart of early Quaker sufferings, including heavy fines and imprisonment. This session explores how early Quakers' refusal to pay tithes challenged long-standing legislation and customary practice from the 1650s to the 1680s.
Covering the key period of transition between the 'first 'and 'second' periods of Quakerism and the difference in enforcement between the Commonwealth and Restoration periods, this session offers a legal history perspective of Quakers as dissenters of the State and Church of England. We will examine the specific laws and punishments that Quaker practices came up against and compare them with Quakers' own accounts of their Sufferings.
This session offers contextual detail to the period for those with prior knowledge or expertise of early Quaker sufferings and will also be of interest to anyone wishing to know more about early Quaker history.
More information
For more information contact:
Woodbrooke
Telephone: 0121 7282360