Margaret Fell (1614-1702)
Margaret Askew, born in 1614 near Dalton-in-Furness, played a crucial role in establishing the Quaker movement through her pastoral, administrative, and theological leadership. Margaret Fell first married Thomas Fell, a judge, and politician, and later George Fox, the founder of Quakerism. After Thomas Fell’s death in 1658, Margaret ran Swarthmoor Hall as a centre of Quaker activity and refuge from persecution.
A dedicated political advocate for Quakers, she petitioned Charles II and parliament for religious freedom in the 1660s, introducing the Quaker commitment to nonviolence. Her 1660s testimony for peace remains central to Quaker practice today. Imprisoned from 1664 to 1668 for allowing Quaker worship in her home, she also wrote Women’s Speaking Justified, an influential text on women’s religious leadership.
Margaret Fell passed away at Swarthmoor Hall in 1702.