George Fox | |
|---|---|
 A 17th century portrait of Fox[1] | |
| Church | Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1624 Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 13 January 1691 (aged 66) London, England |
| Buried | Quaker Gardens, Islington |
| Denomination | Quaker |
| Parents | Christopher Fox (father) and Mary Lago (mother) |
| Spouse | Margaret Fell (née Askew) |
| Occupation | Founder and religious leader of Quakers |
| Signature |  |
George Fox (July 1624 O.S.[2] – 13 January 1691 O.S.) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and war. He rebelled against the religious and political authorities by proposing an unusual, uncompromising approach to the Christian faith. He travelled throughout Britain as a dissenting preacher, performed hundreds of healings, and was often persecuted by the disapproving authorities.[3]
In 1669, he married Margaret Fell, widow of a wealthy supporter, Thomas Fell; she was a leading Friend. His ministry expanded and he made tours of North America and the Low Countries. He was arrested and jailed numerous times for his beliefs. He spent his final decade working in London to organise the expanding Quaker movement. Despite disdain from some Anglicans and Puritans, he was viewed with respect by the Quaker convert William Penn and the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
- ^ This picture, reputedly by Peter Lely, is in the collection of Swarthmore College. Its authenticity is questioned (e. g. by W. W. Fenn (April 1926), The American Historical Review, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 513–515), as is that of all other supposed portraits of George Fox.
- ^ Fox in Nickalls, p. 1: "I was born in the month called July in the year 1624".
- ^ George Fox's 'Book of Miracles'. Quakers Uniting in Publications. 2000.