YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED
to join us to celebrate 350 years of Quakerism - so far.

In 1652 George Fox traveled in this area. He came to Malton and preached in the Parish Church. He gained many followers - and they came to be known as Quakers.

Later, August 1652 - 350 years ago this month - Roger Hebden, a Malton draper and merchant, led his fellow shopkeepers and men of Malton to bring out their ribbons, laces and other 'fripperies' and to burn them as a protest against vanity, luxury and what we would now call materialism. There was such a big crowd coming to hear the Quaker message that people feared there would be a riot.

During the reign of Charles II, Quakers were ruthlessly suppressed for their stand against the authorities - refusing to attend or pay tithes to the established church and meeting (illegally) in their own homes to worship together. Many Quakers, including a large number from this area, were imprisoned, or had their goods taken, simply for standing up for their beliefs.

The Act of Toleration 1689 stopped the worst of this persecution, but it was many years before Quakers were given the complete freedom of worship we all enjoy today.

The painting 'The Burning of the Ribbons' is by the late Geoffrey Makins.

In 2002 we are still going strong - there are 300,000 of us throughout the world and an active community in this area. We worship together, mainly in silence, and in the belief that there is "that of God in everyone

We have no set creed or paid ministers. We believe that the spiritual, inward presence of the divine leads us all to a full, active and joyful life when we are prepared to listen to the "still small voice". Our main commitments are to testimonies of:

Truth and honesty

Simplicity

Equality

Social responsibility and care for the environment and all creation

Peace and the non-violent resolution of conflict

 

 

MALTON - Greengate

Tel: 01653 628620