The first recorded Quaker meeting in Wiltshire took place in 1653. From the very beginning, the Wiltshire Quakers were met with staunch opposition from the local authorities of law and order. It was widely believed among the ruling elite that the nonconformist nature of Quakerism would lead to widespread resistance to authority. In this article, Kay Taylor looks into the ways in which Quakerism in Wiltshire was criminalised, how the Quaker community sought to justify their practices, and the phenomenon of martyrdom.
Tag: William Penn
Pictures in Focus: the Bristol Guildhall
After the original Bristol Guildhall, which played host to the Law Courts, was pulled down by Bristol Town Council in 1841, Trevor Pearce considers the style, setting and decoration of the new building designed by City Surveyor R. S. Pope in a historical context. In addition, Pearce considers the aspects of the building in terms of being an expression of Bristolian identity.