-
Join 1,924 other subscribers
-
Recent Posts
- Bookshop Day – Henry Thomas Wake, Quaker bookseller
- Taking stock – the Library of the Society of Friends Special Collections Review
- A Flame in the City: The 1821 Gracechurch Street Fire and Its’ Impact on the Quaker Community
- Exploring the Committee Cupboards at the Library of the Society of Friends
- Uncovering the Past: Four London Quakers and their ties to slavery
Archives
Categories
Further information
Author Archives: Library of the Society of Friends
Bookshop Day – Henry Thomas Wake, Quaker bookseller
‘Imagine a second hand bookshop in a Derbyshire garden, and the bookman a fine old Quaker, lovable at sight, interesting withal, and himself the best book in his collection – a living book about books.’ For Bookshop Day tomorrow, we … Continue reading
Taking stock – the Library of the Society of Friends Special Collections Review
At the Library of the Society of Friends we use the term “special collections” to refer to objects and framed art that are not held within an archive collection. This includes roughly 1,400 items and covers a wide range of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
A Flame in the City: The 1821 Gracechurch Street Fire and Its’ Impact on the Quaker Community
Abstract In September 1821, a catastrophic fire broke out on Gracechurch Street in London, destroying several commercial and residential buildings, including the prominent Quaker meeting house. This article revisits the fire through contemporary reports and explores its lasting effects on … Continue reading
Exploring the Committee Cupboards at the Library of the Society of Friends
The Quaker community emphasizes discernment and decision-making, with Britain Yearly Meeting’s central work overseen by committees. Archives at the Library of the Society of Friends hold significant committee minutes from 1660 to 2022. A recent inventory aims to enhance digital record-keeping, revealing the historical context of various essential committees and their contributions. Continue reading
Posted in Projects, Uncategorized
Tagged 20th-century, archives, family-history, genealogy, history, local-history
1 Comment
Uncovering the Past: Four London Quakers and their ties to slavery
Quakers in Britain have committed to making practical reparations for the transatlantic slave trade. In November, as part of an event organised by London Quakers to explore what reparations might look like, the Library welcomed Friends into the reading room to … Continue reading
The Swarthmore Documents: letters from the beginning of Quakerism
The Swarthmore Manuscripts, our famous collection of early Quaker letters, have been described as the “jewel in the crown” of the Library’s collection. But did you know they are only one part of a larger collection known as the Swarthmore … Continue reading
GF400: Evolution of George Fox’s image
George Fox (1624-1691) was born in Leicestershire and is one of the founding figures of Quakerism. Our Library & Archive collections hold many portraits of George Fox, most produced throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. None of the portraits can … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged art, engravings, George Fox, Honthorst, portraits, Robert Spence, William Darton
5 Comments
How a teacup made its way home to tell a story of Quaker activism: working with the Faith Museum
by Melissa Atkinson For the last few years, I have had the privilege of being involved with a new museum project at Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. This regeneration project encompassed renovating the castle and its grounds with … Continue reading
Creating a world without war: project completed
We are delighted to announce that we have completed the core work of the Wellcome Trust funded project to catalogue and preserve the records of the Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) and Friends Relief Service (FRS) from World War Two. Both … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
Restore and renew: the Library refurbishment project
We took the decision in 2020 to try to use the closure of the Library of the Society of Friends due to the pandemic as a positive opportunity, and use the time to carry out some long overdue refurbishment work … Continue reading
Posted in Collection care, Projects
8 Comments
Quaker Strongrooms 