Author Archives: Library of the Society of Friends

Respected Friend? Women and equality in the Society of Friends

Quaker women in history have a reputation for being bolder and more publicly visible than their contemporaries, being involved with preaching and publishing from the very beginning of the movement. Until the end of the 19th century, however, the members … Continue reading

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Yearly Meeting 2019

Here in the Library, we are all recovering from a busy and productive Yearly Meeting in Friends House held over the bank holiday weekend. Yearly Meeting is the annual gathering for Quakers from around the country to come together to … Continue reading

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Conscience Matters: new exhibition in Edinburgh

Last month an exciting new exhibition telling the story of World War II conscientious objectors opened at the National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle. Conscience Matters is the result of a partnership between National Museums Scotland, and a University of … Continue reading

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Quaker feeding programmes in postwar Germany and Austria

For many, the celebrations at the signing of the Armistice and the end of World War I were short lived. While soldiers went home from the front, the destruction wreaked on basic infrastructure and the civilian populations became clear. Germany … Continue reading

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Readers’ stories: T. Edmund Harvey – Liberal Quaker, Quaker Liberal

The sixth in our series of readers’ stories is by Mark Frankel, who’s two years into a PhD on T. Edmund Harvey at Birmingham University. Mark visits the Library regularly to read Harvey’s unpublished papers and his copious publications. I’ve … Continue reading

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Some Library highlights of 2018

It’s time to take stock as the old year draws to a close. It’s been a full one. We said goodbye to old colleagues and welcomed new ones. Centenaries kept us busy. The reading room got a new look. Our … Continue reading

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Kristallnacht, Kindertransport, and help for refugees

Last week saw the 80th anniversary of the November Pogrom in Germany and Austria, now known as Kristallnacht. This outburst of anti-Semitic violence happened over the night of the 9th/10th of November and was a clear indication of the direction … Continue reading

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Friends at the end of World War I: seeking international peace

At various points during the last four years we have marked the centenary of World War I on this blog by highlighting our collections relating to aspects of Quaker work at that time, including the relief work of the Friends … Continue reading

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Caring for the past: conserving the Library’s collection of pamphlets and booklets

Lizzie Fuller, trainee conservator, writes about her work with some of our 19th and 20th century pamphlets. As a trainee Paper Conservator, I am fortunate to have opportunities to work on fascinating objects and this summer was no exception when … Continue reading

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Open, healthy, scrupulously clean, with a liberal table: the Armfields and their temperance hotel

This year the Library was given a collection relating to the Armfield family who ran Armfield’s South Place Temperance Hotel near Finsbury Circus, London, during the second half of the 19th century. The collection includes a visitors’ book chronicling guests … Continue reading

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