History

History of the Quakers in Mansfield

Mansfield may be a small town, some 14 miles north of Nottingham, but it was here that George Fox came in the 1640's. He lived in a humble house in the town and earned his living as an apprentice shoemaker.

He was soon preaching his 'Gospel of the Inner Light', believing any man can approach God in silence and in prayer, without set ceremony and without an intermediary in the form of priest or clergy.

He also believe that there was 'that of God in every man', a divine spark that made all mankind both equal and precious.

He made his first converts in Mansfield during the later stages of the Civil War.

Soon small Quaker groups appeared all over the country, and in Nottinghamshire the majority of villages had some Quaker element. Often they met out of door, when large crowds would gather.  Much trouble was caused by their refusal to pay tithes, to attend Church or to take oaths.  For their stand on these matters they suffered severe fines and frequent imprisonments.

With the growth of the new movement it soon became obvious that meeting places for worship were going to be required.  Initially they met at one another's homes, but as numbers grew this became increasing difficult.

In 1689 the Act of Toleration was passed which in theory at least ended the harassment that Quakers and other non-conforming people underwent.   Two years later, Mansfield's first Meeting House was erected in the heart of the town.  It had the added distinction of being one the first purpose built buildings for Quaker worship in Nottinghamshire.

By 1800 Friends, as Quakers are called, had outgrown their Meeting House and decided to build on the same site.  They wanted more space and raised the money by selling the disused Meeting Houses at Kersall, Skegby and Oxton and land at Farnsfield and East Markham.  The original seats from Mansfield were sold to Quakers at Derby in 1799 for five guineas.

The new building was 58ft by 30ft with sandstone walls and a slate roof.  Behind the building the original burial ground was retained.

By now Quakers had a reputation for honesty, hard work and sobriety.  They were amongst the first to put a definite price on their goods and to keep to this price for all customers.  By the 19th century Quakers were contributing much to Mansfield.  For example Robert Barringer started a small mustard factory in the town. Following a fire in 1873 he decided to rebuild but to introduce small tins in order to sell mustard directly to customers, rather than have the grocer weigh it out. The tins proved a great success and by 1889 Barringers were employing 12 men and 28 boys who all worked 12 hour days.

Mansfield Quakers experience a peaceful, undisturbed existence during the first half of the 20th century.  Then in the mid 1960s Mansfield Corporation acquired the Meeting House and Burial Ground in Quaker Lane for the development of a new road.  Land was allocated on Rosemary Street for a new Meeting House and Warden's Bungalow. The original headstones from the Quaker Lane burial ground were placed in the walled garden. The official opening took place in July 1973.

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