Margaret Fell, Mother of Quakerism

“I want to articulate the yoked spiritual legacy of George and Margaret Fell Fox, who married in 1669. This seems to me to be the holistic approach to Fox’s life and legacy, for he did not journey alone. His partnership with Margaret meant the world to him, shaped his thought, and had a profound impact on the development of the Religious Society of Friends. George and Margaret represent the origin of the river called Quakerism. […] George would not have been anywhere near as influential as he was without his longtime relationship and eventual marriage to Margaret Fell. This spiritual marriage uniquely molded early Quakerism. […]

Theirs became an equal partnership across divisions of class, beginning the legacy of strong female leadership among Friends that continues to the present day. This is historically significant and unique by comparison to the origins of other European and American religions, which are patriarchal, with very few exceptions. From Margaret Fell Fox to Hannah Whitall Smith to Gene Knudsen Hoffman, Mary Dyer, Alice Paul, the Grimké sisters, Sarah Mapps Douglass, and so many more, Quakerism has produced more strong female leaders per capita than any other Protestant denomination. […]

Their relationship was no top-down, inequitable relationship, which was the norm of male-female relationships of the time. Theirs was an egalitarian relationship that affirmed two heads are always better than one when thinking a problem through to resolution. The two valued dialogue and process over expediency. […]

It was not just in writing letters to friends, to those imprisoned, or to petition for the Quaker cause that Margaret excelled. Both Margaret and George wrote extensively on doctrine. […] Margaret was an early advocate for women’s rights, which inspired the heavy Quaker participation in the women’s suffrage movement in the United States in the nineteenth century. She was also, through her articles, letters, and activism, the most outspoken early advocate of Quakerism far and wide. While Margaret was promoting the faith, George was the rock, the foundation, upon which the faith stood.”

— Amos Smith, 2024
Quaker therapist

Reader Responses

When have you been spiritually “mothered” or “mothered” others?

Do you believe caregiving has an inherent spiritual quality?

Becoming a mother has taught me so much about what it means to be a child of God. The boundless love (and tolerance for children's missteps) explains God's grace, and His heartbreak when his children fight amongst each other. My caregiving reminds me that God is the ultimate caregiver.

Tucker M., Richboro, PA, USA
I think fondly of our departed Quaker "mothers" who nurtured and guided us when we joined Friends over 50 years ago. The names Margaret and Esther stand out, but there were others. They taught us gently the "Good Order of Friends," saw to it that we were given opportunities to take on responsibilities, and gave us the support and education we needed when we accepted those responsibilities. And they genuinely loved us and we knew it. I am so much a better person because of them, and hope I may follow in their path.

Joe S., Portland, OR, USA

This Week’s Messages

Mon Apr 07

Imagine Mary’s Breasts

Imagine Mary’s breasts, / warm brown as the earth / pale gold as the moon, / the breasts of a young girl / ripe as perfect plums …
Tue Apr 08

Mother Love Is One of the Greatest Powers

“Mother love is one of the greatest powers, and it’s universal. Mothers of all creeds and colours, religions and no religions, whatever government they are under, desire the best for their children. I thought we might use that great link between mothers to help break down a little fear and mistrust.” …
Wed Apr 09

The Vital Work of Caregivers

“There is much work to be done which is not paid, but which is vital, desperately undervalued and undertaken to a large extent by women. I refer, of course, to caring for children and/or elderly disabled relatives and homemaking. The work itself is often hard, stressful, mundane and repetitive, unseen and unacknowledged, with low status. We need a transformation of our attitudes to this work, giving it all the esteem it deserves.” …
Thu Apr 10

Our Quaker Foremothers

“As we grow in solidarity with one another, enriched by how we express our faith, we will all be enabled to surmount the cultural, economic, and political barriers that prevent us from discerning and following the ways in which God leads us. We honour the lives of our Quaker foremothers as patterns which help us recognise our own leadings. Their commitment, dedication, and courage remain as worthy standards. May our lives be used as theirs were to give leadership to women everywhere to be vehicles of the love of God.” …
Fri Apr 11

Some Hearts Are Only Reached by Motherly Counsels

“In Friends’ meetings also, from the fact that everyone is free to speak, one hears harmonies and correspondences between very various utterances such as are scarcely to be met elsewhere. It is sometimes as part-singing compared with unison. The free admission of the ministry of women, of course, greatly enriches this harmony. I have often wondered whether some of the motherly counsels I have listened to in our meeting would not reach some hearts that might be closed to the masculine preacher.” …
Sat Apr 12

You Are Not Responsible for Others’ Happiness

“Each of us is responsible for our own actions and our own reactions. We are not responsible for someone else’s actions and reactions. This is very important for women especially because most women have been taught that they are responsible for the happiness of everyone in their family. They are taught that all family unhappiness and discord is their fault. But responsibility rests within each individual.” …

Banner image: Rebecca Hoenig
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Author

  • Amos Smith is a Quaker, a centering prayer practitioner, writer, workshop leader, and licensed therapist. Smith’s latest book, Holistic Mysticism: The Integrated Spiritual Path of the Quakers, was released in November 2024. Other books are Healing the Divide (2013) and Be Still and Listen (2018).

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