Quakers in Barbados, 1655-1780

Quakerism began in England circa 1650 when founder George Fox had a vision. He saw a need for a Christianity which embraced equality, honesty, compassion for the needy, non-violence, and that would embrace what what he termed an "inner light" or "the Christ within." The movement quickly gained popularity, but Fox and his followers were heavily persecuted. They fell afoul of the authorities for their refusal to pay taxes or tithes and refusal to engage in violence, including joining the military, among other issues. As well as following a desire to spread their views, Quakers also were sometimes transported from England to the Americas. Quakers were relatively early arrivals to the British Caribbean (Barbados and Jamaica), but made themselves unpopular due to their egaliterian ideas in bringing bondspeople into their meetings. Although originally slaveholders themelves, they eventially outlawed slaveholding among their congregants. In Barbados official Acts were passed in 1676 and 1678 outlawing the inclusion of bondspeople in Quaker meetings, as the practice was seen as a threat to stability on the island and an encouragement to rebellion. At their most popular point in Barbados, there were six meeting houses and a significant number of members. As the eighteenth century wore on, numbers diminished to almost zero. George Fox has often been considered of great importance in the struggle for abolition. The first Quakers arrived on Barbados in 1655, and by 1700 the island boasted six meeting houses. In 1676 and 1678 the government of Barbados passed Acts to prevent Quakers from bringing bondspeople to their meetings, partly as a response to a slave uprising in 1675. Although the group's presence in Barbados had expanded quickly, they dwindled in numbers to become almost non-existent on the island by the mid-eighteenth century. During a hurricane in 1780 all six meeting houses were destroyed and never rebuilt. Because of the Quakers' movement from slaveholders to antislavery inspiration, and their changing presence in the British Caribbean, they hold an important place in Barbadian history. Quakerism, in its modern form, varies somewhat from its early aspect in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; therefore, answers are given based on what is known about the group during the time period given and within Barbados.

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