(with W. Adamson), 1656. 2. ‘An Epistle for the Strengthening and Confirming of Friends in their Most Holy Faith,’ 1670. 3. ‘A Warning to England in general and the cities of London and Bristol in particular,’ 1693. 4. ‘My Testimony to my Dear, True, and Well-beloved Friend and Father in Christ, George Fox,’ written 1691, printed 1706.
[Holmes's Life and Works; Fox's Journal of his Life, Travels, Sufferings, &c. ed. 1765; Notes and Queries, 1st ser. vi. 223; Webb's Fells of Swarthmore, p. 352; Besse's Sufferings of the Quakers, i. 303, &c., ii. 16.]
FELL, MARGARET (1614–1702), quakeress, daughter of John Askew of Marsh Grange, in the parish of Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, a gentleman of ancient lineage and good estate, was born in 1614. Before she was quite eighteen years of age she married Thomas (Judge) Fell [q. v.] of Swarthmore Hall, near Ulverston, by whom she had nine children. She was a deeply pious woman, and with the concurrence of her husband opened her house to religious persons. In her autobiography she states that ‘she hoped she did well, but often feared she was short of the right way, and in this way enquired twenty years.’ During the winter of 1652 George Fox was received by her, and at a meeting in her house converted her and most of the family to his views. On his return from holding the assizes, Judge Fell acquiesced in her acceptance of quakerism and gave the quakers the use of Swarthmore Hall for their meetings. Margaret Fell does not appear to have taken any active part in the quaker ministry for several years, but exerted herself for the relief and release of the Friends who were imprisoned; and during 1655–6–7 she wrote four times to the Protector entreating his protection for them, without much effect. After the death of Judge Fell in 1658, his widow seems to have at once taken a more prominent part in the affairs of the society; and when in 1660 George Fox was arrested while at her house, she went to London and obtained several interviews with Charles II, who, at her instance, ordered the venue of the prisoner's trial to be changed to London, where she remained until Fox was liberated. Shortly after this she wrote to the king, handing the letter to him a few days subsequent to his coronation, on behalf of toleration, calling his attention to his declaration at Breda. She wrote and delivered two other letters to the king asking mercy for the regicides. On each occasion the king treated her with courtesy, but she thought that he was influenced by his ministers, and addressed a petition for the redress of the Friends' grievances to ‘the king and his privy council.’ The outburst of the Fifth-monarchy men caused enactments which pressed most severely on the quakers. Margaret Fell remained in London until she had procured an interview with the queen and had audiences with the queen of Bohemia and the Princess of Orange. Besse (Sufferings, i. 43) says that she procured a royal warrant forbidding the soldiers in Bristol to enter the houses of Friends without legal warrant. Early in 1661 she returned to Swarthmore to be present at the marriage of one of her daughters, returning to London a few months later to entreat the king to liberate more than four thousand Friends who were imprisoned for refusing to take oaths or for attending illegal meetings. She says that her prayer was successful. During the summer of 1663 she visited the meetings in the southwestern and northern counties, and later in the year was summoned before the magistrates at Ulverston for allowing illegal meetings to be held at her house. On refusing the oath of allegiance she was committed to prison. After some months she was brought to trial at Lancaster before Justice Twisden, who advised her to traverse, and offered to admit her to bail in order that she might petition the crown, if she would promise to allow no meetings at Swarthmore Hall for the future. On her refusing this offer she was recommitted to Lancaster Castle. Two of her daughters waited on the king to beg for their mother's release, which the king agreed to order if they would promise to attend no meetings, and on their refusal offered it if Mrs. Fell would permit no meetings to take place at Swarthmore when more than five were present. In any case he promised that sentence of præmunire should not be enforced (see letter from Mary Fell, 22 Aug. 1664, Swarthmore MSS.) Towards the end of the year she was again tried at Lancaster, when, owing to the personal interference of some Lancashire magistrates, she was sentenced to the penalties of a præmunire; her estate, however, was granted by the king to her son. After remaining in prison for twenty months, she was permitted to spend some time at her home, but she was not finally released until June 1668. During her imprisonment she wrote several pamphlets and kept up an extensive correspondence. Her release was due to the intercession of Dr. Richard Lower, a court physician, and brother to Thomas Lower, who subsequently married one of her daughters. Shortly after her release Mrs. Fell visited all the prisons in which any quakers were confined, which
