A short history of Quakerism in Devizes

The first Quaker Meeting in Devizes started during the Commonwealth. Under Charles II, despite persecution, Quakers were said to number nearly 100. There were also Meetings in Bromham, Heddington and Market Lavington - all in private houses. The burial ground, now part of Hillworth Park, dates from 1665. As soon as the Act of Toleration was passed in 1689 Friends built a meeting house there; this they sold in 1702 and built another in the High Street, which still stands as a private house. Numbers declined throughout the 18th century, partly because many emigrated to Pennsylvania, and the Meeting died out in 1824. But before its end it included for 11 years a famous preacher, Samuel Capper (1782-1852), who toured the British Isles every summer addressing great crowds of poor people whom the churches ignored. His other concerns included adult education, the Bible Society, the temperance movement and animal welfare.

Devizes Meeting was revived as a small group in 1854 and struggled on until 1907. The last Quaker family was the Simpsons, Edward Simpson being a grocer and Mayor of Devizes in 1907-8. They retired to Somerset in 1919 and we know of no Friends in the town until about 1975, when a small worshipping group was formed. This grew until we felt the need to build our own meeting house, which was opened in April 1994.

THANK YOU FOR ENQUIRING ABOUT QUAKERS IN DEVIZES