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THE debates between the various sections of the church were
not always edifying. Change and growth were too often accompanied
by injustice, and hunger for power, rather than spiritual
progress. The situation crystalised in 1662 under Charles II,
when the Church of England was defined, and 3000 clergy either
resigned or lost their jobs for 'failure to conform'.
In
Ryedale some of the first nonconformists were followers of George
Fox. Fox travelled throughout the area in 1651, preaching both in
churches and in the open, in Malton, Pickering and elsewhere. He
taught that there is something of God lighting us all, and that
there is no need for ritual or priests as intermediaries. The
Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers as his movement came to
be called, grew strongly in Ryedale, but it was severely
persecuted, especially after the Restoration of the monarchy in
1660, with the penal laws against Catholics and Quakers. Quakers
met for worship in farms and orchards in Rosedale, Farndale,
Ryedale and the Vale of Pickering, suffering heavy fines and
imprisonment, some dying in the castles at Pickering and York. As
Quakers were excluded from church burials, new burial places had
to be found. The burial ground at Lowna, near Gillamoor, dates
from 1675 and is a peaceful place to visit. Other burial grounds
were in Rosedale and in Shallowdale, to the west of Ampleforth.
Meeting-houses were built a little later, when they became legal
after the 1689 Toleration Act. The Meeting-house at
Kirkbymoorside, now behind 79 West End, dates from 1690. Others
were at Hutton-le-Hole, Pickering, Malton, Ampleforth and later
at Helmsley and Laskill in Bilsdale.
One notable Quaker, John
Richardson, lived at Hutton-le-Hole in the first half of the
eighteenth century. He travelled widely, preaching and visiting
Quaker Meetings throughout Britain and the American colonies. He
was a friend of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, and he
went with Penn to visit the native American peoples.
There
are still three active Quaker meetings in the Ryedale area, and
one of the old Meeting Houses has become the theatre and arts
centre in Helmsley.
More notes on
Quaker properties
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