George Fox was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and war. He rebelled against the religious and political authorities by proposing an unusual, uncompromising approach to the Christian faith. He travelled throughout Britain as a dissenting preacher, performed hundreds of healings, and was often persecuted by the disapproving authorities.
A 17th century portrait of Fox
Memorial to Fox at his birthplace on George Fox Lane in Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire, England
A Quaker woman preaches at a meeting in London.
Cromwell was sympathetic to Fox and almost agreed to follow his teaching—but persecution of Quakers continued.
English Dissenters or English Separatists were Protestants who separated from the Church of England in the 17th and 18th centuries. A dissenter is one who disagrees in opinion, belief and other matters. English Dissenters opposed state interference in religious matters and founded their own churches, educational establishments and communities.
Idealized portrait of Böhme from Theosophia Revelata (1730)
