Blue plaque unveiled for Loveday Hambly

A woman who offered shelter to George Fox has been honoured

A blue plaque commemorating a Cornish woman who offered shelter to the Quaker co-founder George Fox was unveiled last weekend.

Loveday Hambly protected George Fox and other early Quakers at her farmstead, the then-called Tregangeeves in St Austell, Cornwall (now Tregongeeves), as they travelled to spread the word of their faith. Loveday Hambly was imprisoned at different times in her life for refusing to pay tithes because of her Quaker beliefs. 

Barry West, a local historian who designed the plaque, told the Friend: ‘It was an amazing day and I was overwhelmed by the amount of support. Around thirty people came, including several Quakers, and members of the Old Cornwall Societies. Some Friends held a two-minute Meeting for Worship. Everyone enjoyed the birdsong and the quiet.’

The plaque was the second memorial launched this month designed by Barry West. On 7 July, a slate tablet was unveiled at the site of Launceston prison where George Fox was imprisoned in 1656. Friends in Devon and Cornwall had organised the gathering to also commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Quaker co-founder’s birth.

Sixty Quakers and others gathered to see the Cornish slate slab presented to Helen Bailey, the mayor of Launceston. The tablet is inscribed with some words written by George Fox about his refusal to remove his hat in court, for which he was imprisoned: ‘When the Lord sent me forth in the world, he forbade me to put off my hat to any, high or low.’

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