‘But who took the time to write what was first spoken?’

Many of us turn to early Friends for inspiration. But the scribes who recorded their words are often anonymous. Jane Mace investigates

Publishing the ‘truth’ was a big commitment for early Quakers, but expressing their message was first and foremost a spoken matter. They called out to crowds in marketplaces, and demanded attention from church congregations. They confronted powerful men in formal chambers; they spoke up in courtrooms and corridors. For this, many of them were brutally punished and persecuted. But they refused to give up and, thanks to the written records, we can read their histories and learn from them.

But who took the time to write what was first spoken, providing us today with evidence of their efforts? How did anyone not present at the time get to hear their voices? Printers, of course, played a vital part, many of them also abused and persecuted for their pains. Quakers of the time published leaflets – ‘tracts’ – on a huge scale. The library at Friends House in London contains several thousand of them, all written work.

Not long ago I came upon an intriguing place to explore this: a volume entitled Piety promoted, in a collection of the dying sayings of many of the people called Quakers. Compiled by John Tomkins, it holds the words of some 150 individuals, together with a biographical note for each. By definition each Friend’s quotations were spoken ones. It took me a while to get further but I have now found that, over a period of nearly a hundred years (1701-1774 at least), a total of nine volumes of these ‘dying sayings’ were published. Between them they contain the words of some 400 Friends. Some are familiar names, but most are less well known, and a good number of them are children.

Names and dates of death are carefully included – but not those of the Friends who heard and recorded their words. These visitors to the authors’ bedsides – or dank prison cells – are anonymous figures, taking notes and later composing them into a publishable form. They were giving service as Quaker scribes.

After reading through around eighty of these texts, I have discovered only a couple of these scribe-shadows naming themselves. But in several others I found I could guess at who the shadow might be.

Here is an example – a slightly edited version of the whole (my cuts indicated by dots). I have put into quote marks the words given as coming direct from the dying woman and reproduce the italics, use of capitals and spelling from the original. It does not take long to discern the identity of the scribe.

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Margaret Molleson, wife of Gilbert Molleson, of the city of Aberdeen in Scotland… having pleased God, who beheld her hungring Desires after himself, and his Righteousness, to send some of his faithful Witnesses and Servants, call’d Quakers, from the nation of England into the North of Scotland, who Preaching the Everlasting Gospel, she was one of the first in those parts who received the same…

And altho’ her Love to her Husband, and Care of her many Children, was great, yet her greatest Delight and Care was, to draw nearer and nearer unto the Truth and Living God… she often resorted to the publick Meetings of the People of God called Quakers, as well as frequently in private, with the Lord in Prayer; which gave her Husband (who was not one called a Quaker) cause to say, That her Knees were wore with kneeling at Prayer.

For about four Months before her Departure hence, he usually found her, when he awaked in the Night-time, in Meditation…

On the 16th of the 10th Month, 1669, she was taken suddenly Sick; and the same Day in the Evening Died in Child-Birth, having been for some time before made sensible of her end; yet her Physician not supposing that she had been so Dangerous, said to her, she needed not fear, his Life for hers; to which she answered, ‘Fear I have no Cause, but thou wilt see thou are mistaken’.

At which time many Relations and Neighbours being in her Chamber, were in great Sorrow, among whom was… an old Acquaintance of hers, who desired those about her to Pray for her (which she hearing, when others thought she had been Dying) answered, ‘My advocate is with the Father, and my Peace is made: I am feeding at a Table none of you perceiveth’.

Some Lamenting much her being like to be taken away from her nine Children, who were all about her Bed, she said, ‘As many of them as shall truly Fear the Lord, and Follow him, shall be provided for’… And fixing her Eyes on her Son Gilbert (who was then about Ten Years of Age) said in a heavenly Frame of Spirit, ‘Truth is Precious, cleave to it’.

She observing the People in her Chamber much Lamenting, said to them, ‘Settle your selves, and be staid in your Minds, for ye are now to see the Last.’ And she… had true Cause given her then to declare before those present, viz ‘Now interruption is to cease, and my eternal Joy is already begun’…

Her Life and Conversation, as well as her latter end here, was such as gained her not only great Love and Esteem from Friends of Truth, but also from others of her Acquaintance. She Departed on the 16th of the 10th month 1669, about the 42nd Year of her Age, at Aberdeen in the Kingdom of Scotland.

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In his commitment to pass on the words of his dying wife, the scribe is containing his grief. Through him we hear her speak directly, in turn, to: her physician, her acquaintance, her son, and the ‘many Relations and Neighbours’ present. Like many other ‘dying sayings’ this one includes the speaker’s encouragement to others to let her go (her ‘Peace is made’ she tells them; she is departing to ‘eternal joy’) and to prepare themselves, too, for their own end ‘here’.

From my searches so far through this body of work the question about scribes is only one among many I plan to explore further. For instance, how can we understand (and use) the concept of ‘piety’ that is being ‘promoted’? Who decided which sayings were to be recorded and published and on what criteria? How much editing was involved in composing them? And how did it feel to live in a world where spoken and written word flowed together?

Work is happily in progress.

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