After some thirty years of teaching and raising a family, I took early retirement in 1985 and presently returned to academic study. This led in 1993 to a Ph.D., ‘The Faith of the First Quakers’. I have been involved with the CRQS since its inception.
Qualifications
M.A. Oxon. Philosophy, Politics and Economics, B.D. London (External), Ph.D. Birmingham
Teaching and Supervision Topics
Seventeenth century Quakerism
Current Research
The transition between the first and second periods of Quakerism.
Other Activities
I encountered Quakers at Oxford and have been a member since 1954. Long, and still ongoing, experience of Quaker structures and business method has fuelled my interest in their seventeenth century origins. Otherwise, I tend my garden, go walking, keep in touch with my family and join in with the local U3A.
Publications
- The Light in Their Consciences: Early Quakers in Britain 1646-1666. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000. Revised edition 2020.
- The History of the Life of Thomas Ellwood, Written by Himself. (New edition with new introduction) Walnut Creek: Altamira (International Sacred Literature Trust), 2004.
- (With R. Melvin Keiser) Knowing the Mystery of Life Within: Selected Writings of Isaac Penington in their Historical and Theological Context. London: Quaker Books, 2005
- Co-operating editor, Protestant Nonconformist Texts Volume 1. R. Tudur Jones, ed. Aldershot: Ashcroft 2007.
- (With Richard C. Allen and others) The Quakers 1656-1723: The Evolution of an Alternative Community. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018.
- George Whitehead and the Establishment of Quakerism. (Brill Research Perspectives). Leiden: Brill, 2021.
- I have published a number of articles and book chapters on early Quaker history.
- I have compiled annotated lists of Quaker and anti-Quaker books 1650-1666 which are available on the Woodbrooke website. Similar lists covering the years up to 1685 are not yet ready for publication but can be obtained from me.
