Quakers and Methodism

[Bill E]

I have a Clark(e) family in North Yorkshire that were predominantly Methodists in the 19th Century but there is some (as yet unconfirmed) indication that earlier generations (17th and 18th Centuries) may have been Quakers.
Was this a common religious journey?

[BushInn1746]

I have a Clark(e) family in North Yorkshire that were predominantly Methodists in the 19th Century but there is some (as yet unconfirmed) indication that earlier generations (17th and 18th Centuries) may have been Quakers.
Was this a common religious journey?

Hello Bill

Not always.

However, there was a group known as Quaker Methodists formed early 19th Century Warrington / Cheshire, England.

Another in 1830s England, G.B., were Hicksites, a Quaker breakaway group I am told.

My ancestor never was a Quaker (see bottom of my post for summary), no obvious C of E Baptism found, but had Independent, Wesleyan and Quaker connections in business, but his Wife and Children baptised C of E.

Some Quakers received the Testimony of Denial for marrying in a Parish Church (C of E). When Alfred William Hood of Warrington married Edith Scaum [Quaker] at Brayton, the York Quaker Minutes (Brotherton Library Special Collections) say she was removed.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=806939.msg6659285#msg6659285

Mark

[Bill E]

Thanks, Mark - this is interesting. The dates, geography and given names of the Quaker Clarks I have found all seem to match up, but they would have had to have relinquished their Quakerism in a generation (sometime between 1737 and 1785) if they're indeed my ancestors.  My supposition is that there was a tendency to dissent in the family and that they may have adopted Methodism when they moved to work in a place where there were no Quakers or where Quakerism was frowned upon. I'm just not sure how common such a movement might have been. Thanks again.

[BushInn1746]

Thanks, Mark - this is interesting. The dates, geography and given names of the Quaker Clarks I have found all seem to match up, but they would have had to have relinquished their Quakerism in a generation (sometime between 1737 and 1785) if they're indeed my ancestors.  My supposition is that there was a tendency to dissent in the family and that they may have adopted Methodism when they moved to work in a place where there were no Quakers or where Quakerism was frowned upon. I'm just not sure how common such a movement might have been. Thanks again.

Hello Bill

People joined John Wesley (who toured & preached at numerous places), the Wesleyans and Methodists from probably virtually all of the numerous English Dissenting and Nonconformist Sects, besides C of E, Quakers and Catholics, from mid to late 1700s and onward.

Unfortunately with a popular name like Clark, you could have a number of the same surname practising several Sects in the same town and might not be related to your Clark. I have this with my Richardsons.

Wills, surviving Deeds, Manor / Land Owner, Directories, Tax, Parish, Charity, etc and any other surviving records you can find in Archives (many uncatalogued) might reveal people, seemingly missing Baptism / Birth records.

With the exception of church officials who tended to sign adjacent Marriage Register entries/pages, I'm finding many of those present at Marriages and sometimes present at Death as witnesses were nearly always related (even distantly sometimes). Everything must be seen besides the UK Census.

Many Wesleyan supplementary records survive at Archives throughout England. Some moved about a lot too, so assumptions can be dangerous or leave us with doubt.

Mark