George Whitehead (Quaker leader)

George Whitehead (1636–1723) was a leading early Quaker preacher, author and lobbyist remembered for his advocacy of religious freedom before three kings of England. His lobbying in defense of the right to practice the Quaker religion was influential on the Act of Uniformity, the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Royal Declaration of Indulgence. His writings are both biographical and ideological in nature, examining the Quaker way of life.

Whitehead was born at Sunbiggin, near Orton, Westmorland. He became convinced of Quaker principles by the time he reached the age of 14 and in 1652, he left home at the age of 16 believing that Christ had commanded him to preach. After a year of preaching in southern England, Whitehead became known as one of the Valiant Sixty who traveled as Quaker preachers during a time of religious persecution. Whitehead, James Parnell and Edward Burrough were the only teenagers counted among the sixty.

Whitehead was frequently jailed. The first of several incarcerations occurred in 1654. While he was visiting Peter's Church in Norwich, Whitehead addressed a gathering upon the conclusion the service and was subsequently jailed by the mayor for disseminating an unorthodox opinion about baptism. When Whitehead appeared in court, he was sent back to jail for failing to remove his hat in the presence of the judge.

He was arrested again on 30 May 1655 after associating with a man who posted a religious text on the church door in Bures, Suffolk. He wrote:

In the following year, Whitehead was publicly whipped for vagrancy in London and jailed in both Norwich and East Anglia. After returning to London in 1657, he married Ann Dower. Shortly after his marriage, he was sent back to jail.

By 1660 Whitehead had settled down, was staying out of jail, preaching less and working as a grocer in London to support his family. In 1661, he was persuaded to join a group of Friends appearing before the House of Commons to argue against the passing of the Act of Uniformity. The group was unsuccessful and the act became law the following year, resulting in the departure of nearly 2,000 clergymen from the English church.

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