QUAKERISM COMES TO EAST KENT

PAINTINGS BY A LOCAL FRIEND

The three illustrations are copies of pictures painted by Stella Pitt of Ashford Meeting. These she prepared for a proposed exhibition at Canterbury in the year 2000, "Quakerism comes to East Kent", which in the event did not take place. The original paintings are kept in the Ashford Meeting House and there are copies in the Broadstairs and Canterbury Meeting Houses. 

They represent the life experiences of Dissenting Quakers in East Kent and the inscriptions are taken from Quaker records of the time. Several East Kent Dissenters who failed to attend their parish church were subjected to arbitrary punishment in Canterbury, Dover and Sandwich. 

1.  "In 1660 Henry Rogers and Tomas Pollard were taken out of their Meeting at Canterbury and were committed then to ye common Goale, where they remained nine weeks and four days."

2.  "In 1665 George Fox passed to Canterbury where there were a few honest-hearted people turned to the Lord, who stand to this day, and are become a great Meeting since."

3.  "In 1667 Robert Goars (of Sturmouth) had taken from him three milch cowes worth One pound and Ten shillings."