George Fox, born in 1624, was a man of "grave & exemplary conduct." After much prayer and study he came to the conclusion that there is something of God in every individual; by his preaching he attracted many who were of the same belief; and who agreed with his idea that the Church of England was too close to Roman Catholicism in doctrine and in ceremonies.
His numerous followers took the name of "The Religious Society of Friends" and from the first they attracted attention by disrupting church services and holding unauthorized meetings. They were far from the gentle and peaceable folk whom we today know as Friends. They were given to nickname (in a derogatory sense) of Quakers, from their habit of trembling with religious emotion.
George Fox ceased to attend church and began preaching around 1646; within ten years of this time, meetings of the Friends were established all around England. His followers were placed on the 17th century equivalent of poilce "Most-Wanted" lists. They were not subtle and quiet about their differences with established religion. They disrupted services, refused to pay tithes, objected to taking any kind of oath and would not remove their hats as a gesture of respect, even to the king. They refused calls to military service, and demonsrated vigorously against the penalty of death for crimes against property. They changed the names of the months and days of the week, using instead the terms "First-day" or "Second-month"; they wore the plain clothing of the working-class people, and used plain speech, such as "thee" instead of "you."
The Friends were severly persecuted by both the Church of England and by the Puritans. It is said that during the early years in England, approximately 1,000 Friends were in jails at any given time. This did not discourage the group - if all adults of a given meeting were in jail, the children carried on the service!
We find quite a few Austills among the membership records of the early Friends in London and in Berkshire. The Library of the Religious Society of Friends, in London, have been most kind and helpful. They have sent copies of Austill and Austell entries in their registers. Also, the Latter-Day-Saint church have filmed the original records and that they are available in the Salt Lake City Library.
It is quite possible that among the earliest Austill immigrants to America were Friends. There is in fact a record of a Joseph Austill who presented his Certificate of Removal from the Friends in Berkshire to the Friends in Philadelphia.
--From Research Notes by Juanita
Austill Allen
Berkshire & Oxfordshire
Quarterly Meeting
(1650-1750)
Children of William & Mary Austell of Ore, England
Children of Joseph & Sarah Austill of Ore, England
Marriage Data
Burial Data
Further Notes From the Society of Friends
A chapter from the minutes of the Meetings of Reading tells us that in about 1655 one Robert Hodson, from the Bishoprick of Durham, by Occupation a butcher, was sent to prison for attending a meeting; after he was "delivered" he held a service near Oar (Ore) and convinced Dorothy Austill and her son William.
We have further information on a few of the younger children of the above names William and his wife Mary. Two of their younger sons settled in London - Moses and Aaron. Here are their marriage records from the London Register Digests:
On 10 Jul 1706 Moses Austill of London, merchant, son of William late of Oar, Berkshire, married Rachel East, daughter of Robert, late of the Crutched Friars. (London), at Devonshire House.
On 13 May 1708, Aaron Austell of London Bridge, woolen draper, Citizen & Merchant Tailor, son of William, late of Oare, Berkshire, married Mary Moseley of Bishopsgate Street, London, daughter of Thomas & Hester, late of Lewis in Sussex, at Devonshire House, (London).
Our main concern is with the oldest son of this family, Joseph, who was born in 1672. It is amost certain that he was the man who presented a Certificate of Removal from Ore, England meeting to the Friends at Philadelphia. He is very probably an immigrant ancestor of the Austills in America.
One Joseph Besse published, in London, a book in which he described the persecutions and very real sufferings of the Firends, which lasted until the Act of Toleration in 1689. He called the book: "A Collection of the Sufferings of the People called Quakers."
The title page states that the contents come from original records and other authentic accounts. This is a fascinating account of a not-so-glorious page of English history; it tells the causes of the persecutions and makes known the personal hardships shouldered in the cause of religious beliefs. Some of the incidents are embarrassingly familiar to modern television news watchers.
In Berkshire, in 1670, A Mayor, a justice and a constable met some Friends leaving their meeting house, whereupon they "pulled them about, and threw away their hats. They threw down one woman and dragged her along the street, eventually putting her into a kennel. Wearying of this, they sent six of them to prison, where they were kept twenty-four hours without any charge."
Some Austills are included in this book. On the 23rd of September, 1670, at Oare, a William Austell, his wife and two sons were fined for attending a meeting. Again at Oare, William Austell and his servant, Richard Ball, were fined for the same cause, and sent to prison.
--From Research Notes by Juanita Austill Allen
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