LIVING HISTORY
12
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The War of the Grand Alliance in Europe had spread to the Caribbean by
the time the Reformation sailed from Jamaica on its way to Philadelphia.
from *eorge )o tKe founder of tKe 6ociet\ of )riends а tKe
Quakers. Barrow helped spread the equalizing message all
over the British Isles. Many times he was imprisoned for civil
disobedience, which made the news, of course. That is how
he earned his fame.
ONE LAST MISSION
By the 1690s, Barrow was old, weary and ready to retire.
During his many years of preaching, a measure of religious
toleration had come about, in part as a result of the Puritans’
execution of Quakers in Boston Common. The hanging of the
so-called Boston Martyrs shocked the consciences of British
authorities in London. Laws were eventually passed, giving
religious freedom to most Protestants in England’s realm.
Barrow prospered, and he could have settled down comfortably
in the stunning Lake District of northern England with
his beloved wife, Margaret. But being God-driven, he could
not rest.
Seeds of dissension were reportedly taking root among
inconstant believers in the young Quaker colony of Pennsylvania.
George Fox, the powerful Quaker leader, had died at
Barrow’s side. So, who better than Barrow to calm the unsettled
flocN across tKe ocean" $ltKougK Ke sensed Ke would
never see his wife or England again, he had to go on one last
mission trip. That is how he ended up wrecking on the Treasure
Coast.
Barrow had spent a year preaching in Pennsylvania, where
he spoke to crowds at more than 300 events. For good measure
Ke Yisited tKe faitKful in %ermuda $ntigua and Ànall\
Jamaica. The pirate realm needed proselytizing, too. That’s
wKere Ke caugKt a troSical illness and nearl\ died. $fter four
montKs of feYerisK suͿering Ke boarded tKe Reformation for
one Ànal Yisit to 3KiladelSKia. +e was sailing in a conYo\ tKat
provided protection from the French navy, but weather soon
seSarated tKe sKiSs. $s seas grew unsettled dangers began
to increase. Then came the roaring winds, the wreck and
capture by native heathens.
>>
/www.chapman.org
/www.hobesound.org