Teesdale and Cleveland Quaker area meeting.

Norton History

The Group has in recent years been unearthing previously unknown information about the early history of Norton Friends Meeting House and its members, and is currently (July 2000) clearing undergrowth from around various headstones in the Meeting House burial ground, with a view to further research on the families named on the stones. The burial ground records are believed to have been lost during World War II.)

Faith in Adversity

The present tranquil setting of 'The Friends Meeting-House', on Norton Green, makes it difficult to believe the suffering and brutal treatment meted out to local and national Quakers over 300 years ago. George Fox, (1624-1691), founder of 'The Friends', knew his movement would cause uproar in both the established church and society. The Civil War between King and Parliament (1642-1649) added to his movement’s problems, as both King Charles and Cromwell outlawed the 'Friends', Cromwell calling them "An irregular and disorderly practise".

The Commonwealth just tolerated the Society of Friends, as large numbers of the Northern troops of the 'New Model Army' adhered to sections of the new religion, one of the many which came out of the 'Puritan' strand of the 'New Commonwealth of Man'. Far from the centre of things, Norton Quakers had a struggle against a hostile Church and Government, which was to last over 35 years, to keep their faith alive. Cromwell died in 1658. Two years later in May 1660 Charles II returned in triumph to his throne. Scores were soon to be settled, including the 'throwing-out' of a Mr Brough, 'an Outsider', sent by the Commonwealth to look to the spiritual needs of the village of Norton, after its Vicar, the Rev Philip Mallory, fled in danger of his life for censuring Cromwell from his pulpit. The link between the Puritan faith and the Army of the Commonwealth set a new oppression going, this against the Society of Friends.

November 1lth 1660.

Just 6 months after Charles II returned to the throne, a troop of soldiers of the King's Army, with a newly appointed Justice, surrounded the house of Simon Townsend, a yeoman of Norton. Receiving entry, the Justice read out the following charge: "For holding illegal religious meetings; refusing the Royal Oath, when asked; causing his house to be used by other Oath refusers". The Justice then arrested Townsend and 6 local Friends, all listening to a Friend from Essex, who was also charged, and they were taken to the prison-cell in Stockton Toll-Booth, being held there for 5 weeks, before their trial in Durham Assizes, January 1661. At Durham they again refused to take the Oath or swear on the Bible, as each stated their belief in one’s own religious ideal, not a belief given or ordered by others. (Up to 1833 it was punishable by law for 'Oath-Refusal'). Simon Townsend was given 12 months hard labour, his house and land put up for sale. (It was bought by a Stockton merchant, with money collected by Friends from South Durham.) This was not the last to be heard of Simon Townsend, Yeoman of Norton! The remaining 6 were heavily fined and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. The Friend from Essex was named as Stephen Crisp, 'a known preacher and oath-breaker', he was to be sent back home, after serving his time in Durham, as further charges awaited him in Chelmsford.

June - 1662.

William Foster, 'a farm-worker of the village of Norton', was imprisoned at Durham, for holding an illegal meeting of the Friends at his place of work, Carleton (sic) (Carlton, near Norton.) 1664. Two un-named Norton farmers imprisoned for 'Oath-Refusal'.

1666

This was to be the most cruel year for the Norton Friends. Five Norton farmers, three yeomen, a Greatham visitor and a Friend from Westmoreland, were 'taken', all refused Oath, sent to Durham, tried and sentenced. Thomas Yole and Roger Hudson were sentenced to 'banishment to Barbados, - Bond-Slave'; Sarah Clough 'Banishment to Jamaica, - Bond-Servant'.

1668. October.

The Vicar of St Mary's,(The Rev Davidson), demanded the tithe of Simon Townsend, who'd been imprisoned in 1660, for his faith. Townsend refused, on the grounds that his 'tithe' was to the Friends and no other Church, King, Parliament. He was arrested, and again sent to Durham; because of his previous charges he was given 7 years hard-labour!

1670.

'For forming meetings and attending same, the Society of Friends, Norton in the County of Durham'were fined £13-00.

1671.

At the very height of their persecution, with 1460 Friends in prison in England, 39 from South-East Durham, the Norton Friends opened their first 'official' Meeting-House in spite of all the authorities had done to break their faith. This act of courage is there for all to see to this day in on the side of the present Meeting-House: 'Friends Meeting House, Built 1671'.

1672

A King's Letter-Patent released 12 Friends from Durham Jail, although the constraints continued. Now it was heavy fines, loss of land and stock.Richard Watson, 'a wealthy yeoman of Norton' had 6 cows taken, for attending a meeting and preaching in Darlington.

1675-1677

Norton and Stockton Friends suffered fines running into £500-00, Richard Watson, again fined, this-time £132-00. The first death occurred when Richard Hudson of Norton, 'was imprisoned (where he) died'

1678.

For not attending National Worship, and holding an illegal service, Norton Friends were fined £109-00, and Richard Watson was imprisoned for 5 weeks. At the end of his sentence he was warned to go to no more meetings.(The warning did not deter him, as the Watson family continue to be Friends to the present day.)

1681.

William Penn,* statesman, (1644-1718). A Friend, he had power with King Charles II and in 1681 was able to present and have passed 'The Act of Toleration' which eased the Friends from the most stringent of their persecutions. The last fling of the 'Establishment' occurred days before the law came into force. One Friend in Norton, 10 from Stockton, were imprisoned for both 'Tithe and Oath Refusal', both communities were fined a total of £409-00. (*Penn left England in 1682 to found a Quaker colony in the New World; by special grant from Charles II this became Pennsylvania.)

1685.

King James now ruled England, and the excesses of both Cromwell and Charles were removed in the new King's treatment of the Friends. From 1661, over 6000 Friends had been imprisoned, banished or transported (West- Indies, American Colonies). 450 had died in English prisons. Because of their 'Oath-Refusal', an Act against them barred entry to the Army, Navy, Government Service and Universities (1687). The Society of Friends, barred from the above, turned their energy to the social and industrial sphere. Their stern discipline ensured commerce had a firm base; many banks and companies can trace their foundations to Friends: Backers, builders and bankers of the Stockton-Darlington Railway 1825.

Pease and Partners, Shipbuilders, Stockton 1890-1925.
Dorman Iron and Steel, Middlesbrough.
Stockton (Malleable).
All the local wind and water mills were owned and run by 'Quakers':

Blakiston (Davison), Wolviston Bishopsmill (Watsons-Skelton) and Billingham (Moon). All of these families have tomb-stones in the grave-yard to the east of the Meeting-House.

The Meeting-House was restored in 1903, in the original 'Barn-Style'. The building next to the Meeting-House was the Home-Farm of the Hogg family of Norton-House, 1720-1934.

Acknowledgements.<

'The Stockton Critic'. 1840.
Cleveland County Reference Library.
'Criticus' Religious Broad-Sheet. 1880.
R.H. N/H/G. January. 1992.

(Since the Norton Heritage Group wrote the above article, further evidence has been coming to light about Norton Meeting House. It is now thought that the roof beams, which had previously been thought to be of Elizabethan oak dating from the building's former time as a barn are in fact of pine, and therefore probably no earlier than the late 18th century, possibly added even as late as the restoration of the FMH at the turn of the 19th/20th century. The Heritage Group conjectures that the original roof would have been a thatch made from osiers (reeds) gathered in Billingham Bottoms, and that it was probably later pantiled using clay from a pit and kiln now covered by the site of a local school. The dissenter-sympathising Hogg family are thought by the Heritage Group to have made their barn over to the Quakers "in perpetuity", much to the chagrin of the local vicar, but as the wealthy Hoggs were ultimately the providers of his stipend he could do little, as they threatened to withhold his livelihood if he did not tolerate the presence of the Society of Friends on the far side of the village green from his parish church of St Mary's. CG 7/2000)