Hester Biddle facts for kids

Hester Biddle (born around 1629, died 1697) was an English writer and preacher. She was a member of the Quakers, a religious group known for their peaceful beliefs. Hester wrote many strong pamphlets (small books) against people who treated religious groups unfairly. She also spoke out against the Anglican church and those who didn't help people in need. She became a Quaker in 1654 and traveled to many places like Ireland, Scotland, Newfoundland, the Netherlands, Barbados, Alexandria, and France to share her beliefs.

Hester's Early Life and Family

Hester Biddle was born in Oxford, England, around 1629. We don't know much about her family. She grew up following the Anglican church. She didn't like it when the traditional prayer book, the Book of Common Prayer, was removed during the time when Oliver Cromwell ruled England (1649–1660).

Becoming a Quaker

In 1654, Hester heard two Quaker preachers, Edward Burrough and Francis Howgill, speak. Their words deeply affected her, and she decided to become a Quaker herself.

Her Family Life

Hester married a shoemaker named Thomas Biddle. All her writings use her married name, so she must have been married before 1655. They lived in the City of London near the Old Exchange until the Great Fire of London in 1666. After the fire, they moved to Bermondsey, an area south of the River Thames.

Hester and Thomas had four sons, but one of them died when he was a baby. Thomas Biddle passed away in 1682, leaving Hester a widow. She lived in some difficulty after that, but the Quaker community helped her. She received a small amount of money each week from the Quaker Peel monthly meeting, which was a local Quaker group.

Hester Biddle died on February 5, 1697, in Bermondsey. She was 67 years old. Her oldest son, Benjamin, was in charge of her belongings after she passed away.

Hester's Preaching and Writing

Hester Biddle said that joining the Quakers in 1654 brought her "Peace of Conscience." This meant she felt a deep sense of calm and rightness in her heart.

Her First Writings

In May 1665, Hester published her first two "broadsides." These were like posters or short pamphlets. They warned the cities of Oxford and Cambridge about their power and ideas. Even in these early writings, Hester connected her own voice with God's light inside her. This idea of an inner light was a key part of Quaker teaching.

Women and Quaker Writing

During the mid-1600s, Quaker women wrote a lot. Hester Biddle and Dorothy White are good examples of this. About one-third of Quakers who were arrested for speaking out in churches were women. Quakers believed that everyone, men and women, could connect directly with God.

Facing Challenges

It was a very difficult time for Quaker preachers. They faced harsh treatment. Also, it was against the law for women to speak in public. Hester Biddle was arrested and put in prison about 14 times. Sometimes, she was even beaten. But she kept writing and publishing her strong pamphlets.

In 1662, while she was in Newgate Prison, Hester wrote a work called The Trumpet of the Lord Sounded forth unto these Three Nations. In this book, she wrote that Quakers did not need a priest to explain the Bible to them. She believed that God spoke directly to people in a way they could understand. She also criticized people for living sinful lives. Hester cared a lot about fairness and equality. She wrote, "Did not the Lord make all men and women upon the earth of one mould, why then should there be so much honour and respect unto some men and women, and not unto others, but they are almost naked for want of Cloathing, and almost starved for want of Bread?" This shows her belief that everyone should be treated equally and have their basic needs met.

Hester's Travels

Hester traveled a lot within Britain. She visited Oxford in 1655, Cornwall in 1656, Ireland in 1659, and Scotland in 1672.

She also made many journeys to other countries. Records show she traveled to Newfoundland in 1656 with another Quaker woman named Mary Fisher. She also visited the Netherlands in 1656 and 1661, Barbados in 1657, and Alexandria in 1658. On her journeys, she met other important Quaker women, including Katherine Evans and Sarah Cheevers.

Her Visit to France

One of her most famous trips was to France in 1694–95. She had already visited Mary II of England, the Queen of England, and gotten permission to speak to Louis XIV, the King of France. Following her Quaker beliefs, she urged the King to choose peace instead of war.

Hester's last work was A Brief Relation (1662). In it, she described how she bravely stood up to the court when she was on trial for preaching. She said, "Christ is my husband, and I learn of him." This showed her strong faith and dedication to her beliefs.