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Sarah Fell

Sarah Fell (1642-1714) is an English, Quaker and, accountant.

Personal

Sarah Fell or Sarah Meade was born on 1642 in Lancaster, England in Swarthmore Hall. She was the fourth daughter of Judge Thomas Fell and Margaret Fell also known as "Mother of Quakerism". She was also the step daughter of George Fox. She was sister of Margaret Rous, Bridget Fell, George Fell, Isabel Yeamans, Mary Lower, Susannah Ingram and Rachel Abraham. She married William Meade in June of 1681 and together they had a son, Nathaniel Meade.

Career

She worked as a Swarthmore farm accountant, clerk of the Lancashire Women Quarterly meeting. She wrote the household account book of Sarah Fell, of Swarthmore Hall between 1672-1678. When the account book was first opened in March 1672 , The residents of Swarthmore were Margaret Fell, George Fox and three unmarried daughters Sarah, Susannah and, Rachel. Also, included her recent widow sister Isabel and two children. It showed the expenditures for her family and Swarthmore ( SWMM) Minutes which reflected the Quaker philanthropic thoughts and practices. At this century, women were very much involved in their husband business affair; as a result, the account book also had the detailed information of the husband’s income. There were 198 women whom had social or business relationship with Fells, whose name appeared more than one or more in the account book over six years or sixty-three she recorded. One third of the total appeared in the (SWMM) Minutes. The 135 women name which was not mentioned in the (SWMM) Minutes were silent or poor members. The book also included the death and funeral information of Sarah Fell’s niece Rachel Yeamans whom died on June 20 1676 at very young age while visiting the Swarthmore hall.From 1658 to 1681, Sarah invested in iron bloomery along side her mother and three sisters. She recorded the income of iron bloomery in her account book, but did not do so completely. Between 1664 and 1668 Sarah took charge of the farm while her mother Margaret was imprisoned in Lancaster Castle. She also found the Town bank and grammar school in Ulverston and help the poor. Sarah was also a banker of her Quaker neighbors and friends. Her financial operations included loans, receipts and payments.

Charity

In 1676, Sarah loaned money to several of her labored and servants at the Swarthmore. She loans money to poor by not charging high interest rate but charge them the interest rate during the period. If the people happened to be very poor she considered as a charity. People who borrowed from the Fell’s family always repaid the debts.

Quakerism

She was involved in the administration part of Swarthmore Hall Quaker Women Quarterly Meeting. She also wrote the epistle directed to Quakers women’s meetings everywhere. Her father was not big fan of Quakerism but allowed her mother and her followers to use the Swarthmore Hall.

Death

She died on June 9, 1714 in Gooseyes, Essex, England.

External Link

https://www.geni.com/people/Sarah-Meade/6000000003516553142

Bibliography

Fell, Sarah. The Household Account Book of Sarah Fell, of Swarthmore Hall. Edited by Norman Penney. Cambridge: University Press, 1920.

Larson, Rebecca. Daughters of Light: Quaker Women Preaching and Prophesying in the Colonies and Abroad, 1700-1775. New York: Knopf, 1999.

Kunze, Bonnelyn Young. Margaret Fell and the Rise of Quakerism. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1994.

"Sarah Meade." Geni_family_tree. Accessed May 04, 2016. https://www.geni.com/people/Sarah-Meade/6000000003516553142. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Fell, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Webb, Maria. The Fells of Swarthmoor Hall and Their Friends: With an Account of Their Ancestor, Anne Askew, the Martyr. A Portraiture of Religious and Family Life in the Seventeenth Century, Compiled Chiefly from Original Letters and Other Documents, Never before Published. London: A.W. Bennett, 1865.