Quaker Missionaries in Holland and North Germany in the Late Seventeenth Century: Ames, Caton, and Furly

Quaker Missionaries in Holland and North Germany in the Late Seventeenth Century: Ames, Caton, and Furly Claus Bernet* Introduction In the second half of the seventeenth century William Caton (16361665 ), William Ames (died 1662), and Benjamin Furly (1636-1714) were among the first Quaker missionaries to travel to Holland and Northern Germany.1 In spite ofhopeful beginnings in 1656 Quakerism never managed to gain a foothold on the Continent as it did in England and in North America. There were nevertheless efforts to found local Quaker meetings, to build meeting houses, and to establish Quarterly and Yearly Meetings. WithanAmsterdamYearlyMeeting andthreemonthlymeetings inFriesland, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, the English Quakers sought to apply an administrative structure adapted from English conditions, where Quakerism had to maintain itself under quite different circumstances. By 1727 nearly all the Dutch Quaker meetings had died out, and in the period of Quietism during the eighteenth century neither the Quakers in Holland nor those in Germany managed to attract the majority of German Pietists. A look atthe missionary travels ofAmes and Caton is important to obtain a more complete picture ofhow the English Quakers tried to gain access to foreign societies, cultures, and religions. Theirjourneys took place during the 1650s and 1660s. Between their journeys they usually returned to England to recover, to report to their local meetings, and to prepare for the next tour. Thejourneys ofAmes were: 1st journey 1656: Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Alkmaar 2nd journey 1657: Amsterdam, Zutfen, Rhineland, the Palatinate 3rd journey 1658: Amsterdam, South Holland 4th journey 1660/61: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, the Rhineland, Bohemia, Frankfurt, Danzig 5th journey 1662: Amsterdam Thejourneys ofCaton were: 1st journey 1655: Flushing, Middelburg, Rotterdam 2nd journey 1656/57: Amsterdam, Utrecht, Zutfen, Leiden, The Hague 3rd journey 1659: Rotterdam, Amsterdam 4thjourney 1660/61 : Haarlem, Amsterdam, Friesland, Utrecht, Rotterdam * Claus Bernet is a member of Berlin Monthly Meeting in Germany. He received a PhD in Early Modern History from Halle University and is a lecturer at Free University in Berlin. His research interests include European Quakerism, pietism studies and the history of Utopian settlement. Quaker History 5th journey 1661/62: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, the Rhineland 6th journey 1663: Amsterdam 7th journey 1664: Amsterdam, Fricsland, Rotterdam, Alkmaar, Moordrecht, Haarlem, Friesland William Ames' and William Caton's Travels to Holland William Caton and John Stubbs (1618-1674) were the first Quaker missionaries to sail to Holland. Caton was nineteen when he undertook this journey, and Stubbs, who was 37 years old, was twelve years his senior. At the age of fourteen Caton went to live in Swarthmoor Hall (Ulverston in Lancashire), the home of his distant relative Margaret Fell (1614-1702).2 There, he became the schoolmate and companion of her son George (born ca. 1 638) and the tutor to her other children. Caton's conversion took place in 1652, and two years afterwards he left Swarthmoor for missionary work in England and in continental Europe. In October or November 1 655 Caton and Stubbs landed at Flushing (Vlissingen, Province of Zeeland), and travelled as far as Rotterdam, but did not stay there for long. Not knowing the Dutch language posed a considerable handicap to them since they had to make use ofinterpreters who were not always reliable. Discouraged, both left Holland to return to England. Another Quaker missionary, William Ames, stayed in Holland for a longer time, going as far as Amsterdam, where he worked for quite a while. Like many early Quakers, Ames had once been a soldier in the King's army, which was said by many to be "the most debauched and wicked crew upon earth".3 He remained an officer after his conversion to Baptism and joined the Parliamentary army then in Ireland. Hc became a member and later a minister and an elder ofthe Baptist Church. G? 1655 Ames joined the Quaker movement after contact with the Quakers Francis Howgill and Edward Burrough. In order to meet the Baptists and discuss theological matters with them, both went to Waterford (Ireland), where Ames was already residing. Among the Quakers Ames soon proved himselfa capable and successful preacher. Apparently, he had had a special calling to go to Holland, because he was acquainted with the language, having...