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The Society of Friends in Hoddesdon
Created 21 June, 2008
The Society of Friends, otherwise known as a "Quakers," was early established in Hoddesdon. It is not known for certain whether George Fox, the founder, actually held meetings at Hoddesdon; but he did so at various places between London and Hertford and may have done so here.
Mr. Tregelles-himself a Friend-says truly, "The attitude of some of the early Friends towards the clergy at the latter end of the Commonwealth must have very naturally aroused bitter feelings; it could scarcely have helped the cause of a pacific religion, to interrupt the clergyman in his pulpit, to call the church a 'steeple house' or the churchwardens steeple wardens but the punishment of the many for the vagaries of the few was out of all reasoning In 1663 we get the first name of a Friend at Hoddesdon, when a John Blundell was sentenced to transportation. Weather and other obstacles detained the vessel and he, with others, was committed to gaol, there to remain for seven years. The first notice of Hoddesdon people attending a meeting was in 1682, when some thirteen persons from here were convicted of being at an unlawful assembly at Flamstead End.
The first actual meeting for worship held at Hoddesdon took place at the house of a John Knight: a hatter; and here, as usual at this time, it resulted in conviction and fine. Knight was fined twenty pounds, but in spite of this again allowed the use of his barn in the following January. In February 1864, another meeting was held-this time in the open street-and other meetings were held from time to time, but always with the same result, conviction and line. The inward faith of these early members was, however, strong enough to surmount this persecution; and in 1697 John Borham, a husbandman, and Martha Park, widow of a maltster, managed to secure a piece of copyhold land in Marsh Lane, now Essex Road.
There they built a meeting house and, religious freedom being by this time more advanced, they held regular meetings in it till 1829, when the present meeting house was built in Lord Street.
The old house was turned into two cottages, which were demolished in 1962, when the surrounding land - including the Quakers' burial ground was built over.