Thomas Fell (1598 – 8 October 1658), was a lawyer, member of parliament and vice-chancellor of the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

Early life and education

Fell was born at Hawkshead, near

Ulverston Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few miles south of the Lake District Lake District National Park, National Park and j ...

. He was the son of George Fell, a gentleman of ancient Lancashire family. He was admitted to

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1623, called to the bar in 1631, and practised successfully for several years. In 1632, he married

Margaret Fell Margaret Fell or Margaret Fox ( Askew, formerly Fell; 1614 – 23 April 1702) was a founder and leading member of the Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Prot ...

, with whom he had eight children, and resided at

Swarthmoor Hall Swarthmoor Hall is a mansion at Swarthmoor, in the Furness area of Cumbria, North West England. Furness is part of the historic county of Lancashire. The Hall was home to Thomas and Margaret Fell, the latter an important player in the founding ...

, near

, his paternal property. In 1641, he was placed on the commission of the peace for Lancashire and named JP when some royalists were removed. In the following year (1642), he was appointed a parliamentary sequestrator for Lancashire.

Career

In 1645, he was elected to parliament for the

city of Lancaster The City of Lancaster, or simply ''Lancaster'' (), is a non-metropolitan district, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, Lanca ...

. In the following year, on the newly remoulded section of the local church, his name appears on the list of laymen for the presbytery of Furness. In 1648,

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

named him a commissioner for the safety of the county, and in 1649 he was nominated vice-chancellor of the duchy and attorney for the

county palatine In England, Wales and Ireland a county palatine or palatinate was an area ruled by a hereditary nobleman enjoying special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom. The name derives from the Latin adjective ''palātīnus'', "relating t ...

. From 1650 to 1651, he was chosen as bencher of Gray's Inn, and is recorded as being at that time a judge of assize for the Chester and North Wales circuit. Fell was considered a leading

puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

in the district of Furness, and practised hospitality with his wife's assistance. During his absence on circuit in 1652, the family was converted by

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 13 January 1691 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English Dissenters, English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as t ...

. Fell hastened home and was met by Fox, who explained his doctrines. Although Fell never embraced Quakerism, he granted the use of Swarthmoor Hall for friends to meet in, and frequently sat in an adjoining room with the door open, so as to afford them the protection of his presence. His wife said, "He was very loving to Friends." In 1652, he worked the northern circuit with President John Bradshaw. In 1653, along with other justices, he directed to prevent royalists landing or gathering in Cumberland or Lancashire, and at the end of that year he was, with Bradshaw, appointed a commissioner for reviving the duchy jurisdiction at Westminster. In 1654, he was appointed one of the commissioners for keeping the seal of the county of Lancaster. From a letter written to him by Thomas Aldam in 1654, it appears that his favouritism toward Quakers made him unpopular. In 1655, however, he was directed to proceed to London to determine cases in the duchy court at Westminster. For several years before his death, Fell withdrew from parliamentary life, disapproving of the Protector's assumption of authority in civil and religious matters. Although Cromwell is believed to have made several overtures to him, he still declined to take any active part in the government.

Personal

He died on 8 October 1658 in Swarthmoor, and was buried in Ulverston Church by torchlight. The record of his burial states that he was chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. He was survived by one son and seven daughters, one of whom, Sarah Fell, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

minister, was noted not only for her beauty, but also for her eloquence and knowledge of Hebrew. She married one Mead. By his will, Fell founded the Town Bank Grammar School at

, and left other legacies to the poor. Margaret, his widow, married George Fox in 1669.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fell, Thomas 1598 births 1658 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Lancashire People from Hawkshead Roundheads English MPs 1640–1648 English justices of the peace Date of birth unknown Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster 17th-century English lawyers