The Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a pioneering British pacifist organisation that was active from 1816 until the 1930s.

History

Foundation

The Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace was founded after a meeting in Plough Court, Lombard Street in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

on 14 June 1816, at the premises of

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

. Following the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

the previous year and the decades of European conflict with

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, it advocated a gradual, proportionate, and simultaneous

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as ...

of all nations and the principle of arbitration.Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations'', Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000, p.345. Many of the founders came together under the banner of Christian abolitionism and a number were

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

. It published a monthly journal, ''The Herald of Peace'', which was first printed in 1819.''Herald of Peace'', Volume 8 (1831) available online at Googlebooks. The society in London helped establish auxiliary societies in various cities and towns across the United Kingdom; for instance at Doncaster and Leeds, Swansea and Neath, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bath, Bristol, Coventry, Exeter, Darlington, Leicester, Hull, Plymouth and Southampton; to name but a few. On 25 May 1836 the society held their twentieth anniversary meeting at the

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings by promoters of human bettermen ...

on London's

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

. In 1843 they hosted the first International Peace Congress. Between 1817 and 1833 the society issued twelve tracts for its membership, which ran to multiple editions: *I. Anon. (

Noah Worcester Noah Worcester (November 25, 1758 – October 31, 1837) was a Unitarian clergyman and a seminal figure in the history of American pacifism. Life Worcester was born in Hollis, New Hampshire, to a father of the same name, who had been one of the f ...

), ''A Solemn Review of the Custom of War; Showing that War is the Effect of Popular Delusion, and Proposing a Remedy'' (1817) *II. John Scott, ''War Inconsistent with the Doctrine and Example of Jesus Christ. In a Letter to a Friend'' (1817); originally published in 1796 *III.

Thomas Clarkson Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known ...

, ''An Essay on the Doctrines and Practice of the Early Christians, as they Relate to War. Addressed to Those who Profess to have Regard for the Christian Name'' (1817) *IV.

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

, ''Extracts from the Writings of Erasmus on the Subject of War'' (1817) *V. Evan Rees, ''Sketches of the Horrors of War, Chiefly Selected from Labaume's narrative of the Campaign in Russia in 1812'' (1818) *VI.

David Bogue David Bogue (18 February 175025 October 1825) was a British nonconformist religious leader. Life He was born at Hallydown Farm, in the parish of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of John Bogue, farmer, and his wife, Margaret Swanston. ...

, ''On Universal Peace; Being Extracts from a Discourse Delivered in October 1813'' (1819) *VII. Jonathan Dymond, ''Observations on the Applicability of the Pacific Principles of the New Testament to the Conduct of States, and on the Limitation which Those Principles Impose on the Rights of Self-defence'' (1825) *VIII. Anon., ''An Examination of the Principles which are Considered to Support the Practice of War. By a Lady'' (1825) *IX. Thomas Hancock, ''The Principles of Peace, Exemplified in the Conduct of the Society of Friends in Ireland, during the Rebellion of 1798. In three parts'' (1825) *X. Anon., ''Historical Illustrations of the Origin and Consequences of War (By the Author of Tract VIII)'' (1831) *XI. M. Necker, ''Reflections on the Calamities of War, and the Superior Policy of Peace. Translated from the French'' (1831) *XII.

Joseph John Gurney Joseph John Gurney (2 August 1788 – 4 January 1847) was a banker in Norwich, England and a member of the Gurney family of that city. He became an evangelical minister of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), whose views and actions led, ...

, ''An Essay on War, and on its Lawfulness under the Christian Dispensation'' (1833)

Late 19th century

Lewis Appleton organized the

International Arbitration and Peace Association The International Arbitration and Peace Association (IAPA) was an organisation founded in London in 1880 with the stated objective of promoting arbitration and peace in place of armed conflicts and force. It published a journal, ''Concord''. Found ...

(IAPA) in 1880. Unlike the Peace Society the IAPA accepted defensive war, was not restricted to Christians and claimed to be international. It also allowed women on the executive committee. In the spring of 1882, E. M. Southey, the main founder of the Ladies Peace Association, persuaded her group to disaffiliate from the Peace Society and join the IAPA. The Quaker Priscilla Hannah Peckover played a central role in organizing a new ladies auxiliary of the Peace Society that was launched on 12 July 1882. During the 1880s the Peace Society stagnated. Its Ladies' Peace Association was more dynamic, and claimed 9,217 members by the summer of 1885, of which 4,000 belonged to Peckover's

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles ...

group.

Early 20th century

The society's failure to condemn the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914 resulted in internal divisions and led to the resignation of its leader, Rev. William Evans Darby. His successor, Rev.

Herbert Dunnico Reverend Sir Herbert Dunnico (2 December 1875 – 2 October 1953), at Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages was a British Baptist minister, leading Freemason and Labour Party politician. Born in Wales, he started work in a factory aged ten, but studied ...

, led the society's unsuccessful campaign for peace negotiations. In 1930 the Peace Society merged with the International Christian Peace Fellowship and was renamed the International Peace Society. At sometime thereafter, with the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

looming and a growing public unease towards British government policies of appeasement, it became defunct.

Members

Founder members

As listed in ''The Origins of War Prevention'' by Martin Ceadel, the founding dozen in 1816 were: *

(1770–1843) - Quaker, philanthropist,

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

John Clarkson John Gibson Clarkson (July 1, 1861 – February 4, 1909) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played from 1882 to 1894. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson played for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), Chicago White Stocking ...

(1764–1828) -

Abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, founding father of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

, brother of Thomas Clarkson *

(1760–1846) - Abolitionist and campaigner, brother of John Clarkson, author of the society's third tract * William Crawford (prison reformer), William Crawford (1788–1847) - Philanthropist and prison reformer (se
WikiSource
* Charles Stokes Dudley (1780–1862) - Born to a Quaker family, active in the British and Foreign Bible Society * Rev. Thomas Harper (1762–1832) - Clergyman based in Walworth, author of the society's ninth tract (see obit ''The Herald of Peace'' 1831, p. 528) * Robert Marsden (1769/70–1847) - Evangelical, stockbroker, the society's first chairman * Joseph Tregelles Price (1784–1854) - Quaker, family owned the

Neath Abbey Neath Abbey ( cy, Abaty Nedd) was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in South Wales, UK. It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw. Tudor historian ...

ironworks (se
SAS
* Evan Rees (1791–1821) - Welsh Quaker, businessman, author of the society's fifth tract (se
SAS
* John Scott (1757–1832) - Evangelical,

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

, author of the society's second tract (which had originally been published in 1796) * Frederick Smith (1757–1823) - Quaker, pharmacist and chemist * Thomas Sturge the Elder (1749–1825) - Quaker, businessman and philanthropist

Other notable members and associates

Chairmen/Presidents

*Robert Marsden - ''Chairman'', 1817–1836 * Dr. John Lee - Barrister and astronomer; ''Chairman'', ?-1843 * Charles Hindley - Moravian, politician; ''President'', 1843–1857 * Samuel Morley - Radical politician and philanthropist; ''President'', 1858-1860? *

Joseph Pease Joseph Pease may refer to: * Joseph Pease (railway pioneer) (1799–1872), railway owner, first Quaker elected Member of Parliament ** Sir Joseph Pease, 1st Baronet (1828–1903), MP 1865–1903, full name Joseph Whitwell Pease, son of Joseph Pease ...

- Quaker, politician; ''President'', 1860–1872

Secretaries

*Evan Rees - ''Secretary'', ?–1821 * Rev. Nun Morgan Harry - ''Secretary'', ?–1830 (see Welsh Wikipedia) * Rev. John Jefferson - Congregational pastor; ''Secretary'', 1840–1848 * Rev. Henry Richard - Congregational pastor and politician; ''Secretary'', 1848–1885 *Rev. William Evans Darby - ''Secretary'', 1885–1915 * Rev. Herbert Dunnico – ''Secretary'', 1915–?

Treasurers

*John Clarkson - ''Treasurer'', 1816–1819 *John Scott - ''Treasurer'', 1820–1831 *Samuel Gurney - ''Treasurer'', 1832–?

Records of the Peace Society

International Peace Society Records, 1817–1948
at Swarthmore College,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Note: this is a large file of pamphlets and other printed publications of the Society. There is an historical introduction to the collection but no business archives are in the collection. *Other records of the Peace Society are reported to be in the possession of ev.C.P. Dunnico There are also records at the Savings Bank Museum,
''Savings Bank Museum Collection''. as the founder of the first parish savings bank Henry Duncan (minister), Henry Duncan wrote on this subject.