Samuel Fox (1781–1868) was a philanthropist and abolitionist

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

from

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. Fox was known for his good works in Nottingham. Fox supplied burials for

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

victims, food for the starving and helped start the first free school in Britain for poor adults. He founded and served as the first chairman of the

Nottingham Building Society The Nottingham Building Society is a building society founded in 1849 by a group led by Samuel Fox (1781–1868), a Quaker and prominent local grocer. The purpose of the society was to promote the construction of a better class of dwellings, ...

Birth, marriages and business life

Samuel Fox was born on 24 November 1781, the son of William Fox and Mary, his wife (born Procter).Edward H Milligan ''

The Biographical Dictionary of British Quakers in Commerce and Industry 1775-1920 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', William Sessions Limited (2007) Paperback Hardcover In 1810, he and Sarah Jowitt (1787–1827), the younger daughter of Thomas Jowitt (1760–1789) were married. After her death, he was married to another Sarah Jowitt (born Storer, 1762–1799). There were no children from either marriage. His father had been a grocer and Samuel continued this business. Fox was renowned for serving all in strict order and tales are told of him turning back those who thought themselves too important to queue. Fox's premises were run on strict principles even having separate men's and ladies counters, with staff of the appropriate gender. Female staff wore uniforms including lavender gowns and bonnets The Nottingham Building Society was formed in 1846 and after a stay at George Street in Nottingham the new society moved to Samuel Fox's grocery premises in the Market Square in Nottingham. In 1861, Fox who then was 80, retired from his position as chairman of the Nottingham Building Society. By this time the society was opening daily and its main offices were at 16 Fletcher Gate in Nottingham. Fox died seven years later on 6 August 1868.

Philanthropy

Adult School

Samuel Fox is credited with helping to start the first 'adult school' in 1798 in partnership with a Methodist named William Singleton. Initially the classes were for young women from local lace and hosiery factories.quakers and adult schools
, infed.org. Retrieved January 2010 William Singleton, a Methodist, originally started the school, but it was Fox and the staff from his grocer's shop that maintained it. Fox's staff were expected to teach at this school and Fox provided breakfast at 9 a.m. on a Sunday after they had completed two hours of teaching. The school grew to include men, but it was said that Fox was specifically interested in improving adult education. Lessons are believed to have started with a Bible reading, but the book was then used as a textbook to enable scholars to practise reading and writing. In 1830, Louisa M Woods, started a savings scheme for pupils. Fox conducted lessons for three mornings a week for students of more advanced arithmetic and he would fund some to go to become teachers themselves. In 1842,

Joseph Sturge Joseph Sturge (1793 – 14 May 1859) was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now Anti-Slavery International). He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions support ...

visited Nottingham, as he was local parliamentary candidate. Whilst there he visited the school run by Fox and his staff. The idea of a school that taught not only scripture, but also basic skills such as reading and writing was taken up by Sturge. Sturge opened a similar school, in Birmingham, in about 1845. Samuel Fox 1781 1868 in 1840

Cholera epidemic

There was a major

outbreak in Nottingham in 1832 and a ''Nottingham Board of Health'' was formed. Although official sounding the Board of Health had no authority. It was concerned with the well-being of the inhabitants and Fox and Robert W. Willson were key members. Three hundred people were to die in the outbreak. The burial of their bodies was a major problem as one cemetery was full and the other had local objectors who were afraid of the effect of cholera victims on their families health. It was Fox who bought and provided land for the cemetery. It is now officially called ''St Mary's Rest Garden'' but it is still known locally as "Foxes Close".Victoria Park and St Mary's Rest Garden
Nottingham City Council. Retrieved January 2010 Willson was given the freedom of the city and went on to inspire the construction of

Nottingham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St. Barnabas is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the city of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Nottingham and seat of the Bishop of Nottingham. The cathedral is a ...

and he became the first Bishop of Hobart. Fox allowed for the land to be consecrated as St Annes Cemetery in 1835 by

William Howley William Howley (12 February 1766 – 11 February 1848) was a clergyman in the Church of England. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848. Early life, education, and interests Howley was born in 1766 at Ropley, Hampshire, whe ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. This consecration prevented the funeral services of people who were not members of the Church of England. Fox and Willson were amongst many who could not use the burial ground. The injustice of the situation regarding St Anne's burial ground was apparent and a group was formed that included Fox that petitioned parliament to allow the land to be divided into land for the Church of England and another area for dissenters. The cemetery did have that change of use but it took an Act of Parliament to achieve this.

Abolition of Slavery

Fox attended the week-long

World Anti-Slavery Convention The World Anti-Slavery Convention met for the first time at Exeter Hall in London, on 12–23 June 1840. It was organised by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, largely on the initiative of the English Quaker Joseph Sturge. The exclu ...

in 1840. He was captured in a portrait with other Quakers like

Josiah Forster Josiah Forster (1782 – 27 June 1870) was an English teacher and philanthropist. He was an early member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839Tapper Cadbury, bankers such as George Head Head and other prominent abolitionists from a number of countries including America, South Africa and Jamaica. The meeting had been organised by

from Birmingham. Samuel Fox became one of the Secretaries of the Nottingham Anti-Slavery Society.

Famines

Nottingham had famines in 1847, 1848 and 1849 and Fox again helped. Fox obtained maize flour which his customers had never seen or used before. Fox sold large quantities of the flour at two pence per pound less than he bought if for.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Samuel 1781 births 1868 deaths Adult education in the United Kingdom British financial company founders Building society founders Education in Nottingham English businesspeople English philanthropists English Quakers History of education in the United Kingdom People from Nottingham 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century British businesspeople