Thomas Aldham or Aldam (c. 1616–1660) was an English farmer, who was prominent in spreading
Quakerism in the
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
district. He worked hard to combat wrongful imprisonment of fellow Quakers.
Founder
Nothing is known of Aldham's parentage. He farmed successfully at
Warmsworth
Warmsworth is a village, Civil parish and suburb of Doncaster in the City of Doncaster district in South Yorkshire, England. Its population was estimated at 3,908 in 2019. The village lies along the A1(M) Doncaster Bypass and the A630. The Riv ...
, near
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
. In 1644, he married Mary Killam (died 1660), whom her son Thomas described as "a Woman that truly feared God, and served him in her Day and Generation."
[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 30 September 2011. ODNB entry. Subscription required.]
/ref> Aldham's son William was instrumental in opening the first permanent Quaker meeting house in the area, a building that survives as a private house in Quaker Lane.
Aldham was an early disciple of George Fox, with whom he was instrumental in establishing the Balby
Balby is a civil parish and suburb of Doncaster in the City of Doncaster district in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Balby is within the Doncaster Central constituency and contains the electoral wards ...
meeting. Fox, who had suffered violent assaults in Tickhill
Tickhill is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 5,301, reducing to 5,228 at the 2011 Census.
Geography
It l ...
and Doncaster, preached for several hours under a walnut tree in Balby in 1652 to a large crowd. (A chair in the present Doncaster Meeting House is made of wood from this tree and a table made of it was sent to America in 1967.)
Imprisoned
Aldham was imprisoned in York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
in 1652 for speaking in a "steeple-house" (church), and fined 40 shillings for refusing to pay taxes, keeping on his hat, and saying "thou" to the judge, in keeping with the Quaker refusal to recognize ranks among men. He was imprisoned but released after two-and-a-half years, upon application, it is said, to Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...
. He then travelled to various prisons where Quakers were confined and tried to obtain their release. He was attacked physically by non-Quakers in 1654, 1655, and 1658. He prophesied the downfall of the Protector
Protector(s) or The Protector(s) may refer to:
Roles and titles
* Protector (title), a title or part of various historical titles of heads of state and others in authority
** Lord Protector, a title that has been used in British constitutional l ...
for disregarding his petitions, but said of Charles II of England, "I find nothing to this Man." Aldham is counted among the Valiant Sixty
The Valiant Sixty were a group of early activists and itinerant preachers in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Mainly from northern England, they spread the ideas of the Friends in the second half of the 17th century. They were also call ...
, who were active in the early days of the Religious Society of Friends
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 ...
. He died in Warmsworth in April 1660.["Aldham, Thomas". In: ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (London: Smith, Elder & Co, 1885–1900).]
Writings
During Aldham's lifetime, the Friends grew from a small group of northern religious separatists into a national movement. Most of his writings date from the period of his imprisonment. They show an interest in wider Quaker affairs. He set about establishing contacts between northern Quakers and printers in London, and promoting the first general Quaker fund for missionary work.
According to Catie Gill, author of his entry in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', "His political and religious ideas were sometimes quite theatrically expressed. A parliamentarian sympathizer, he nevertheless once tore his hat into shreds when he was granted an audience with Oliver Cromwell, indicating, it seems, the certain belief that the protector would soon be torn from power." He did much to document and protest against the wrongful imprisonment of Quakers. Several of his letters appeared as or in tracts in the early 1650s, and in volume form in 1690.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldham, Thomas
Converts to Quakerism
English Quakers
17th-century Quakers
1610s births
1660 deaths
People from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
English religious writers
Year of birth uncertain