Remembering Rathangan’s Quaker Community

As part of Heritage Week Rathangan Tidy Towns are organising an online event – Remembering Rathangan’s Quaker Community – on Sunday August 22nd at 3pm.

This free online event traces the story of Rathangan’s Quaker Community from 1692 to 1928. Booking is essential. For further information check out the link below: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/remembering-rathangan-quaker-community-tickets-167146229873

The Religious Society of Friends – Quakers – were meticulous record-keepers. From existing records we can trace their presence in the Rathangan area from the birth of William Sheldon in 1692 to the departure of Sidney G Nicholson for Dublin in 1928. Meetings recorded births, deaths and marriages, as well as the names of those “disowned from the unity of the society”. From their earliest days Quakers were distinguished by their refusal to bear arms and their opposition to the slave trade. Using records from the Registry of Deeds and early maps, it is possible to identify the locations of their homes, and the range of economic activities various families engaged in.

Presented by Laurence Fullam who has a keen interest in local history and a particular interest in archival sources.