author
John Yeardley
1786–1858
A Yorkshire Quaker minister and missionary, he spent much of his life traveling across Europe and beyond, writing from direct experience about faith, hardship, and spiritual duty. His journals and memoirs offer a vivid window into 19th-century Quaker life and religious travel.
1 Audiobook
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel
by John Yeardley
About the author
Born near Rotherham on January 3, 1786, he was the son of small dairy farmers and was raised outside the Society of Friends before joining the Quakers as a young man. He later worked in Barnsley, married Elizabeth Dunn in 1809, and began preaching in 1815.
He became known as a Quaker minister and missionary whose religious journeys took him widely through Europe, Russia, and the Near East. Much of his writing grows out of those travels, combining personal reflection, diary-like observation, and a strong sense of calling.
He died on August 11, 1858. His best-known legacy is the posthumously published Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel, which preserves both the story of his life and the voice of a deeply committed 19th-century Friend.