author
William C. (William Charles) Braithwaite
1862–1922
Remembered as a careful historian of early Quakerism, this British writer helped preserve the story, beliefs, and inner life of the Society of Friends. His books remain valued for their clear account of how the movement began and developed.
1 Audiobook
The Message and Mission of Quakerism
by William C. (William Charles) Braithwaite, Henry T. (Henry Theodore) Hodgkin
About the author
Born in London in 1862, he became one of the best-known historians of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers. He is especially associated with two major works, The Beginnings of Quakerism and The Second Period of Quakerism, which trace the rise and early growth of the movement.
He was more than a historian alone. Quaker sources describe him as a lawyer and banker as well as an active Friend, involved in important developments in modern Quaker life, including the Swarthmore Lectures and the revision of Quaker faith statements in the early twentieth century.
Braithwaite died in 1922, but his writing has continued to matter because it combines sympathy for Quaker spirituality with serious historical research. For listeners interested in religion, reform, and the history of ideas, his work offers both context and conviction.