author
William Sewel
1653–1720
A Dutch Quaker writer with English roots, he became one of the earliest and most influential historians of the Quaker movement. His work helped preserve the stories, struggles, and beliefs of the first generations of Friends.
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About the author
Born in Amsterdam in 1653, William Sewel—often listed by the Dutch form Willem Sewel—was a Quaker historian, translator, and language writer. He came from a family of English background and grew up in a city shaped by trade, migration, and religious debate, influences that show in the wide interests of his writing.
He is best remembered for his major history of the Quakers, first published in Dutch in 1717 and later translated into English by Sewel himself. Because he wrote as a careful researcher and as someone close to the Quaker community, his account became an important early source on the rise and development of the Society of Friends.
Sewel also worked as a translator and teacher of languages, helping ideas move between Dutch and English readers. He died in 1720, but his historical writing remained valuable long after his lifetime for readers interested in Quaker history and the religious world of the Dutch Republic and England.