POLICE were called to a Quaker meeting house in the ancient market town of Wigton in Cumbria on Thursday when two groups of Quakers were involved in a face-off over an attempt to store furniture in the 180-year-old building, which is due to be sold off because of dwindling numbers. There are fewer than ten members of the Wigton congregation.
Trustees of the North Cumbria area meeting called police after supporters of the Wigton Quakers barred their entrance to the main worship room of the West Street property and staged a sit-in.
The NC area meeting members were attempting to store furniture from their Carlisle meeting house, which is being refurbished.
Wigton attender Elaine Davidson said the furniture would have prevented anyone from worshipping or community groups from meeting there.
She said:
They said we were being obstructive. It’s unbelievable – one group of Quakers calling the police on another group of Quakers. It’s unheard of.
According to this report, the row began when the Wigton meeting was laid down and became an informal meeting last April (I guess you need to be a Quaker to understand exactly what this means.)
At any rate, the eight remaining Wigton members and attenders, who have continued worshipping in the town, claim they have been battling to save the building.
Commenting on the kerfuffle, Trevor Green, clerk of the area meeting, said:
When the party from Carlisle arrived in Wigton, several members of this group were in the building and there was initially some confusion. Police were called but in the event were not required. The Area Meeting recognises that local Quakers are still attached to Wigton meeting house and will work with them to resolve any remaining disputes.
Hat tip: Mal
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 3rd, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Where does god figure in any of this? He seems to butt out during these spats when you would think a couple of prayers would produce some guidance or maybe a Premium Bond win to solve the financial problems. Does he do anything? Is he there?
July 3rd, 2010 at 3:28 pm
I expect the devil’s in the detail…
July 3rd, 2010 at 4:58 pm
A punch-up in a Quaker meeting? As an unlikely scenario that would have to be close to the top of the list.
I went to a couple of Quaker meetings years ago just to see what it was all about, and I’d have to say I wish I could have gone shortly after they’d decorated – as watching paint dry would have been exciting by comparison with an hour of total silence followed by shaking hands and ‘see you next week?’ I gathered from some of the ‘regulars’ that, in theory, the silence can go on for years if no-one is ‘moved by the spirit’ to speak.
I’m making a note to say ‘more chance of a punch-up in a Quaker meeting’ rather than, say ‘until hell freezes over’ from now on!
July 3rd, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Stuart H. I have heard they wait till they are “moved by the spirit.” Deep stuff this. I wonder if the Wigton spirit was the real deal. Has the devil been getting amongst them? This is what happens in Fundie USA when the pastor shags his secretary on the office carpet or empties the church coffers. Then he returns “renewed in the faith” and with his “faith enriched.” Haven’t heard of the Quakers getting into this.
Fact is, compared to most religious outfits the Quakers always seemed less demented than most to me and quite a decent bunch.
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I have mentioned this elsewhere but I’m not enamoured of Quakers due to one having tried to nudge me down an open trapdoor at a joinery factory where I worked many years ago . The person concerned was one of the most sinister people I’ve ever met, always talking about “crushing” people ( he had some kind of steel plate in his ribcage or so he said ). The incident with me came completely out of the blue and totally unprovoked, he was probably mad but that goes with the religious territory.
There is also an amusing story within my family about Quakers and their strange meetings. My Grandmother was ‘in service’ as a teenager before the First World War and the cook was a Quaker, she invited her and another of the maids to one of the meetings. They all three sat on one of the wooden benches with the cook, a rather large woman at one end and the girls at the other, you can probably guess the next bit, the cook was moved by the spirit stood up and the girls were tipped on to the floor, being teenagers they immediately collapsed in a fit of the giggles and were shown the door. On the way home my Gran’s friend snaffled a chicken from a local farmyard, wrung its neck and smuggled it into the house up her skirt! So no moral lessons were imparted by that day’s religious experience.
July 4th, 2010 at 12:15 am
Nixon was a Quaker. Nuff said.
July 27th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Nixon was Not a Quaker his grandmother was a part of the west coast yearly Meeting. He was an attender at the Washington DC Meeting from times to times.