| Mary Howgill | |
| Religion: | Society of Friends |
| Birth Date: | 1623 |
| Death Date: | before 1681 |
| Nationality: | English |
Mary Howgill (1623 – before 1681) was a prominent early member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in England. She is best known for her public defense of Quakers in a 1656 letter to Oliver Cromwell.[1] [2] [3] She delivered the letter in person and subsequently had a long discourse with Cromwell. She began the letter:
The letter was written during a time of religious persecution, and challenges political and religious authorities that punished statements of religious conscience with confiscation of property, physical violence, and imprisonment.[2]
She was probably the sister of Francis Howgill of Grayrigg, Westmoreland. Both wrote letters to Cromwell and both were imprisoned as a result. She had been imprisoned earlier for public preaching of Quaker doctrines in Kendal in 1653.[2]
She wrote a second pamphlet, "The Vision of the Lord of Hosts".[4] [5] This pamphlet was written after King Charles II was returned to the throne, and described a dream in which her God tells her of the terrible persecutions of Quakers about to happen: