262 FOTHERGILL AS A FRIEND CHAP.XIX 



A picture of the Meeting attended by Fothergill whilst he 

 lived in the city has come down to us. It is an oil-painting of 

 Gracechurch Street Meeting, in White Hart Court, about the 

 year 1770, and has been in the possession of the Lucas family 

 of Hitchin for more than a century. 



The picture is reproduced here by the kind permission of 

 Theodore Lucas. It is the work of an unknown artist, who 

 is said to have frequented the meeting, attracted by a maiden 

 Friend (seated aloft in the gallery) of whom he was enamoured : 

 he has introduced his own figure, seated on the lowest bench 

 with his arm over the rail. The men Friends in the ministers' 

 gallery are, in order : Isaac Sharpies of Hitchin, preaching ; 

 his hat is hung up behind him : then, according to one tradi- 

 tion, Nicholas Wain of Philadelphia, but this is unlikely, as 

 his ministerial visit to England was not until 1783 ; and next 

 to him Samuel Scott, brother of John Scott of Am well, the 

 poet : then, again traditionally, Samuel Emlen of Philadelphia ; 

 this is possible, but he was a very small man : the next is 

 Robert Letchworth, an aged minister : the next to him is 

 unknown ; and the last figure, on a side seat, his white suit 

 in full view, is probably that of Dr. Fothergill. Below I. 

 Sharpies is Thomas Smith, the banker of Lombard Street ; 

 and by his side the little bent form of Nanny Christy, with her 

 white castover, green apron and green mittens. Below T. 

 Smith the neatly attired figure is probably Dr. Lettsom's : it 

 will be noted that the two doctors are so seated as to be 

 readily called out of meeting. Samuel Hoare, the banker, is 

 shown on the upper side seat nearest the gallery ; and his 

 wife in a similar position at the other side of the house, with 

 her three daughters below her ; Sarah (next the pillar), who 

 married Joseph Bradshaw ; Grizzell, who married Wilson 

 Birkbeck, and afterwards William Allen, and lastly Margaret 

 (writer of the Journal), who married Samuel Woods. 



The artist probably used a chronological licence in bringing 

 together well-known Quaker figures. Nearly all the men 

 wear wigs, and keep their three-cornered hats on. The 

 women have long poke-bonnets of varying types, some black, 

 some pale in hue. The meeting-house was destroyed by fire 

 in I82I. 1 



Ref. Lib., and a letter to Mary Bosanquet is printed in the Irish Friend for 

 1840, p. 43. 



1 See W. Beck, in Biograph. Catal. Frds. Institute, 1888, p. 767; and in 

 London Frds. Meetings, p. 147; Jas. Boorne, in Frds. Quart. Exam., 1876, 

 p. 562. 



