Hi listers, Joseph Besse's 'Book of Quaker Sufferings' has also been microfilmed and is available through the LDS Family History Centres. I had it in a few years ago. The film number is: 599671 (do double check the number before ordering). The facsimile reprint editions (in geographical areas) published by Sessions of York are excellent because they are indexed. These books (and other historical works about Quakerism) can be viewed at Sessions of York's site: http://www.sessionsofyork.co.uk/books/hist_qkr.html I recently purchased the edition which included Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire etc. I put in the order by email directly from Sessions and then rang them with my VISA number as their ordering facility is not secure. Good hunting, Lorraine Victoria, BC Canada > As a number of people have asked me about Besse's Sufferings, I > thought I would post something generally about it. > > Joseph Besse published his 'Collection of the Sufferings of the > People called Quakers' in 1753. This gives an account of the > 'sufferings' [imprisonment, fines, etc.] endured by Friends > before 1690, and is a very valuable source for Quaker names at a > local level. > > Fortunately, the work is in the process of being reprinted in > facsimile. As far as I am aware, four volumes are now available - > the one including Cumberland, Westmorland, Durham & Westmorland, > Isle of Man and Lancashire is ISBN 1 85072 242 0 [Editor: Michael > Gandy; Sessions Book Trust; pub. 2000]. > > As a little taster: > > "John Grave of Turpenhow, Thomas Watson of Cockermouth, and John > Robinson of Brigham, taken out of their own Houses by Soldiers > and carried to the Governour of Carlisle, were by him imprisoned, > in the Depth of Winter, in a cold Place over one of the City > Gates, where they were denied the Visits of their Friends, and > had their Food frequently kept from them, nor were they permitted > to go out to ease themselves". > > You can probably find the books on Amazon, though on a quick > check I didn't get a result; but they are available on WH Smith: