Many of the leading industrialists who were connected with Coalbrookdale and the development of the Industrial Revolution were members of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers.
We sat down with Professor Ben Pink Dandelion, Honorary Professor of Quaker Studies in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham and Director of The Centre for Postgraduate Quaker Studies, to ask some common questions about Quakers and their approach to life, business and religion.
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Religion has always played a role in industrial workers’ lives, but its importance increased in the Gorge in the early 19th century as Methodism grew in popularity. Methodism is a non-conformist form of Protestant Christianity that was especially popular with the working class as its early supporters specifically reached out to workers, offering simpler methods of worship and encouraging a simple, thrifty, and sober life.
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