The Friend
Encyclopedia
The Friend is a weekly Quaker magazine published in London, England. It is the only Quaker weekly in the world, and has been published continuously since 1843. It began as a monthly, but after a few years it became a weekly. It is one of the oldest continuously published publications in the world still in operation. Others (e.g. Punch
) which began publication before The Friend have had lengthy interruptions in publication and/or have closed down.
The Friend is completely independent from Britain Yearly Meeting
, although for the past few years it has occupied space in Friends House. It is owned by The Friend Publications Ltd., a trust which also publishes Friends Quarterly. The Trustees of The Friend are appointed from members of Britain Yearly Meeting.
The Trustees appoint the Editor who, along with the other members of staff, is entirely responsible for the day to day management of the magazine, and its content.
As an independent publication, The Friend is free to report critically on trends within Quakerism in Britain and around the world, and on the governance of Britain Yearly Meeting. It also reports on the activities of Friends and Friends' groups and it is a forum for theological debate. There is a great deal of opinion in the magazine, and the letters page provides a forum for readers to express their views.
One of the ways The Friend exercises its responsibility to give readers an independent viewpoint is by covering Meeting for Sufferings
, the standing consultative body of Britain Yearly Meeting, which meets five times a year. Meeting for Sufferings often deals with controversial issues, on which The Friend reports and comments.
In recent years, The Friend has begun offering all its content online to subscribers.
The Friend is printed by an old Quaker firm, Headley Brothers, of Ashford, Kent
, and appears every Friday. Its ISSN is 0016-1268.
In its entire history, The Friend has failed to appear twice, due to paper rationing during the Second World War.
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
) which began publication before The Friend have had lengthy interruptions in publication and/or have closed down.
The Friend is completely independent from Britain Yearly Meeting
Britain Yearly Meeting
The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting , is a religious organisation in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, often defined as a denomination of Christianity.It is a part of the international religious...
, although for the past few years it has occupied space in Friends House. It is owned by The Friend Publications Ltd., a trust which also publishes Friends Quarterly. The Trustees of The Friend are appointed from members of Britain Yearly Meeting.
The Trustees appoint the Editor who, along with the other members of staff, is entirely responsible for the day to day management of the magazine, and its content.
As an independent publication, The Friend is free to report critically on trends within Quakerism in Britain and around the world, and on the governance of Britain Yearly Meeting. It also reports on the activities of Friends and Friends' groups and it is a forum for theological debate. There is a great deal of opinion in the magazine, and the letters page provides a forum for readers to express their views.
One of the ways The Friend exercises its responsibility to give readers an independent viewpoint is by covering Meeting for Sufferings
Meeting for Sufferings
Meeting for Sufferings is an executive committee of Britain Yearly Meeting, the body which acts on behalf of members of the Religious Society of Friends in Great Britain and the Crown Dependencies...
, the standing consultative body of Britain Yearly Meeting, which meets five times a year. Meeting for Sufferings often deals with controversial issues, on which The Friend reports and comments.
In recent years, The Friend has begun offering all its content online to subscribers.
The Friend is printed by an old Quaker firm, Headley Brothers, of Ashford, Kent
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, and appears every Friday. Its ISSN is 0016-1268.
In its entire history, The Friend has failed to appear twice, due to paper rationing during the Second World War.
List of Editors
The main source for this list is an annotated typescript held at Friends House Library, Euston, UK- 1843-1849 Charles Tylor
- 1849-1852 Joseph Barrett
- 1852-1857 Charles GilpinCharles Gilpin (politician)Charles Gilpin was a Quaker, orator, politician, publisher and railway director. Amongst his many causes were the movement to repeal the Corn Laws, to establish world peace through the Peace Society, abolition of the death penalty and the anti-slavery movement, enfranchisement by providing...
- 1858-1859 Alfred William Bennett
- 1859-1871 John Frank
- 1872-1875 Joshua RowntreeJoshua RowntreeJoshua Rowntree was elected Member of Parliament for Scarborough in 1886 and served, as a Gladstonian Liberal, until 1892, when he was succeeded by the Conservative, Sir George Reresby Sitwell, whom he had defeated in 1886.He was an active Quaker...
- 1875-1878 John Stephenson RowntreeJohn Stephenson RowntreeJohn Stephenson Rowntree was a Director of Rowntree's, the York confectionery company and a reformer of the Quaker movement in the United Kingdom....
- 1878-1891 Joseph S Sewell
- 1892-1912 Henry Stanley Newman
- 1912-1931 Edward Bassett Reynolds
- 1932-1949 Hubert W Peet
- 1950-1965 Bernard H Canter
- 1966-1973 Clifford Haig
- 1974-1990 David Firth
- 1990-1993 Sally Juniper
- 1993-1997 Deborah Padfield
- 1997-2004 Harry AlbrightHarry AlbrightHarry James Albright is the Director of Communications for the Friends World Committee for Consultation . He was editor of The Friend Magazine from 1997 to 2004. He is also the co-owner of a training company....
- 2004-2010 Judy Kirby
- 2010- Ian Kirk-Smith