Isabel Yeamans

Isabel Yeamans (née Fell, later Morrice; c. 1637 – 1704) was an English Quaker preacher, and daughter of Margaret Fell and step-daughter of George Fox, co-founders of the Religious Society of Friends. Life Isabel was the third of eight children born to Thomas Fell, a judge and member of Parliament, and Margaret Askew Fell. She was born at Swarthmoor Hall near Ulverston, Lancashire, most likely in 1637, but possibly as late as 1642. In 1652, George Fox visited Swarthmoor Hall for the first time as a traveling minister. Over the course of his stay, Isabel, her mother Margaret, her sister Sarah Fell, and many of the family became convinced members of the Quaker faith. Thomas Fell happened to be away during this first visit; he became tolerant of their new views, but did not convert himself. He died in 1658. Margaret Fell and several of her daughters continued to manage the estate, and Swarthmoor Hall became a center of Quaker activity. Isabel married William Yeamans, a Quaker and merchant of Bristol, in 1664. They had four children: William, who died in infancy, Margaret and Rachel, who both died during childhood, and a second son William, the only one who lived to adulthood. The marriage of Margaret Fell and George Fox was held at the Yeamans’ home in Bristol in 1669. Isabel signed their marriage certificate.