Whitehead, George

Whitehead, George an eminent public preacher of the Quakers, was born at Sunbigg, in the parish of Orton,Westmoreland, England, about 1636. He was educated at the free school of Blencoe, in Cumberland; taught school for a time; began to travel as a Quaker preacher before he was eighteen years old; was several times imprisoned, and sometimes whipped for his preaching; appeared at the bar of the House of Commons in defence of his sect; was very active in behalf of Dissenters, and exercised considerable influence with Charles II. He died in March 1722. Among his numerous publications the following may be mentioned: Nature of Christianity in the True Light Asserted (1671): — The Christian Quaker, etc. (1824, 2 parts), in which he was assisted by William Penn: — Enthusiasm above Atheism (1674): — The Way of Life and Perfection Livingly Demonstrated (1676): — An Antidote against the Venom of a Snake in the Grass (1697): — Christian Progress of George Whitehead, in Four Parts, with a Supplement, being Memoirs of his Life (1725). See Chalmers, Biog. Dict. s.v., Smith, Catalogue of Friends' Books, 2:884-908.