Awekura - Edward Burrough (1634-1663)

Awekura is a blog and podcast series that highlights treasures within Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. In this series, library specialists provide a window into the world of these special collections. 

We kick off the series with Renée Orr, rare book specialist and Curatorial Services Team Leader here at Auckland Council Libraries. The spotlight today is on a rare book recently donated to the library:

The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation: Namely, that True Prophet, and Faithful Servant of God, and Sufferer for the Testimony of Jesus, Edward Burroughs, who Dyed a Prisoner for the Word of God, in the City of London, the Fourteenth of the Twelfth Moneth, 1662. 

It’s a bit of a tongue twister of a title, but 17th century people really knew how to name their books, highlighting the premise and value in under 50 words. This book was printed in 1672 in London and is a collection of the writings of a man called Edward Burrough. Find the book on the library catalogue here.

Image: A testimony of George Fox concerning Edward Burroughs. From: The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation … London, 1672. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1672 BURR.

Who was Edward Burrough?

Edward Burrough was a key figure in the early Quaker movement. The Quakers were the most well-organised of the Puritan groups to form following the English Civil War (1642 to 1651). Their beliefs emphasised social equality, religious toleration, and direct personal communication with God. They rejected the authority and hierarchy of the Church.

Led by charismatic preacher George Fox, they built their religious practice around meetings in communion with other like-minded Christian Friends. They were avid public speakers, letter writers and publishers. They printed pamphlets and books to defend their ideas and grow the movement. They were not only prolific - it’s been estimated that between 1650 and 1700 Quaker printing comprised 3.5 percent of all printed books - but they were also strategic in their use of print.

Image: A table of the several books contained in this volume. From: The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation … London, 1672. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1672 BURR.

These strategies included the printing of letters which could be circulated across geographical distances, transcripts of trials in which Friends debated with magistrates and defended their faith, and the evangelical gifting of texts. There are contemporary descriptions of Quakers reading their printed books aloud in churchyards after sermons, and in public markets.

Edward Burrough joined the movement after hearing George Fox preach in 1652. He became part of a tight group who travelled through England speaking at public gatherings and helping establish new meetings of Friends. Burrough was also a key writer for the movement, authoring over 100 works over nine years, many of which were back-and-forth debates presenting and defending the Quaker point of view. 

In 1660 the monarchy was restored, and a period of religious persecution for the Quakers and other non-conformists followed. Quaker meetings were made illegal, and many Friends were imprisoned. Edward Burrough was one of these, and died in Newgate Prison on 14 February 1663, aged just 29 years old. 

The memorable works

His collected works were published almost a decade later in the form of this book. By 1672 state-sponsored persecution had largely ceased, and the Quaker leadership had begun to put its energy into consolidating the movement and ensuring its survival. The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation was printed at the very beginning of this period, part of a deliberate publishing programme to preserve Friends’ writings and document their lives.

This intention is stated on the title page, where it says, "Published, and Printed for the good and benefit of generations to come." Note that there is no name given for the printer. From 1662, strict licensing laws meant that most Quaker books were printed anonymously for nearly 20 years.

Image: Title page of The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation … London, 1672. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1672 BURR.

The title begins with a fiery description of Edward: "a Son of Thunder and Consolation." Edward is then described as, “that True Prophet, and Faithful Servant of God, and Sufferer for the Testimony of Jesus … who Dyed a Prisoner for the Word of God." The Quakers used the term “sufferer” to emphasise the way they were persecuted by the state.

The book opens with dedications and testimonies from Burrough’s close companions before reproducing his published pamphlets and epistles (letters) in chronological order. A table at the end of the volume lists the contents. Many of these publications are short works of less than twenty pages and would have been printed in small numbers. Collecting and reprinting them in this impressive folio format has aided their survival into the 21st century – just as the 17th century Friends intended. 

Donation

The book was donated to the library in 2024 by Jillian Wychel, a Friend with connections to the Mount Eden Society of Friends. It had belonged to her late husband David James, who had acquired it while he and Jillian were in England in 1984 attending Woodbrooke, a Quaker University College. The family visited the library earlier this year to bring in the book, which came with a brief biography of David’s life and distinguished career in the field of community adult education. 

Image: Peace and Justice through education. Wanganui Chronicle, 2016. 

The biography closes with the following: “It was David’s wish that Edward Burrough’s beautiful testimony would continue both to be well cared for and also be available for research. Donating the book to this Rare Book collection meets those wishes and David’s family are very happy that it has been accepted.” David's documents are kept with the book, which now sits alongside the Quaker Historical Collection as a significant addition to the Rare Book Collection at Auckland Libraries. 

Image: Renee Orr (left) with Sue Berman recording the podcast track, 2025.

You can listen to the podcast track here with Renee Orr:

Ngā Pātaka Kōrero - Auckland Libraries · The memorable works with Renee Orr

Further reading

Gill, C. (2008). Burrough, Edward (1633-1663). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. Accessed: 6 October 2025. 

Green, I. and Peters, K. (2002). Religious publishing in England 1640–1695. In: J. Barnard & D. F. McKenzie (Eds.), The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (pp. 67–94).

Mortimer, Russell S. (1948). The first century of Quaker printers. Journal of the Friends Historical Society. 40(1), 37-49.