Thomas Budd
Thomas Budd was a notable Quaker figure of the seventeenth century, originally from England who immigrated to New Jersey in 1668. He became actively engaged in the Society of Friends and was particularly focused on issues related to Indian affairs. In 1685, Budd authored "Good Order Established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey," a work aimed at reforming the education system in both America and England, which saw considerable adoption of its proposals. He also advocated for an economy centered on linen made from hemp and flax.
Budd was a significant supporter of George Keith, who sought to reform the Society of Friends by enforcing stricter membership rules and promoting a more uniform orthodoxy. This reform was controversial and led to a schism within the Quaker community, with Budd influencing several prominent members to join Keith's faction, known as the Christian Quakers. His involvement in these controversies led to several published works, and Budd faced legal repercussions for his writings, which criticized fellow Quakers and their leadership. Eventually, Budd transitioned to the Anglican church and continued to explore political and religious themes in his writing until his death in 1670.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Thomas Budd
Writer
- Born: May 23, 1617
- Birthplace: England
- Died: June 22, 1670
- Place of death: Ilchester jail, England
Biography
Thomas Budd, a prominent seventeenth century Quaker, was born in England but immigrated to New Jersey in 1668. He became very involved with the Society of Friends, especially in Indian affairs, and he wrote Good Order Established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in America in 1685 as an effort to remodel the education system both in America and in England; his plan was largely adopted. This book also proposed an economy based on linen produced from hemp and flax.
In 1692, Budd became a chief supporter of George Keith, whose attempt to purify the Society of Friends through stricter membership rules and a more uniform orthodoxy was considered a very controversial and schismatic move. Budd managed to convince several prominent colonial Quakers to secede from the Society of Friends and join Keith’s Christian Quakers; he also wrote several works dealing with the resulting controversies. That year he wrote A True Copy of Three Judgments, A Brief Answer to Two Papers Procured from Friends in Maryland, A Just Rebuke to Several Calumnies, and Lyes and Slanders Reported Against Thomas Budd among other works. Keith and Budd also published the historical pamphlet “The Plea of the Innocent” (1692), in which the preacher Samuel Jennings was charged with “being too high and imperious in worldly courts,” and was called “an impudent, presumptuous, and insolent man.” Keith and Budd were arrested, charged with, and convicted of seditious libel. They were fined, and, in 1693, Budd journeyed to England with Keith to plead their case, which was rejected at the English Friends’s yearly meeting. Budd retained his divisive beliefs and continued to write on political and religious themes. Eventually, he joined the Anglican church. He died in 1670.