Although a Friends Meeting was not established in the town of Portadown until the beginning of the 20th century, the roots of the Quaker movement were firmly planted in the area for two and a half centuries before that date. In fact Portadown lies equidistant between the sites of the first two meetings to be set up in Ireland. Just five miles to the east lies Lurgan where William Edmondson, the acknowledged pioneer of Irish Quakerism, gathered a few like-minded individuals to worship in his house in 1654. Five miles to the west regular meetings were first held later in the same year in the home of Margery Atkinson near the ancient church of Kilmore. Soon after a permanent meeting was formed in the townland of Ballyhagan. To travel between the two places one would have to negotiate the river Bann at the crossing place of Port an Dunain (landing-place of the ferry).
During the Plantation of Ulster this area was granted to the Obins family who built a bridge over the river and established a small group of English settlers in the vicinity. In the rebellion of 1641 when the native Irish attacked the settlers in their new homes Portadown was the scene of an horrific atrocity. Up to 100 captives from the planter community were thrown from the bridge and massacred as they sought to reach the river bank. The effect of this outrage blighted the development of the settlement for many years and the incident became deeply embedded in the folk memory of the settler community. In 1669, almost 30 years after the event, George Fox, the founder of the Quaker movement, visited Friends in Ireland. He presumably went through Portadown on his way between Ballyhagan and Lurgan for he writes thus in his journal: "Then I passed over the water where so many were drowned in the massacre."
By the time of George Fox's visit many groups of Friends in Ireland had sprung up. Their faith was a vital and vibrant one. It was characterised by the belief that Christ could speak directly through the Holy Spirit to every human condition and that this belief should be shared with all. George Fox's powerful message that 'there is one even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition' and that 'Christ has come to teach His people' was well received by many who were disillusioned with the form of religion offered by the churches of the time and who were seeking a faith characterised by reality and integrity.
Religion was not to be practised on Sunday s only, but was to be brought into every aspect of daily life. Truth was to be spoken on every occasion and not merely when one was bound by an oath. Social divisions were considered of little importance and no special honour was offered to those holding man-given authority. In their worship Friends had no set liturgy or prearranged programme, no ordained clergy, but met in silence, in homes or simple meeting houses, open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit through those who were faithful to His prompting. The scourge of war and conflict was to be avoided at both individual and national level, for all were enjoined to live 'in virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all war'.
To the east of Portadown a vigorous group of Friends was already in being. However they looked to Lurgan as their centre and focus as most were tenants of the Brownlow estate. The majority were immigrants from the North of England and they brought with them skills that were valued by the ambitious and enterprising landlord, Arthur Chamberlain Brownlow. He readily accepted as tenants weavers and tanners who were likely to develop the economic potential of his lands. Many lived in the area between Portadown and Lurgan in the parish of Seagoe. Early meeting places included the homes of Francis Robson in Tamnificarbet and of Roger Webb in Aughacommon, only a few miles from the Portadown crossing-place. The old Friends burial-ground at Lynastown was also in this densely settled area.
To the west near Loughgall and Richhill on the Cope and Richardson estates there was a quite different settlement. The area is still known as "the orchard country" and many of the farmers who took up leases brought a knowledge of fruit cultivation to their adopted land. Among these settlers too were many who responded readily to the Quaker message of William Edmondson and other pioneers and formed a strong community in this district.
By 1692 a further group of Friends were meeting about three miles to the south of Portadown and some years later they built a meeting house at Moyallon which still stands. Like many of the Lurgan Friends they were involved in the production of linen. They saw the potential of water power on the Bann and along the valley of this river many bleach greens and other enterprises associated with the linen trade were set up.
The few inhabitants of Portadown must have known of the Quaker community and some may have worshipped in these local meetings. However, in these early years Friends were subject to much persecution through their failure to conform to the commonly accepted practices of the time in civil and ecclesiastical affairs. They met for worship privately in breach of the Conventicle Act, refused to pay tithes in support of the Established Church, followed the biblical injunction not to swear (even in a court of law) and declined to offer honour to individuals in authority by removing their hats. As a result they were often penalized by fines, imprisonment or rough treatment.
Probably the first Friend in the Portadown area was a man named George Wycliff, a member of Ballyhagan meeting, who lived in Selsion townland in the parish of Drumcree. Of him we read in 'The Sufferings of Quakers in Ireland' by Fuller and Holms that in 1671 he was making a journey to Dundalk with some loads of timber through the wild country of South Armagh - a route which could cause a traveller a certain degree of apprehension even a few years ago during the IRA campaign. Then, as in recent years, officious young soldiers, unsure of who was friend or foe, could make the journey a difficult one as we read in the following account:
"There came to him one Traverse Lloyd, Lieutenant of a Troop, and asked him if he was a Tory (a name at that time given to the Irish who had been dispossessed of their lands by English settlers). George answered, He was an honest man. Lloyd said he would make him take off his Hat, and endeavoured to ride over him four times, beat him with his Staff, and wounded him in the Head, so that he bled very much; also he alighted and took hold of his Hair, and pulled it off, did beat, and kick with his Feet near a Quarter of an Hour, and took him towards Dundalk, and coming to a River, a Trumpeter of Lloyd's Company took George behind him on Horse-back; but Lloyd turning about, beat the Trumpeter, caused George to alight and wade the River; and commanded two of his Men to take the Horses from him, and committed him to the bailiff of the Town, where he was kept twenty Hours, then released; and going to Lloyd, demanded of him his Horses, he (Lloyd) answered, 'He might thank God that his Horse had more Mercy than himself, or else he would have trod out his Guts, and if he would have his Horses and Goods, he might make proclamation for them: so with Labour and cost got his Horses again, some being above twenty Miles from the Place where they were taken from him, but lost Sacks and other things worth £1 sterling."
This all happened simply because George failed to take off his hat to the officer!The troubled times of the Williamite wars in 1689-90 brought further trials to poor George. The armies of both James and William roamed the countryside, living off the meagre resources of the inhabitants. In June 1690 Friends from Ballyhagan reported to Anthony Sharp, an influential Dublin Friend, in the following terms:
"There are some Friends here that have suffered very much by their landlords pressing for rent, although they can show that they have been great sufferers by the Irish Troops and also by the French and English Army since their coming over out of England. One Hamlett Obins of Portadown did seize George Wycliff's cattle for rent and when he had sufficient money to pay him expecting he would make some allowance for the first year's rent.Those employed by King James, his collectors, had caused the said George Wyclijf by seizing his cattle to pay five pounds of the said Obins' rent, for the said half year, and thirteen shillings and sixpence of crown rent due, by the said Obins and the said Obins would not abate to the said George either of the said sum but caused him to pay the full rent in addition, and now threatens to seize his goods for the next rent due following the half year aforesaid. Our desire therefore is to let us know whether there be any likelihood of remedy in such cases that the said George may come up at the half year's Meeting, and that others that are having goods seized aforesaid to seek for remedy herein."
Ballyhagan archives record in 1719 that:
"George Wycliff departed this life being an old man thought to be about 80 years. He was a man that was beloved by many of his acquaintances and departed in a peaceable manor (sic) and had the company of a great number of people both from his own family and others and was decently interred in the graveyard laying in Muney on the 19th of the same"
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