GL
1628–1705 · Cornwall, England

Gilbert Latey

Fox's key London associate who secured legal protections for Friends

Life & Ministry

1628

Born in Cornwall

Born in Cornwall, England. He later moved to London where he established himself as a tailor.

c. 1654

Convinced and Joins Friends

Came among Friends during the early expansion of the Quaker movement into London. Became one of Fox's key associates in the capital.

1660s–1680s

Legal Advocacy for Friends

Used his position as a court tailor to gain access to monarchs and ministers, petitioning for the release of imprisoned Quakers and for legal protections for the Society of Friends.

1705

Death

Died in 1705, having lived to see the Toleration Act of 1689 grant the legal protections he had spent decades seeking.

Available Works

The Life of Gilbert Latey

Proposed

Published in Friends' Library Vol. I, this biography records Latey's remarkable career as a court tailor who used his access to monarchs to intercede for persecuted Quakers.

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Records of Legal Appeals and Testimonies on Behalf of Friends

Proposed

A collection of Latey's petitions, appeals, and testimonies presented to authorities on behalf of imprisoned and persecuted Friends, also found in Friends' Library Vol. I.

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