Welcome to the summer 2026 issue of Quaker Studies. In this issue we have four research articles, four book reviews, and Julie Holcomb’s George Richardson lecture. This is normally published in the winter issue, but in this case the lecture itself and hence the publication were delayed due to personal circumstances. The lecture is given annually by a Quaker Studies scholar working at professorial level, and we look forward to this year’s which will be given online by David Harrington Watt on September 8th: details and booking can be found on the Woodbrooke website.

Holcomb’s excellent lecture is about George W. Taylor (1803–1891), “a Practical Antislavery Man”, situating him within the wider American Quaker picture of the nineteenth century. In particular she attends to the ways in which Gurneyite Quakers participated in market-based approaches to morally motivated change, such as the free produce movement.

This leads nicely into the first of the four peer-reviewed articles: Jennifer Rycenga’s article on Charles C. Burleigh (1810–1878). Burleigh was a significant leader in the abolitionist and non-violent resistance movements; not a Quaker, but closely associated with Quakers in a number of ways, and, the article argues, an example of the refraction of Quaker principles through a different religious medium.

Janette Walkinshaw then takes us to an earlier period of Quaker history. May Drummond (1696–1777) resisted the eighteenth-century tightening of the discipline in her Quaker meeting in Edinburgh, but was eventually silenced. This article explores the social and emotional context of this situation to further illuminate the process and its effects.

There are then a pair of articles, both arising from a seminar convened by Anne Watson, to explore how Quakers related to the eugenics movement in the twentieth century. Mark Frankel provides an overview of Quaker involvement in eugenics, giving relevant context, listing Quakers who are known to have been involved and assessing their involvement, in order to address the question: is there a case to answer?

For another perspective, Anne Watson gives a biography of Lewis Fry Richardson (1881–1953), who is known today as a mathematician and scientist, and made important contributions to peace studies; he was also involved in the Eugenics Education Society. Watson combines an examination of the ways in which he was influenced by Quaker ideas with a consideration of the social context to explore the relationships and connections between these different aspects of his life and work.

The book reviews in this issue span Quaker history, theology, and humanitarian witness, examining new scholarship of Hilda Clark’s relief work, Quaker and feminist thought, James Nayler and early Quaker identity, and women’s mystical radicalism in the English Revolution.

Quaker Studies remains a journal open to submissions from scholars from all institutions and those working outside institutional structures. We welcome papers written by humans on all aspects of Quaker history, theology, sociology, and other relevant disciplines. This includes full-length articles for peer review and shorter pieces on recent discoveries, resources, or ideas to appear as research notes. If you are considering submitting and would like to have an informal conversation first, please contact the editor, Rhiannon Grant, at g.rhiannon@bham.ac.uk.