Who is Thomas and Elizabeth Sparrow?

**Sparrow, Thomas* (1632–1683), and *Elizabeth Sparrow* (c. 1639–92), Quaker publishers. Thomas Sparrow, mariner and merchant adventurer, was born at Wapping. As a young man he was an apprentice on the ship *Blessing* bound for Barbados, but while passing the Downs near Deal, Kent, an event occurred that changed the direction of his life. According to the Quaker historian John Whiting (who was also a nephew of Thomas and Elizabeth Sparrow), Sparrow was visited on board ship by a ghost or apparition, which so affected him that he abandoned his mariner career, returned home, and began attending Quaker meetings.

Sparrow's wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of a prosperous London brewer, also embraced Quakerism over parental objections. They married at St Mary Somerset in London in 1660, shortly before they were arrested and imprisoned for Quaker activities. Between them they suffered eleven years of imprisonment. While in prison in 1671 they began to publish books to spread Quaker beliefs and to raise funds to support their fellow Quakers who were also in prison. They had a daughter, also named Elizabeth.

Following their release from prison in 1672 they continued to act as publishers, distributing hundreds of Quaker books both in England and in the Low Countries. They printed works by the movement's leaders, including George Fox and Isaac Penington, as well as those of Continental writers such as John Locke and Gottfried Arnold. They also published almanacs, primers, and other practical books.

Sparrow was also active in Quaker business affairs, serving on the London Yearly Meeting's Epistle Committee and as a trustee of the Swarthmoor Hall estate in the Lake District. He died in 1683 and Elizabeth continued the publishing business, becoming one of the most successful and influential Quaker publishers of her time. She died in 1692.

The Sparrows' work as publishers helped to spread Quaker beliefs and to establish the Quaker community as a significant religious force in England. Their legacy is one of dedication, courage, and unwavering commitment to their faith.