Anthony Sharp (Quaker)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Sharp was a Dublin Quaker and wool merchant.
, Gloucestershire
, England
in January 1643.
at a meeting in Warwick prison, he joined the Religious Society of Friends
, also known as the Quakers. In the summer or early fall of 1669, due to persecution of his Quaker religious beliefs, he fled from Gloucestershire
and moved to Dublin and engaged in the woolen trade, in which he was highly successful. By 1680, he employed about 500 workers in the trade and in 1688, the weavers’ guild
elected him master.
Anthony Sharp was active in the Dublin Quaker Community. In 1683, he and some other Friends of Dublin were thrown into prison because they continued to attend their religious meetings, contrary to the orders of government which prohibited the public meetings of religious dissenters.
in 1677. Subsequently, when William Penn
purchased land in East Jersey, Sharp also became an owner of property there as well. Not wishing to emigrate himself due to his successful woolen business, Sharp remained in Dublin. Anthony Sharp financed the Quaker colony established in New Jersey
in 1681.
Among those appointed to found the colony was Anthony’s nephew, Thomas Sharp, with whom he corresponded on both business and personal matters.
In his will, Anthony Sharp bequeathed to his eldest son, Isaac Sharp
, his land in West New Jersey
, and half of his lands in East New Jersey
, as well as his land in Queen’s County, Ireland
, including land in Killinure
, which became the site of the Sharp Roundwood Estate.
adjacent to St. Stephen’s Green in the city of Dublin. He was survived by three sons, Isaac, Joseph and Daniel, and one daughter, Rachel Sharp.
Early life
Anthony Sharp, the son of Thomas Sharp, was born in TetburyTetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in January 1643.
Religion and business
In 1665, impressed by the ministry of William DewsburyWilliam Dewsbury
William Dewsbury was Quaker minister in the early period of the movement. He was born in Allerthorpe, Yorkshire, around 1621. Little is known about his parents and education, apart from the fact that his father died when he was eight years old. Deswbury studied both scripture and other religious...
at a meeting in Warwick prison, he joined the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, also known as the Quakers. In the summer or early fall of 1669, due to persecution of his Quaker religious beliefs, he fled from Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and moved to Dublin and engaged in the woolen trade, in which he was highly successful. By 1680, he employed about 500 workers in the trade and in 1688, the weavers’ guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
elected him master.
Anthony Sharp was active in the Dublin Quaker Community. In 1683, he and some other Friends of Dublin were thrown into prison because they continued to attend their religious meetings, contrary to the orders of government which prohibited the public meetings of religious dissenters.
Land rights
Anthony Sharp was one of the original shareholders of West New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1677. Subsequently, when William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
purchased land in East Jersey, Sharp also became an owner of property there as well. Not wishing to emigrate himself due to his successful woolen business, Sharp remained in Dublin. Anthony Sharp financed the Quaker colony established in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1681.
Among those appointed to found the colony was Anthony’s nephew, Thomas Sharp, with whom he corresponded on both business and personal matters.
In his will, Anthony Sharp bequeathed to his eldest son, Isaac Sharp
Isaac Sharp
Isaac Sharp was an early New Jersey settler, politician, judge and Colonel of the militia.-Early life and family:Born January 13, 1681, in Dublin, Ireland, Isaac Sharp was the eldest surviving son of Quaker Anthony Sharp and Ann Crabb...
, his land in West New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and half of his lands in East New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as well as his land in Queen’s County, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, including land in Killinure
Killinure
Killinure is a townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying on the south-east border of Carryduff.It is approximately 770 acres in area, and still consists mostly of farmland, although since the 1990s, the housing developments of Carryduff have begun to encroach on its north-west corner .It...
, which became the site of the Sharp Roundwood Estate.
Death
Anthony Sharp died on January 13, 1707, and was buried in the ancient Friends' burying-groundFriends Burial Ground, Dublin
The Friends Burial Ground is a Quaker burial ground located at Temple Hill, Blackrock, Dublin. It opened in 1860 and is the only Quaker burial ground in Dublin.-History:...
adjacent to St. Stephen’s Green in the city of Dublin. He was survived by three sons, Isaac, Joseph and Daniel, and one daughter, Rachel Sharp.