The Swarthmore Lecture has two key purposes: to interpret to Quakers their message and mission and to make the wider public aware of the spirit, the aims, and fundamental principles of Friends.
The Swarthmore Lecture usually takes place each year during Britain Yearly Meeting. The lecture is funded for and organised by Woodbrooke and is an important part of Woodbrooke’s learning programme and has a key place in the life of Quakers in Britain.
If you enjoy the Swarthmore lecture and would like to support Woodbrooke in providing future lectures then please consider making a donation to support this important part of our work.
If you would like to receive updates about the Swarthmore Lecture, please sign up here.
2026 Lecture
We’re delighted to share that Stuart Masters will give the 2026 Swarthmore Lecture, which will take place during Britain Yearly Meeting from 1–4 May. His lecture will focus on the faith and practice of the first Friends and explore how their complex legacy presents Quakers today with a range of challenging choices and dilemmas.
Stuart will explore the diverse mix of characteristics visible in the early Quaker movement that produced several creative tensions which subsequent generations have had to navigate. These include the tensions between inward experience and outward tradition, communal order and individual freedom, the quietist and the charismatic, and the new creation and the world. He will argue that engaging with these issues can help Friends better appreciate the diversity present within the global Quaker family and enable them to discern how to respond to these dilemmas today.
You can read the full announcement here.
Past Lectures
The lecture series has been running for over a hundred years, having started in 1908.
See details of past lecturers and access video and audio recordings here
The publications relating to past lectures can found in local Quaker meeting libraries or be purchased from the Quaker Centre Bookshop.
About the Swarthmore Lecture
Each year there is a spoken lecture and supporting publication, as well as usually audio and video recording and in recent years live streaming of the lecture. Those giving the lecture often lead courses at Woodbrooke to allow in-depth exploration of the subject explored in the lecture.
The Lecture is funded by Woodbrooke and overseen and supported by staff and the Swarthmore Lecture Committee. The committee is responsible for discerning lecturers and topics. It considers Friends who may have a message for the Yearly Meeting and issues of concern and interest to Friends or which bring Quaker witness, faith and practice to a wider audience. The committee considers names put forward by Friends, relevant themes, and its own leadings.
If you would like to suggest a lecturer and/or theme, please download and complete the Swarthmore Lecture Proposal Form.
Further Information
For more information about the Swarthmore Lecture contact Simon Best, Head of Programmes & Partnerships. Email: simon.best@woodbrooke.org.uk
