Antony Barlow, one of the five children of Ralph and Joan Barlow, is the descendant of one of the oldest Quaker families, whose ancestor James Lancaster was one of the Society of Friends founder George Fox’s, closest advisors. It is James Lancaster’s Bible dated 1616 which still shows evidence of the water stains acquired when he dropped it crossing Morecambe sands fleeing persecution in 1660 that has enabled him to piece together the story of this old family. Since then, this legacy of early Quakers has been handed down through countless generations of Quaker families including Nicholsons, Suttons, Bowlys, Cadburys, Carrs, Cash’s, Taylors, and Barlows. Through their memories and that of relatives and family archives, Antony tells a remarkable story of fighting persecution and prejudice, defending Quaker principles, opposing slavery, standing up for Conscientious Objection, helping the wounded in the Friends Ambulance Unit in both World Wars and maintaining the Quaker message of simplicity and peace in a troubled world. Antony has worked all his life in the Arts as Theatre Administrator and General Manager to Head of Marketing and Public Relations, in both the theatre and the dance worlds. He has worked closely with such luminaries as the late Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Alicia Markova, Sir Anton Dolin and Rudolf Nureyev as well as Dame Beryl Grey, Natasha Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Recently he has been working with distinguished classical musicians as well as encouraging those just leaving music college.
