Background
Burrough was born in Underbarrow, Cumbria, and educated in the Church of England, but became a Presbyterian before converting to Quakerism.
Burrough was born in Underbarrow, Cumbria, and educated in the Church of England, but became a Presbyterian before converting to Quakerism.
He is regarded as one of the Valiant Sixty, early Quaker preachers and missionaries. Among those converted by their preaching was Hester Biddle, probably in 1654. During the years 1656-1657 Burrough and John Bunyan were engaged in a debate by way of pamphlets.
First Bunyan published Some Gospel Truths Opened in which he attacked Quaker beliefs.
Burrough responded with The True Faith of the Gospel of Peace. Bunyan countered Burrough"s pamphlet with A Vindication of Some Gospel Truths Opened, which Burrough answered with Truth (the Strongest of All) Witnessed Forth.
Later the Quaker leader George Fox entered the verbal fray by publishing a refutation of Bunyan"s essay in his The Great Mystery of the Great Whore Unfolded. Burrough arranged for the writ to be delivered by Samuel Shattuck, himself a Quaker under ban from Massachusetts.
The king"s order effectively stopped the hangings, but imprisonments and floggings were resumed the next year.
In 1662, Burrough was arrested for holding a meeting, which was illegal under the terms of the Quaker Acting. He was sent to Newgate Prison, London. An order for his release signed by Charles II was ignored by the local authorities, and Burrough remained in Newgate until his death on February 14, 1663, aged just 29 ("twelfth month 1662" in the Old Style and Quaker terminologies).
He was buried in the Quaker Burying Ground, Bunhill Fields.