<P> In the past, Quakers were known for their use of thee as an ordinary pronoun, refusal to participate in war, plain dress, refusal to swear oaths, opposition to slavery, and teetotalism . Some Quakers founded banks and financial institutions, including Barclays, Lloyds, and Friends Provident; manufacturing companies, including shoe retailer C. & J. Clark and the big three British confectionery makers Cadbury, Rowntree and Fry; and philanthropic efforts, including abolition of slavery, prison reform, and social justice projects . </P> <P> During and after the English Civil War (1642--1651) many dissenting Christian groups emerged, including the Seekers and others . A young man, George Fox, was dissatisfied with the teachings of the Church of England and non-conformists . He had a revelation that "there is one, even, Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition", and became convinced that it was possible to have a direct experience of Christ without the aid of an ordained clergy . He had a vision on Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England, in which he believed that "the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered". Following this he travelled around England, the Netherlands, and Barbados preaching and teaching with the aim of converting new adherents to his faith . The central theme of his Gospel message was that Christ has come to teach his people himself . His followers considered themselves to be the restoration of the true Christian church, after centuries of apostasy in the churches in England . </P> <P> In 1650, Fox was brought before the magistrates Gervase Bennet and Nathaniel Barton, on a charge of religious blasphemy . According to George Fox's autobiography, Bennet "was the first that called us Quakers, because I bade them tremble at the word of the Lord". It is thought that George Fox was referring to Isaiah 66: 2 or Ezra 9: 4 . Thus, the name Quaker began as a way of ridiculing George Fox's admonition, but became widely accepted and is used by some Quakers . Quakers also described themselves using terms such as true Christianity, Saints, Children of the Light, and Friends of the Truth, reflecting terms used in the New Testament by members of the early Christian church . </P> <P> Quakerism gained a considerable following in England and Wales, and the numbers increased to a peak of 60,000 in England and Wales by 1680 (1.15% of the population of England and Wales). However, the dominant discourse of Protestantism viewed the Quakers as a blasphemous challenge to social and political order, leading to official persecution in England and Wales under the Quaker Act 1662 and the Conventicle Act 1664 . This was relaxed after the Declaration of Indulgence (1687--1688) and stopped under the Act of Toleration 1689 . </P>

How did the society of friends get their nickname
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