The memorable meeting with George Fox in 1646-7 changed the whole tenour of her life. At first she met with opposition at home.
Her husband (says Fox in his Testimony concerning her)[6]
being Zealous for yᵉ Priests much opposed her, in soe much that they had like to have parted but at Last it pleased yᵉ Lord to open his understanding that hee was Convinced alsoe & was faithfull untill Death.
But clearly her faithfulness had its reward, for he further adds:
She had Meetings at her house where yᵉ Lord by his power wrought many Myracles to yᵉ Astonishing of yᵉ world & Confirming People of yᵉ Truth wᶜʰ she there Received about 1646.
During these years Fox appears to have spent much time in Mansfield and the neighbourhood, and in his Journal at this period are noted some of his deepest religious experiences. Here was revealed to him that over the sorrow and suffering, the sin and pain, of the world,—“the ocean of darkness and death,” as he termed it, there for ever flowed the infinite ocean of God’s light and love; and this perception brought added strength, for he tells us, “I had great openings”; and who can doubt that this deeper spiritual experience and its resultant strength proved an inspiration to his early disciple?
The rapid development of the Mansfield of to-day has brought many changes, and but little remains to remind one of the seventeenth century town. The “steeple house” mentioned by Fox has been restored but its interesting features have been preserved; near it there still stands on old house, a survival of the past in the midst of modern surroundings, which was undoubtedly in existence when he walked “by the steeple house side in Mansfield.” Hard by lived Elizabeth Heath, that benefactress to the town whose thoughtful charity has brightened the lives of so many aged pensioners. Though it does not appear that she ever openly joined the followers of Fox, she still held their honesty and probity in such high esteem that she appointed all the trustees of her charity from amongst them, and to-day the trust is still administered by members of the Society of Friends.[7]
In the year 1649 George Fox suffered imprisonment at Nottingham and in his “Short Journall”[8] we read: “There came a Woman to mee to the Prison & two wᵗʰ her and said yᵗ shee had been possessed two and thirty years.” He goes on to describe her symptoms and how “the Priests had kept her, and had kept fasting days about her, and could not do her any good.” After his release from prison he bade “friends have her to Mansfield.” Her conduct there was apparently so extraordinary that she
would set all friends in a heat and Sweat.... And so she affrighten’d the World from our meettings; and then they said if that were cast out of her while she were wᵗʰ us and were made well, Then They would say yᵗ wee were of God: this said The world.... And Then it was upon mee that wee should have a meetting at Skekbey at Elizabeth Huttons house, where wee had her there, and there were many friends almost overcome by her ... and yᵉ same day shee was worse then ever shee was.