[2] Richardson records in his Life an initial "aversion in me to the people called in scorn Quakers, and also to their strict living, and demeanour, plainness of habit, and language, so none of these I learned from them."
Richardson disapproved of his mother's remarriage in about 1785 to an unnamed Presbyterian, who tried to prevent him from attending Quaker meetings, turned him out of the house, and eventually left him just five shillings in his will.
In about 1695, he moved to Quaker Cottage in Hutton Le Hole – a datestone in the house has his initials – and married Priscilla Canaby (c. 1672 – c. 1700), a baker's daughter, who also began preaching about 1698.
Leaving his two surviving children with foster parents, Richardson set out for America as an evangelist, arriving in Maryland in 1701 after a 16-week crossing.
He spent more than two years there, ceaselessly touring and disputing with Quakers and non-Quakers, on one occasion accompanying William Penn to treat with some American Indians, who made a favourable impression on him.