Life

He was born 24 February 1763 at Mildred's Court London. He became a glazier, but on the death of his father he used his inheritance to study for the Unitarian ministry, where he became proficient in mathematics and Latin. Later he became tutor to the sons of Earl Stanhope

Earl Stanhope

Earl Stanhope was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 for James Stanhope, 1st Viscount Stanhope, the principal minister of King George I, with remainder to the heirs male of his body. Stanhope was the son of the Hon. Alexander Stanhope, fifth and youngest son of Philip...

.

Joyce had radical political views, became a member of the Society for Constitutional Reform and of the London Corresponding Society

London Corresponding Society

London Corresponding Society was a moderate-radical body concentrating on reform of the Parliament of Great Britain, founded on 25 January 1792. The creators of the group were John Frost , an attorney, and Thomas Hardy, a shoemaker and metropolitan Radical...

. On 4 May 1794 he was arrested at Stanhope's house in Kent on a charge of 'treasonable practices', and examined by the Privy Council

Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

, where he refused to answer any questions. He remained in custody until 19 May when, with others, he was committed to the Tower of London

Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...

 on a charge of High Treason. They were arraigned at the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

 on 25 October. After the acquittal of some of his co-defendants, the prosecution withdrew the case against him and he was released. Joyce had suffered twenty three weeks imprisonment, and his employer and friends worked ceaselessly to ensure his acquittal.

Joyce was for many years the secretary of the Unitarian

Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....

 Society. At the time of his death, 21 June 1816, he was minister of the Unitarian chapel at Hampstead

Hampstead

Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...

. He left a widow and six children.

Works

Joyce wrote a number of popular educational works on science and mathematics. He was largely responsible for the editing of two rival encyclopedic works bearing the names of others, George Gregory's Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1808) and William Nicholson

William Nicholson (chemist)

William Nicholson was a renowned English chemist and writer on "natural philosophy" and chemistry, as well as a translator, journalist, publisher, scientist, and inventor.-Early life:...

's British Encyclopaedia

British Encyclopaedia

The British Encyclopaedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences was published in 1809 in six octavo volumes and around 150 plates.It was nominally edited by William Nicholson, but the bulk of the work was overseen by Jeremiah Joyce. It was published by a syndicate of twenty four booksellers whose...

(1809). He also contributed articles to Rees's Cyclopaedia

Rees's Cyclopaedia

Rees's Cyclopædia, or The New Cyclopaedia, or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences was an important 19th Century encyclopaedia which was regarded by some as subversive when it first appeared. It was edited by Revd...

(1802-1819).