Biography

He was born in the parish of Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...

, Central London

Central London

Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...

 and educated at Merchant Taylors' School

Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood

Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....

 and at Aberdeen University, where he graduated with an M.A. In 1780 he was appointed afternoon preacher at the Seventh-day Baptist church, Curriers' Hall, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and in 1785 became pastor of that congregation. In 1799 he moved to Redcross Street, and thence to Devonshire Square. As a teacher of languages he amassed a considerable fortune. He died in Snow's Fields, Bermondsey

Bermondsey

Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...

, on 19 May 1826. His works published in several volumes are The Religion of Mankind, in a Series of Essays (1819), Tea-Table Chat, or Religious Allegories told at the Tea-Table in a Seminary for Ladies (1820), Remarks on the different Sentiments entertained in Christendom relative to the Weekly Sabbath (1825).