William Turner (1714–1794) was an English dissenting minister. He became liberal in theology, a supporter of

rational dissent English Dissenters or English Separatists were Protestant Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 17th and 18th centuries. A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who disagrees in opinion, belief and ...

, and with his congregation in favour of social and political reform. He was a contributor to Theological Repository.

Life

William Turner was born at

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

, on 5 December 1714. His father, John Turner (1689–1737), was a restless man, who was minister for short periods at Preston,

Rivington Rivington is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, occupying . It is about southeast of Chorley and about northwest of Bolton. Rivington is a rural area consisting primarily of agricultural grazing land, ...

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

Wirksworth Wirksworth is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. Its population of 5,038 in the 2011 census was estimated at 5,180 in 2019. Wirksworth contains the source of the River Ecclesbourne. The town was granted a mark ...

, and

Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town in the borough of Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England. Knutsford is south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and 12.5 miles (20 km) south-east of Warrington. The population at the 2011 Census wa ...

, distinguished himself on the Hanoverian side in the

Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...

. His mother was Hannah Chorley (d. 20 February 1747), daughter of William Chorley of Preston. From 1732 until 1736, Turner was educated at Findern Academy under Ebenezer Latham. He then attended

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

from 1736-1737. He was dissenting minister at Allostock,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

(1737–46). He was ordained on 7 August 1739. Ill-health caused him to retire from the ministry for eight years, during which he kept a school. In 1754 he became minister at

Congleton Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The town is by the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482. Top ...

. In 1758, Turner married Mary Holland, eldest daughter of John Holland of Mobberley, Cheshire. He had two sons, the elder being William Turner (1761–1859) the abolitionist. In April 1761 he moved to

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

, where he continued to minister till July 1792. His Wakefield ministry brought him into close connection with Thomas Amory, the creator of ''John Buncle''; with

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...

, then at Leeds, whose opinions he espoused; and with

Theophilus Lindsey Theophilus Lindsey (20 June 1723 O.S.3 November 1808) was an English theologian and clergyman who founded the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country, at Essex Street Chapel. Early life Lindsey was born in Middlewich, Cheshire, t ...

, then vicar of Catterick, of whose policy of inviting a Unitarian secession from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

he disapproved. Turner died on 28 August 1794.

Works

Turner published sermons. His manuscript criticisms suggested to Priestley the project of his ''

Theological Repository The ''Theological Repository'' was a periodical founded and edited from 1769 to 1771 by the eighteenth-century British polymath Joseph Priestley. Although ostensibly committed to the open and rational inquiry of theological questions, the journ ...

'', to which Turner contributed (1768–71) as Vigilius (Wakefield). His notes in Priestley's ''Harmony of the Evangelists'', 1780, are signed "T."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, William 1714 births 1794 deaths English Dissenters