John Beatson

John Beatson (1743-1798) was born into an Anglican family near Leeds. As a young man he joined the Independent church at White-Chapel in Leeds. His first pastorate was at the Independent church at Cleck-heaton, but during his year there he became a Baptist. He was baptized by William Crabtree at Bradford in December 1767, and shortly thereafter accepted a call to the Baptist church at Sutton-in-Craven, where he remained until 1770. Beatson ministered to the Baptist meeting at Salt-house Lane, Hull, from 1771 to 1794. He had a very successful ministry at Hull; besides the two works mentioned in letter 20, Beatson also published a political sermon, On the Duty and Interest of Men as Members of Civil Society ([Hull], 1778); a sermon on the slave trade, Compassion the Duty and Dignity of Man, and Cruelty the Disgrace of his Nature (1789); and a posthumous work titled The Divine Right of a Christian to Freedom of Enquiry and Practice in Religious Matters. To which are prefixed Brief Memoirs of the Life, Character and Writings of the Author (Hull, 1799). John Hindle succeeded Beatson at Hull. See C. E. Shipley, ed., The Baptists of Yorkshire: Being the Centenary Memorial Volume of the Yorkshire Baptist Association (London and Bradford: [n.p.], 1912), 67, 95; John Beatson, The Divine Right of a Christian to Freedom of Enquiry and Practice in Religious Matters, 2nd ed. (Hull: W. Cowley, [1799]), iii-xvi.