136 



Account of Mic/iacl Pear [on, Efq. 



[Sept. 1, 



At Old Bromp'on, T. Neivtf, efq. 



At Lambsth, jy~i:'uim Cranfl'"ie, eCj. bro- 

 ther to tlie late Ailmiral Gond.il1. 



At Ifle worth, Dj-rnd J'jndir Heyi^iv, ef^. 

 formerly of the civil fervicc of the Eift India 

 Conijjany. . 



At Chifwick, IR^ehard RiadUy, efq. late an 

 eminent iron-founder at Rank-fidc. 



At Scarborougli, Mkhacl Peorfon, efq. of 

 Spital-fquare, London. Tliis gentleman, 

 who will live long in tlie memories of tliofc 

 who knew him, wjs born at Knock, near 

 Appleby, on Michaelmns day 17.'jO. The 

 dav which gave him birtli gave him a name 

 alfo He was one of fix chiUhcn, and both 

 himfcVf and brothers, whe were deemed too 

 young aftually to bear arms in the rt hellion 

 of 1745, were bufily employed in fupplying 

 with provifions and other nectfr.uies, thofe 

 ■who had embarked in defence of their kin? 

 and counfry. AI)out the year 1710 this 

 young man came to London, anil, having al- 

 ready chofen the praftice of phyfic as his fu- 

 ture profcirion, he fpent fome years with an 

 eminent furgeon and apothecary in Hatton- 

 gardcn. In the year 17.i)i he went into bu- 

 finefb on his own account in Norton Falgate, 

 and in a fliort time afterwards married Mifs 

 Williams, the d;ingh(er of a very reffcclable 

 tradefman in theRIinories. At his lioufe in 

 Norton Falgate he refuleJ twenty-three years, 

 when lie removed to a niinfion in Spital- 

 fquare, which iiad been formerly occupied by 

 the cc'eliratcd Lord Rolingbroke. As a pro- 

 fclfional char.itler Mr. I canon's (kill and at- 

 tention were known to a large circle of friends. 

 He was ever re:idy to aflift with his a Ivice 

 the needy and the deftitnte, and to art'ord 

 them every relief that the nacuie of their 

 cafe might require. I'lrhaps no man living 

 was better acquainted with the excellence of 

 his difpofition, and the enlarged liberality of 

 his mind than the author of the " DivcrlJons 

 of Purley," and in thf fccond volume of that 

 incomparable work, he defcribes Mr. i'earfon 

 "as ills i;entle and ami.»ble friend who for 

 forty years had been equally devoted with 

 himfclf to the right and tuppinels of their 

 countrymen and fellow creatures."' Amidit 

 profelhonal engagements this gentleman 

 tbund leifure to attend to, and interelt hin:- 

 felf in all the great political queftiuns tliat 

 h.ive been agitated during the prel'cnc reign. 

 "When an attempt was made to deprive the 

 Middlcfex Eiedors ol' their rights, in the cale 

 of Mr. Wilkes, he took a decided and active 

 part in defence of the liberties of the people. 

 Jc was on this occafion that a i intimacy was 

 formed between Mr. Pcarfon, and Mr. Tooke, 

 that continued without any jnterniifliun to 

 the latelt period of his li;e. They unitid 

 Wth man}' other frici:ds to liberty in an aH"o- 

 ci.ition calkd the Bill of Rights Society. 

 ifiv. 1*. vvas one of the earlieft members of the 

 Society for Conftitutlonal Inturraation, in- 

 itituted about the year, 1780. The ibciccy 

 was formed of fome of the firft chanclers iu 

 ^e land, with icfpeft tu tank, takius," iU\A 



real worth. Amonp thtfe may he enumeratifd 

 the Uukcs of Norfolk and Richmond; tlve 

 Earls of Effingham arid '^■■Ikirk: MelTrs Mar- 

 tin, Smith, and Sawbridge ; Drs. Kippis, 

 Price, and yehb ; Major Oartwright, Mr Ca- 

 pel Loft, and a long lift of names, which, 

 with the exception of fome few w' o have 

 fince deferted the caufc in v.diich tlicy em- 

 barked, will be tranfniittec! to purterity as the 

 real friends to freedom and their country. 

 The defign of this fociety, in which were 

 conce' tered fo much talent and virtue, was to 

 dift'ufe a knowli-dge of the great principles of 

 conltitutional freedom, [larticularly fuch as 

 refpedl the ele£lion and duration of the rcpre- 

 fentative tody. To procurs ihort parli^iments, 

 and a more equal reprefcntation, thi. ^s of th« 

 laft importance to a people that would be 

 reallv iree, were the primary objefts which 

 the fociety had in view, and which they pur- 

 fued with unremitted ardour till the fpiing of 

 ]?'.'-l, when feveral of the moll aftive mem- 

 bers were, by a vile ftretch of arbitrary power, 

 imprifoned, and afterwards arraigf>ed for High 

 Treafon, of which, however, they were rrot 

 honorably acquitted, much to the difappoint- 

 mcnt and chagrin of thofe vvho had in the 

 malignity of their hearts contrived charges for 

 which theie wj'; not the Inulleii: foundation. 

 Mr. Peaifon remained the firm and fteady 

 friend to the fociety and to its principles fo 

 long as it exi.ftcd, though many worthy but 

 timid characlers, who lud been members frona 

 its origin withdrew their names when they 

 perceived that an adherence to conftitutlonal 

 freedom was liable to involve them in fome 

 ditiiculties with the exifting adminilliation. 

 In ihc year 17(18 a fociety w.-s eUabli/hed in 

 London for commemorating the Revolution, 

 wliich had, a centnry before, been etictled by 

 baniiliing the btiurr family from the throi e 

 of thcfe realms. Mr Pearton was one of tho 

 inftitutors of this an'ociation, was con.tantly 

 on the committee appointed to conduft its 

 concerns, and at his Jioufe the bufjnefs of the 

 fociety was very frequently trinfaited. By 

 the le.iding members of this fockty, as well 

 as of that for Conftitutlonal Iniormation, Mi,. 

 P. was defcrvedly held in high eftiniation. He 

 was at all times ready to allift in every lauda- 

 ble deCyn that tended to excite the piincipies 

 of free enquiry ; to dirt'ufc liberal knowledge j 

 and to eil.iblifh juft principles. He was a 

 f.nccie fiiend to the abolition of the Have 

 trade, which he conf:dered as carried on in cp- 

 polition to every principle of jufticc, religion, 

 and humanity. With tl.c hope of Uriking at 

 the exigence of this traffic in human blood, 

 \ic encouraged, and was a iTiembtr ot the Si- 

 erra Leone Company, As a cluiltian Mr. P. 

 had formed opinions for himlelr, which he 

 adopted as iha refult of his uv.n judgment, 

 yet he was ever willing to nlhft parties in the 

 chriftiau world who held dcC^rinal fentiments 

 very ditteient from his own. Hence we find 

 him not only an cncciuragcr of the New Col- 

 lege at Hackney, and a fubfcviuer to tne 

 {Unitaiion Society fur ptonacting chrsftian 

 kayv.'lcdge 



