Literary and Philosophical Society. 



CHAPTER II. 



ANCESTRY OF THE SOCIETY. 



Warrington Academy. 



THE remote ancestry of the Literary and Philosophical 

 Society itself passed through Warrington, and it may be 

 unnecessary to trace farther back the lines of its descent. 

 An academy for a small body of religionists was founded 

 in that town in the year 1757, and several men of eminence 

 took part in its classes. Friends of the scheme were present 

 from Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Gatacre, Chow- 

 bent, and Bolton. 



An interesting account of the academy of Warrington 

 and its pupils as well as teachers by the Rev. William 

 Turner was published in 1814, and republished in the 

 ' Warrington Guardian ' by William Beamont, Esq., of 

 Orford Hall. We are there informed of all the teaching 

 staff, and of the influence which each exercised in the 

 small community. The academy was projected by the 

 Rev. John Seddon, 1 son of Mr. Seddon of Hereford, 

 and was established for ' Protestant dissenters.' It does 

 not seem to have been intended for Unitarians specially, 

 and the writer is informed that if it became connected with 

 the latter it was an accidental development. In that account 

 we are told of Dr. John Aikin the younger, who has long 

 been known to boys as having, along with his sister Mrs. 



1 Mr. Seddon was educated at Kendal and Glasgow. 



