Richard Watson

Richard Watson (1781 - 1833)

Richard Watson was a British Methodist theologian considered an important figures in 19th century Methodism.

Watson was born in 1781 in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England and the family moved to Lincoln in 1789 to continue his training. Following his conversion in 1795, Watson chose to serve in the Methodist Society where his gift of prayer and exhortation became known. At age 15, Watson preached his first sermon in a village near Lincoln. His professional life consisted of preaching, serving as Secretary and President of a Methodist Conference and developing the Wesleyan Missionary Society.

He entered the Methodist itinerancy in 1796.

Watson was a gifted writer and theologian. In 1818 he wrote a reply to Adam Clarke's doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ; Watson believed that Clarke's views were unorthodox and, therefore, not faithfully Wesleyan. In 1823 he began to publish his Theological Institutes, which remained a standard for many years. It was the first attempt to systematize John Wesley's theology and by extension Methodist doctrine, serving as secretary to the Wesleyan Missionary Society from 1821 to 1825 and as President of Conference in Britain in 1826. In 1831 he wrote a well-regarded life of Lincolnshireman John Wesley (1703-1791) and in Britain, he was a leading opponent of slavery.

Watson died in 1833 in Myddelton Square, London, England.