Aaron, Henry, Joseph and
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AARON, HENRY AND JOSEPH ATKINSON, three brothers, were the sons of a couple of Friends of that name, who lived at Masthorn, in the parish of Stapleton and about four or five miles from Righead. Both their parents died early, leaving six small children, of whom Aaron is said to have been born in 1665. The children were distributed among their relations, to be brought up, and thus Aaron, being placed with Presbyterians, became a Presbyterian, while Joseph and Henry, for similar reasons joined the Church of England. Henry was apprenticed to a tailor in Newcastle, and afterwards moved to London, where he continued that trade. He lived there for fourteen years. While in London, he joined the Friends and became a preacher. He then settled in Cumberland, but visited Scotland and Ireland several times; and finally died at Banbury, of fever and ague, as he was returning from a preaching tour in the south of England. He was then aged about sixty, and had been a preacher for about thirty years; but neither the date of his birth nor death is to be found in the authorities we consulted. Henry Atkinson was present at one of the stormy meetings of Friends held in the parish of Cannonby, when baliff Melvin interfered; and on that ocassion Henry Atkinson was dragged through the River Esk by two men on horseback.
Of Joseph Atkinson little is recorded, except that he left the Church of England, and joined the Society of Friends, on arriving at manhood. He did not travel much, but, still, he visited meetings in Scotland. He died in the year 1738, at his house at Righead, aged about sixty-four and was buried at Hetherside.
Aaron, the third son, was apprenticed to William Armstrong, was a packman, and carried a linen pack on his back. While on his rounds, he stayed with a relative, William Graham of Sikeside, and was by him taken to a meeting of Friends at the house of Christopher Taylor. Here "he was" writed Christopher Story, "as one slain at once, and freely giving up, went out in the Faith, and greatly prevailed." Armstrong, his master, was at first inclined to get rid of Aaron after his conversion, but, on second thoughts, determined to make further trial of him. In the end, Armstrong, also was converted, and became a Friend. He and his apprentice used to attend meetings, and preached together, and drew very large audiences, even of people who were not Friends. They prospered, too, in business, which, at first, after their conversion, declined but afterwards revived, as they were found to be honest in their dealings. Christopher Story says of them: "And though they lived near Scotland, yet they saw they were not to trade in goods which were prohibited, as many did; neither were they free to sell such striped or gaudy cloth as was not seemly for Friends to wear." Most of the Border packmen of that day knew, we fancy, many of the old moss-troopers' paths into Scotland, and were not averse to a little smuggling.
Aaron, after a time, gave up his business, and extended his travels as a preacher, not only throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, but also to America, where he met Thomas Story, of Justus Town, and travelled in company with him. Returning to England, he settled in Leeds, and died in his own house, in 1740.
CHRISTOPHER ATKINSON OF WESTMORLAND may possibly have been a member of this family. We know little of his history. He was imprisoned, on account of his religious opinions, both at Kendal and at Norwich. He afterwards left the Society through a scandal he brought on it by an intrigue with a maid servant. While he remained in the Society, he wrote several small essays in defence of their tenets, and then he used to subscribe with the following formula: "By one whose name in the flesh is Christopher Atkinson, who am one that the world doth scornfully call a Quaker." While Christopher Atkinson was in Kendal gaol, one John Gilpin, of that place, who had been a Friend, apostatised, and published a book, called "The Quaker Shaken" in defence of his apostacy. To this, Christopher Atkinson replied, in a production entitled "An Answer to the 'Quaker Shaken', by one John Gilpin, wherein is discovered his Life, and how the Judgment of God was and is upon him, and how he hath been led by Deceit and Filthiness to Blaspheme the Name of the Living God, and is returned with the Dog to the Vomit, and with the Sow to her Wallowing." Edward Burrough wrote a preface to this, which was signed by the following Friends, the prisoners in Kendal Gaol: Miles Halhead, Thomas Holmes, Thomas Casley, Alice Watson, Agnes Turner, Margaret Newby, Mary Collinson, Jane Waugh, Dorothy Waugh, Mary Hougil, Elizabeth Levens, Elizabeth Bateman, Mary Warrener and Margaret Gilpin. This Atkinson was a man of unbridled tongue, and once, if not oftener, was cast into prison for libelling and slandering his opponents, particularly an attorney at Warwick.