William Fox (deacon) facts for kids

William Fox (born February 14, 1736 – died April 1, 1826) was an English businessman and a Baptist minister. He is best known for starting the Sunday School Society, which helped set up schools for children.

Early Life and Business

William Fox was born in 1736 in a place called Clapton, Gloucestershire. He was the youngest of eight children. His father was a farmer who rented land. Sadly, William's father died when William was very young. His oldest brother then took over the family farm.

Even as a child, William was very determined. It's said that by the age of ten, he was already making plans for his future business. He eventually became the owner of the Clapton estate where he was born.

In 1752, when he was 16, William became an apprentice to a draper and mercer (someone who sells cloth and fabrics) in Oxford. Before his training was even finished, his master was so impressed that he gave William his shop and all his goods, which were worth a lot of money back then!

Moving to London and Helping Others

In 1761, William Fox got married. Three years later, in 1764, he moved to London. There, he started a large wholesale business, first on Leadenhall Street and later on Cheapside.

As he worked, William saw how difficult life was for many poor people in the city. He tried to get the government to help them by talking to members of parliament, but he wasn't successful.

William was also a dedicated member of his church, the Particular Baptists' Prescot Street Chapel. He was a deacon (a church leader) and spoke at meetings for the Baptist Society in London.

Starting the Sunday School Society

Around 1784, William Fox became the owner of the Clapton estate. He decided to start helping people on his own. He opened a free day school for children.

In 1785, he wrote to Robert Raikes, who is also famous for his work with Sunday schools. William explained that he had thought about a plan for everyone to get an education long before Sunday schools became popular. However, he hadn't found much support from others because they thought it was too big a project.

William Fox didn't give up. On August 16, 1785, he organized a meeting in London. At this meeting, everyone agreed to create a society to start and support Sunday schools across Great Britain. William had the support of Robert Raikes, Jonas Hanway, and other people who cared about education.

This meeting led to the creation of the Sunday School Society. It had leaders and a committee made up of people from both the Church of England and other Protestant churches. The Earl of Salisbury became the president.

Just eight months later, the Society had helped set up 30 schools with 1,110 children attending. By January 1787, this number had grown to 147 schools with 7,242 children! Over time, the Society's work was continued by the Sunday School Union.

Later Life

In 1797, William Fox became the treasurer for the Baptist Home Missionary Society, which helped spread the Baptist faith.

In 1807, he bought another estate in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, and lived there until 1823. He then moved to Cirencester, where he passed away on April 1, 1826. William Fox was buried in Lechlade, next to his wife and daughter.