Background
Forster was born in Walbrook, London on 7 August 1736. He was the third son of Thomas Forster, a descendant of the Forsters of Etherston and Bamborough in Northumberland, and his wife Dorothy, granddaughter of Benjamin Furly, the friend and correspondent of John Locke.
Education
He was educated at Hertford school and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he had as friends and fellow-students the antiquarians Richard Gough and Michael Tyson.
Career
He graduated as Bachelor of Arts in 1757, becoming Master of Arts and fellow of his college in 1760, and Bachelor of Divinity 1768. Having taken orders, ‘though he was never very orthodox,’ he became in succession curate of Wanstead and of Broomfield and Chignal Smeely in Essex (1760), Lady Camden lecturer at Wakefield (1766), and rector of Boconnoc, Broadoak, and Cherichayes in Cornwall (1770). He died at Boconnoc parsonage on 2 December 1805, his tomb being, by his orders, merely inscribed ‘Fui.’.