Background
He was born in 1713, in London. His father, a linen-draper, came originally from Kirkcudbright, in southern Scotland.
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John Aikin
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He was placed for a short time as French clerk in a mercantile house, but entered Kibworth Academy, then run by Philip Doddridge, for whom Aikin was the first pupil. Aberdeen subsequently conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Returning from Aberdeen, he was ordained, and after a short period of work as Doddridge"s assistant, he accepted a dissenting congregation at Market Harborough. Bad health made him take up teaching.
He tutored Thomas Belsham at Kibworth, which lies between Market Harborough and Leicester.
Other pupils of Aikin were Newcome Cappe (at an earlier period), Thomas Cogan, and Thomas Simpson. At Warrington Academy he was one of the first three tutors in 1757, teaching classics.
In 1761, Aikin became tutor in divinity, and was succeeded in his old duties by Joseph Priestley. Priestley says of the tutors: ‘We were all Arians, and the only subject of much consequence on which we differed respected the doctrine of Atonement, concerning which Doctor Aikin held some obscure notions.’
Aikin"s health began to fail in 1778.
Soon afterwards he resigned his tutorship, and died in 1780.
