Background
The son of John and Hannah Walton, he was born at Worsley, Lancashire, in June 1809, and was educated by Jonathan Crowther.
The son of John and Hannah Walton, he was born at Worsley, Lancashire, in June 1809, and was educated by Jonathan Crowther.
He came to London in 1830, having served his time in a Manchester warehouse. After gaining some experience abroad, he began business as a silk-mercer. Walton died on 11 October 1877 at 16 Cambridge Terrace, Southend-on-Sea, and was buried in Highgate cemetery on 15 October.
Walton was a Wesleyan Methodist.
Foreign many years (from 1839) he was one of the secretaries to the Strangers" Friend Society. Its reports 1844 and 1845 are his.
Through the specimens in Wesley"s Christian Library he was introduced to the writings of William Law. Law led him to Jacob Boehme, and he found a key to Boehme in the diagrams of Dionysius Andrew Freher.
Walton became a collector of the writings, in print or in manuscript, of mystics, keeping most of his books in what he termed his "Theosophian Library" on his premises at 8 Ludgate Hill.
In 1875 he deposited nearly the whole of his collection with Doctor Williams"s Library, then in Grafton Street, stipulating that it should be kept apart as the "Walton Theosophical Library", and be open to students. The Walton Theosophical Library of about 1,000 volumes became part of Doctor Williams"s Library. Walton was twice married.