Fox was born at Uggeshall Farm, Wrentham, near Southwold, Suffolk on 1 March 1786. When he was still young, his father dropped out of farming, and after time at a chapel school, Fox became a weaver"s boy, an errand-boy, and in 1799 clerk in a bank.
An autodidact, he entered prize competitions. From September 1806 Fox trained for the Independent ministry, at Homerton College. His tutor there was John Pye Smith, the Congregational theologian.
Early in 1810 he took charge of a congregation at Fareham in Hampshire.
Within two years he had become minister of the Unitarian chapel at Chichester, after failing to make a small seceding congregation at Fareham viable. In 1817 Fox moved to London, becoming minister of Parliament Court Chapel.
In particular there was an associated group of feminists, and a link to Chartism through William Lovett. The circle included Sophia Dobson Collet, who saw some of Fox"s sermons into print.
Mary Leman Gillies, who wrote on women"s rights.
And Caroline Ashurst Stansfeld, married to James Stansfeld by Fox. Charles Hardwick grouped Fox with Theodore Parker and Robert William Mackay as proponents of "absolute religion". Fox died 3 June 1864, in London.
The ambition of Fox was to become a great political orator and debater, in which at last he succeeded.
His mental agility was manifest in his reply to an elector whom he had canvassed for a vote, and who offered him a halter instead. "Oh thank you," said Fox, "I would not deprive you of what is evidently a family relic." His method was to take each argument of an opponent, and dispose of it in regular order.
His passion was for argument, upon great or petty subjects. He availed himself of every opportunity to speak.
"During five whole sessions," he said, "I spoke every night but one.
And I regret that I did not speak on that night, too." - Successful Methods of Public Speaking, 1920.
He-re-established himself as a preacher of rationalism.
Quotations: "Oh thank you," said Fox, "I would not deprive you of what is evidently a family relic.". "During five whole sessions,".
15th United Kingdom Parliament. 16th United Kingdom Parliament. 17th United Kingdom Parliament.
18th United Kingdom Parliament.
