William Shepherd

Born in Liverpool on 11 October 1768, William Shepherd was educated in several dissenting academies, including Daventry and Hackney. In 1791 he became minister of the Presbyterian (Unitarian) chapel at Gateacre near Liverpool, and after his marriage he also ran a successful school from the old parsonage known as "The Nook."

Shepherd was deeply engaged in the liberal religious and political life of his time. He took an active part in Liverpool's civic affairs, was known as an eloquent speaker, and was closely connected with reform-minded friends such as William Roscoe and Jeremiah Joyce.

Alongside his ministry and teaching, he built a reputation as a man of letters. His Life of Poggio Bracciolini appeared in 1802 and was widely praised, later being translated into French, German, and Italian; in 1834 the University of Edinburgh awarded him an LL.D. He died on 21 July 1847.