Josiah Pratt

Josiah Pratt (1768–1844) was an English evangelical cleric of the Church of England, involved in publications and the administration of missionary work.

With his two younger brothers, Isaac and Henry, Josiah was educated at Barr House school, six miles from Birmingham.

After some private tuition, he matriculated on 28 June 1789 at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, at that time the stronghold of evangelicalism in the university.

[1] Pratt also took part in the meetings of the Eclectic (18 March and 12 April 1799) at which the Church Missionary Society was effectively founded.

[1] Pratt also helped to form the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804; he was one of the original committee, and was its first Church of England secretary, but then retired in favour of John Owen.

In 1811 he was elected a life-governor, and in 1812 he helped to frame the rules for the organisation of auxiliary and branch societies, and of bible associations.

[1] In 1804 Pratt left Cecil to become lecturer at St Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street, where John Newton, another evangelical leader, whose health was failing, was rector.

For 16 years he stayed there and set up the Spitalfields Benevolent Society; among his congregation were Samuel Hoare Jr of Hampstead and Thomas Fowell Buxton.

He established Christian and benevolent institutions in St. Stephen's parish, opposed the Oxford movement, and took part in the formation of the Church Pastoral Aid Society.