He was born at Thorp Arch, in the ainsty of the city of York, in 1757, the son of Christopher Atkinson, rector of Thorp Arch and sometime master of Macclesfield Grammar School, and his wife Jane Johnson; Miles Atkinson was an elder brother.
[2] Having taken holy orders, Atkinson was appointed lecturer at the parish church of Bradford, in Yorkshire.
Subsequently, in 1792, he was presented by the lord chancellor to the rectory of Warham All Saints, in Norfolk.
Baldwyn, headmaster of Bradford Grammar School, resented Atkinson's appointment as lecturer.
[3][1] "Trim" published a further pamphlet, descending to personal abuse, A Congratulatory Letter to the Rev.