Newcome Cappe

Newcome Cappe (21 February 173324 December 1800), was an English unitarian divine. He served as the pastor of the York Unitarian Chapel, located in York, England. Cappe published various sermons and after his death his second wife, Catharine Cappe published many more.

Life He was born at Leeds, in Yorkshire, the eldest son of the Rev. Joseph Cappe, minister of the nonconformist congregation at Mill Hill Chapel, Leeds, who married the daughter and coheiress of Mr. Newcome of Waddington, Lincolnshire. He was educated for the dissenting ministry. For a year (1748–49) he was with John Aikin at Kibworth, Leicestershire; then for three years he studied with Philip Doddridge at Northampton, East Midlands, and for three more years (1752–55) he lived in Glasgow, as a student of William Leechman. In 1783 he supported the Society for Promoting the Knowledge of the Scriptures.

The large house in Upper Ousegate in which he lived was described by Robert Davies, in his Walks through York, and in it he gathered together men of letters. A literary club which he founded in 1771 existed for nearly twenty years.

Works The writings of Cappe which appeared during his lifetime were quite slight. In 1783, Cappe printed a pamphlet of Remarks in Vindication of Dr. Priestley in answer to attacks in The Monthly Review. and in 1785, he published his sermons.

His eldest son, Joseph Cappe, M.D., died in February 1791; his youngest son, Robert Cappe, M.D., died on 16 November 1802 while on a voyage to Livorno, Tuscany.