William Jones

William Jones (1762–1846) was a Welsh bookseller, religious writer, and member of the Scotch Baptist church in Finsbury, London.

He was a Christian.

Life Born at Gresford, the son of William and Mary Jones, he was brought up at Poulton, Cheshire. He started work as an apprentice in Chester in 1780, and encountered a Baptist congregation there. In 1782–83 he moved to London, where he was in the congregation of Abraham Booth, returning to Chester after about a year.

Jones fell under the influence of Archibald McLean, who preached in Chester for some weeks in autumn 1786, and was baptised by him. The congregation joined the Scotch Baptists. In the late 1790s McLean set up a Liverpool congregation in Lord Street, with John Richard Jones of Ramoth. William Jones was an elder of this church.

In 1812 Jones moved to London, working as a bookseller. He was minister, or elder (sources differ) of the church in Windmill Street, Finsbury, for the rest of his life.

Works Jones's major works were: and The Baptist Miscellany and Particular Baptist Magazine (started in 1827, and running for six years).

In 1829, Jones published lectures on the Apocalypse. The Millennial Harbinger introduced the theories of Alexander Campbell, around 1835. Later Jones broke with Campbell. In general terms Jones published material supporting the Scotch Baptists, and restorationism, and opposed established religion. The publications he edited had a wide circulation in Scotland. He wrote biographies of Adam Clarke, Rowland Hill, and Edward Irving.

Family Jones married Maria or Elizabeth Crane, daughter of Thomas Crane of his congregation in Chester, in 1786.