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James Lackington was born on 31st August 1746 in Scott's Lane, Wellington, in Somerset, about 40 miles from Budleigh Salterton. He was the son of George, journeyman shoemaker, and Joan, the daughter of a weaver. His father became a habitual drinker and died young, leaving his widow to become a total abstainer and look after 11 children, of whom James was the eldest. When young, he spent two or three years in a day school run by an old lady who taught him to read the New Testament. But he had to leave due to lack of money and become nurse to several of his brothers and sisters, and he forgot what he had been taught. At the age of 10 he was employed selling pies, cakes and plum puddings in the streets of Wellington, and at 14½ he was apprenticed to George (or James) Bowden, a shoemaker in Taunton. He attended an Anabaptist meeting house with his family until, with the Bowden’s two sons, he joined the newly formed Methodist movement, attending the 5.00am meetings, and was converted, in 1762. 

In the fourth year of his apprenticeship, his master died. He continued with Mrs. Bowden until he was 21, and the final months of his apprenticeship were purchased from her by some friends. He was able to attend more of the meetings of the Methodists. He set up about living as frugally as possible in order to purchase books. He went to Bristol and kept up his Methodist connections by attending Wesley's preaching at the New Room in the Horse Fair. He wanted to learn to read again, mainly so that he could understand the Bible and Wesley's hymns. He became friendly with another shoemaker, John Jones, and they pursued their common interest in books. James spent a short time in Kingsbridge, then returned to Bristol. 

He married a dairymaid, Nancy Smith, from North Petherton in Somerset, at St. Peter's Church, Bristol in 1770 (or possibly in her home village on 26th April 1768): the banns were read in North Petherton in March/April 1968. He had met her in Taunton and courted her on and off for several years. The day after the wedding the bridal pair had only a halfpenny and the clothes they stood in. Lackington's wages were nine shillings a week, and his wife turned to shoebinding to supplement their income. They were both struck down with fever - his wife particularly so for 6 months, and she continued to suffer from ill health. They returned to Taunton, but there was a lack of work, so as soon as he thought she could stand the Bristol air, they went back but she soon relapsed and they returned to Taunton. This pattern was repeated about 5 times in little more than two and a half years. As she also had long periods of illness at Taunton, he resolved to visit London, left her with all the money he could spare, and went by stagecoach in August 1773 with 2s 6d in his pocket. 

He worked as a journeyman shoemaker for a Mr. Heath in Fore Street, Cripplegate. His wife later joined him there, and worked for the same man. After arriving in London their improved circumstances allowed them to buy "something or other" to add to "our stock of wearing apparel", and James frequently added an old book to his small collection, in some cases with the money that should have been spent on food, even Christmas dinner. 

In June 1774 Mr. Boyd, one of Mr. Wesley's people called on them to tell them that a little shop and parlour were to let in Featherstone Street, St. Luke's, and that if he were to take them it might be to his advantage in getting work as a master. Without hesitation James said he liked the idea and hinted he would sell books also. He began trading with a sackful of old theological books which he had bought for a guinea. Despite the location and appearance of the shop he soon found customers for the few books he had for sale, and was able to buy "other old trash". He was able at that time to borrow from Mr. Wesley's people £5 for three months without interest to increase his stock. They continued living frugally often on potatoes and water, trying to make some provision for "such dismal times as sickness, shortness of work, etc.", in this street for 6 months and their stock increased from £5 to £25. Nancy warned him against setting his mind on the riches of this world; he replied that "we will keep our minds on spiritual things, attend our class and band meetings and hear the sermons at the Foundry. We will attend the preaching at five in the morning, at ten public worship at the Foundry, hear Mr. Percy at the Cripplegate at two, the Foundry again at five, the General Society at six, the united bands at seven, prayer meeting at eight, then home to read and pray by ourselves". Another shop and parlour, at 46 Chiswell Street became available and they moved there for 14 years, selling only books. It was "a very dull and obscure situation" - the few who passed it were "Spitalfield's weavers on hanging days and Methodists on preaching nights", but it was still better than Featherstone Street. 

Shortly after this, in September 1775, both he and his wife were taken ill, Nancy dying (on 9th November 1775) and thus leaving him to the mercy of drunken nurses and errand boys. She was "one of the best of women". She "died in enthusiastic rant, surrounded with Methodist preachers". 

He married again on 30th January 1776, a Miss Dorcas Turton, who had been a school mistress and a keen reader and lover of books, "repairing the loss of one very valuable woman by the acquisition of another still more valuable". His new wife encouraged his reading; she was very fond of novels and "infected" her husband, and he began to shake off his faith, not long remaining in Mr. Wesley's society. He attributed it to reading the "Life of John Buncle" by Thomas Amory. He wrote that he did not know of "any work more proper to be put in the hands of a poor, ignorant, bigoted, superstitious Methodist". He gave up reading his Bible, ceased to attend public worship, associated with sceptics, and no longer observed the Lord's Day. However his wife's love for books was an asset in his shop, as she became well acquainted with his stock and was able to run it when he was out on business, thus gaining many customers.

In 1778 he entered into a partnership with John Denis, an oil man and book collector, who provided some capital. His first catalogue, produced in 1779, included 12,000 books. The partnership with Denis only lasted two years, being dissolved by mutual consent, and the firm later became Lackington, Allen & Co. The business grew and he bought 47 Chiswell Street and extended his premises. It was at this time that he decided not to give credit but insist on cash sales, and he marked every book with its lowest price. His business increased and he was able to increase his stock continually. This was a time when there was a major growth in reading. His catalogue in 1784 included 30,000 books. 

He noticed that publishers were throwing away their surplus books, so he decided to buy them up and sell them for half or a quarter of the original price; this started the trade in what has become known as "Publishers' Ends". In 1787 and in 1790, he travelled through England to Edinburgh. By 1791, sales reached 100,000 a year and profits £4000 a year, and in that year he wrote and published his "Memoirs of the Forty-five First Years of the Life of James Lackington, the present Bookseller in Chiswell Street, Moorfields, London". This book, which ran to thirteen editions and was also translated into German, was very critical of his Methodist background. (It has been reprinted in recent years.)

In 1793 he sold a quarter share in the business to Robert Allen. By 1794 he had 100,000 plus books in his catalogue. In that year, he opened the "Temple of the Muses" in Finsbury Square, London, which was the biggest bookshop in England and probably the cheapest as he believed in selling many books at a modest profit, rather than a few at a higher price - a technique still used in supermarkets as "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap". He had more than 100 staff. It was regarded as one of the sights of London. It had an immense circular counter, with a broad staircase leading up to the lounging rooms and a series of galleries round which books were displayed; the dearest were on the ground floor, getting progressively cheaper and shabbier on the upper floors. Around this time, Lackington produced his halfpenny tokens or coins; it is said that seven tons of them were struck. 

In 1784, he had bought a country house in Merton, Surrey. (Previously it is believed that he had been living in Holloway in North London.) His second wife died on 27th January 1795 at the age of 45 and is buried in Merton churchyard; James wrote her epitaph. 

Four months later, on 11th June, he was married for the third time, to Mary Turton, aged 29, cousin of his late wife, at Olveston Parish Church. It is said that when first attracted to him she was already engaged to an officer who refused to break the engagement, but when at the altar she answered 'no' and refused to go through with the ceremony. She was "in moral conduct the most perfect being he had ever seen" but had not the slightest knowledge of religion. But he persuaded her and eventually she said that she preferred divinity to fiction. 

He retired in 1798 when in his fifties, leaving his share of the business in the hands of his third cousin George Lackington, and Robert Allen, who had both been involved in it for some years. He retained "no share or interest in it". The shop remained in Finsbury Square until about 1822 but later it moved "up west" to Pall Mall East, in the Piccadilly area, and the name of Lackington disappeared. The building in Finsbury Square was destroyed by fire in February 1841. 

He sold up at Merton and moved to Thornbury in Gloucestershire, a few miles north of Bristol and close to Olveston (his wife's home), and bought two small estates at Alveston, the next village. He regained his faith and became a Methodist Local Preacher. 

In 1804 he published a volume of "Confessions", making amends for the scathing attacks on Wesley and the Methodists he had expressed in his "Memoirs". He announced his return to his former faith. 

While in Thornbury, he paid for a chapel to be built in Alveston, and called it "The Temple" after his bookshop in London. This was in 1805. 

He moved on in 1806 to Taunton, where he lived in Paul Street and joined up with the local Wesleyan Methodists who then met in the Octagon Chapel in Middle Street. He became a member and a class leader. The building was too small for the growing congregation and he agreed to pay for three quarters of the cost of the work and materials of a new chapel for them in Upper High Street. By then he was able to write that he was persuaded that Methodism is genuine Christianity. 

The foundation stone was laid on 16th June 1808; he called it, again, "The Temple", and it cost him £3000. A bottle was placed under the foundation stone (as what we would now call a time capsule), and in this it was stated that "in this chapel no seats or pews are to be paid for but are to be free to the public. May others follow the example".  The chapel was opened on 10th July 1809. An inscription placed on the building - described as a "large square building without any pretence to beauty" - read "this Temple is erected as a monument of God's mercy in convincing an Infidel of the important Truths of Christianity". Sadly, he fell out with the Wesleyans who moved back to the Octagon and another Methodist group, the New Connexion, started by Alexander Kilham in 1798, took over the Temple. James then fell out with them and locked them out of the chapel. The empty chapel passed to the Wesleyans who would only move back if he sold it to them, which he did for £1050 in 1812. Taunton Methodists have worshipped on the site ever since, although the Church was completely replaced in mid-Victorian times and is now (2005) to undergo refurbishment work. 

Later he settled in Budleigh Salterton, where he built his third "Temple" in 1812. He died, one source says of apoplexy, and is buried in the churchyard at East Budleigh, where his grave is marked by a simple inscription: "Sacred to the Memory of James Lackington who died at Budleigh Salterton November 25th. 1815 aged 70 years. (There is a separate article on Mary Turton – Moderator).  

(The National Portrait Gallery has portrait of James Lackington, see the link below.)  

Researched and written by © Cyril Cowland for publication by the Temple Methodist Church, Budleigh Salterton, 2005.

Sources include: 

Rev. H.W.White, Archivist & Historian for the Taunton and Wellington Circuits.

Roger Thorne     Archivist of the Plymouth and Exeter Methodist Districts.

Alan Ross

Miss F. Lovesey

Clifford Lackington Goodman

Victor Harris Collection, Belfast.

Miss S. Bond

West Country Studies Library, Exeter.

Fairlynch Museum, Budleigh Salterton.

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