College, Oxford, during the presidency of Laud, and, graduating in 1619, proceeded to the degree of B.D. in 1630. After filling the office of senior proctor of the university, Atkinson accepted the living of South Warnborough in Hampshire, to which he was inducted 20 Jan. 1637–8. Towards the end of the same year, by virtue of an exchange with Dr. Peter Heylin, he became rector of Islip, near Oxford, and, dying a few weeks later, was buried in St. John's College chapel 6 Feb. 1638–9.
Atkinson is not known to have published anything; but he wrote two Latin poems, directed against Andrew Melvin, and styled ‘Andrei Melvini Anti-Tami-Cunicategoria’ and ‘Melvinus delirans’ respectively. A Latin tragedy entitled ‘Homo,’ bearing the signature Thomas Atkinson, may (almost certainly) be ascribed to the same author on these grounds: (1) It was dedicated to Laud in his capacity of president (Præses colendissime), which implies that a member of St. John's College wrote it; (2) There was at St. John's, during Laud's time, only one Thomas Atkinson of any note as a scholar. The MS. of ‘Homo’ is preserved in the Harleian library of the British Museum, No. 6925.
[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), iii. 556, iv. 444; Fasti (Bliss), i. 239, 386, 450, 456; Registers of St. John's Coll. Oxford; Parish Registers of South Warnborough and Islip.]
ATKINSON, THOMAS (1801?–1833), poet and miscellaneous writer, was a native of Glasgow, where he carried on business as a bookseller. He published, under his own editorship, the ‘Sextuple Alliance’ and the ‘Chameleon,’ and also a weekly periodical, the ‘Ant.’ After the passing of the Reform Bill, he became a candidate in the liberal interest for the representation of the Stirling burghs in parliament, but was unsuccessful. Over-exertion during the contest brought on a dangerous illness, which assumed the character of consumption, and he died on the passage to the Barbadoes, 10 Oct. 1833. Daniel Macmillan, founder of the publishing house of Macmillan & Co., was for some time Atkinson's shopman.
[Charles Rogers, Scottish Minstrel, 1870, pp. 272–73; J. Grant Wilson, Poets and Poetry of Scotland, vol. ii. 1877, pp. 230–33; Thomas Hughes, Memoir of Daniel Macmillan, 1882, pp. 10–16.]
ATKINSON, WILLIAM, D.D. (d. 1509), translator, a native of the diocese of York, was M.A. and fellow of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, in 1477, B.D. in 1485, and D.D. in 1498. He became a prebendary of Southwell in 1501, canon of Lincoln 7 March 1503–4, and canon of Windsor 25 Feb. 1506–7. He died 8 Aug. 1509, and was buried in St. George's chapel, Windsor. At the command of Margaret, countess of Richmond and Derby, mother of King Henry VII, Dr. Atkinson translated from the French three books of the ‘Imitation of Jesus Christ’ attributed to John Gerson. This translation was published in 1502, and again in 1503 and 1517, under the title of ‘A full deuoute & gostely treatyse of ye Imytacion & folowynge ye blessyd Lyfe of our most mercifull Sauiour Cryst.’
[Le Neve's Fasti Eccl. Anglic.; Ames's Typographical Antiquities, ed. Herbert, 138, 231, 249, 322; Tanner's Bibl. Brit. 55; Cooper's Athen. Cantab. i. 13.]
ATKINSON, WILLIAM (1773?–1839), architect, was born at Bishop's Auckland, near Durham. He began life as a carpenter. Through the patronage of the then bishop of Durham, he became a pupil of James Wyatt. In 1795 he obtained the Academy gold medal for designs for a court of justice. In 1805 he published ‘Picturesque Views of Cottages,’ 4to, London. He had many pupils, and was practically and theoretically an able architect. He was engaged on many important works, and built several large mansions, amongst them Lord Mansfield's house at Scone. ‘He died 22 May 1839, aged 66, at his residence at Cobham, Surrey … and is buried at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. He was a most excellent chemist, geologist, and botanist, excelling in the latter science to an extraordinary degree. The well-known Roman cement, called, from himself, Atkinson's cement, was introduced by him to the London market.’
[Redgrave's Dict. of Painters; the Architectural Publication Society's Dictionary of Architecture, 1853.]
ATKINSON, WILLIAM (1757–1846), poetical writer, was born at Thorpe Arch, in the ainsty of the city of York, in 1757, and was the son of a clergyman. He was admitted a sizar of Jesus College, Cambridge, 29 Dec. 1775, graduated B.A. in 1780, was elected a fellow of his college, and proceeded to the degree of M.A. in 1783. Having taken orders he was appointed lecturer at the parish church of Bradford, in Yorkshire, and subsequently, in 1792, he was presented by the lord chancellor to the rectory of Warham All Saints, in Norfolk. He died at Thorpe Arch 30 Sept. 1846. Mr. Atkinson published a small volume of ‘Poetical Essays,’ Leeds, 1786, 4to, which was most sarcasti-
