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In 1760, when Joseph Priestley was 27 years old, his prospects as a minister did not appear to be very bright. His second congregation at Nantwich was small when he took over and remained so. There were never more than 60 members and not enough children to form a Sunday School. His school prospered, however, and he seemed more suited to the field of education than the ministry.
During this period he became acquainted with two families which were to affect his future life. A fellow dissenting minister was married to the sister of Josiah Wedgewood and Joseph and Josiah became good friends for life.
One of his pupils was William Wilkinson, son of a very prosperous iron works owner and Joseph visited the Wilkinson home frequently. It soon became apparent, however, that his interest was less in his student, William, than it was in William's sister, Mary, who later became Mrs. Joseph Priestley.
In 1761 he was offered the position of Professor of Languages at Warrington Academy so he gave up his church. The appointment to Warrington was a very important turning point in his life as he finally found himself surrounded by stimulating intellectuals and his social life was very congenial. In this environment he blossomed and some of his most interesting work, particularly in educational theory, came out of this period. He continued to be active in the ministry on a part-time basis and was ordained in 1762.
Characteristically, he believed in freedom in education as he did in politics. He encouraged his students to question what they were taught and to advance their own ideas for evaluation. He introduced many innovations in teaching theory and curricula. He introduced modern history, constitutional law, economics, and political science decades and, in some cases, a century before they became accepted parts of English teaching.
Among other heretical ideas he advocated compulsory education for all citizens at government expense.
His career at Warrington was so illustrious that the University of Edinburgh, in 1765, conferred an LL.D. degree to honor his educational contributions. This was the first public recognition of his talents.
Unfortunately, Warrington Academy did not prosper and Priestley's salary was a mere 100 pounds a year plus a house. He and Mary took in boarders to make ends meet. Finally, in 1767, his growing family made it impossible for him to continue as a teacher and he returned to full time ministry, accepting the invitation of the Mill Hill congregation at Leeds.