Venn: Adm. sizar (age 21) at ST JOHN'S, Mar. 17, 1780. S. of Robert, maltster. B. [Feb. 25, 1759] at Skerton, Lancs. School, Lancaster. [Apprenticed to a surgeon about the age of 14, but decided to take Holy Orders and came to Cambridge.] ' Matric. Michs. 1783; B.A. 1784. Ord. deacon (York) Oct. 14, 1781; priest (Peterb.) Oct. 26, 1783; C. of Gargrave, Yorks., 1781. Resided for a short time in Lancaster, taking sermons there in 1785, but returned to Cambridge, where he was intimate with Charles Simeon and Henry Venn. C. of St John's, Lancaster, 1785. C. of Langton, Leics., 1786, residing at Market Harborough. C. of Markfield, 1788-c. 1791. Afternoon Lecturer at St Martin's, Leicester, 1792, and ‘for some time’ C. of Foston, Leics. Instrumental in raising subscriptions for building a new church, St Anne's, at Lancaster, of which he was incumbent, 1796-1836. Married (1) Dec. 30, 1784, Miss – Audley, of Cambridge; (2) Sept. 24, 1788, Jane Adams. Author, Sermons. Died Apr. 22, 1838, at Woodside, near Liverpool, at the house of his son-in-law, R. W. Prichard, Esq. Buried at Skerton. 'Monumental inscription.'M.I. in St Anne's Church, Lancaster. His Life and Remains were published in 1841 by his son, Robert Fletcher Housman.
| Year | Type | Name as Recorded | Location | Office/Status | Full Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1781 | Appt(Licensing) | Housman, Robert | Gargrave / | Curate | View |
| 1781 | Ordi(ordination) | Housman, Robert | / | deacon | View |
| 1783 | Ordi(letters dimissory) | Housman, Robert | / | priest | View |
| 1783 | Ordi(ordination) | Housman, Robert | / | priest | View |
| 1796 | Appt(Licensing) | Housman, Robert | Lancaster / Saint Ann's | Unknown | View |