WHITBY, a seaport town in the north riding of the county of York, in a locality distinguished as the Liberties of Whitby Strand, 242 miles from London. It stands at the mouth of the river Eske, which divides it into two parts; and it consists of several streets, which are steep and narrow. The mouth of the river forms the harbour, which is protected from the fury of the ocean by two outer and inner piers. Adjoining the inner harbour are spacious dock-yards and dry docks. The trade of the town is extensive, many ships being employed in the coal and freestone trade; and near it are some extensive alum-works, which add to its commerce. The business of ship-building is carried on, and, with the subsidiary branches connected with it, creates occupation for a large class of the inhabitants. Whitby is a place of great antiquity, as there are records of a convent having been built there by Oswy, king of Northumberland, in the seventh century; which was afterwards destroyed by the Danes, and was restored to its former splendour after the Norman conquest. The town has, by the act of 1832, received the right of returning one member to the House of Commons. It has no corporate body. There are places of worship for the various bodies of dissenters, and also a number of benevolent institutions for the relief of the destitute. The market is on Saturday, and is well supplied with all provisions. The population amounted in 1821 to 8697, and 1831 to 7765.

Whitby, Daniel, a learned divine, was born at Rushden in Northamptonshire in the year 1638. in 1653 he was admitted of Trinity College, Oxford, and was elected a scholar in 1655. He took the degree of A. B. in 1657, and of A. Μ. in 1660. In 1664 he was elected a fellow of his college, and about the same time began to distinguish himself by the publication of some controversial works against the papists. The credit which he thus obtained recommended him to Dr Ward, bishop of Salisbury, who appointed him his chaplain, and in 1668 collated him to two different prebends in that cathedral. In 1672 he was admitted precentor of the same church, and about the same time took the degree of D. D. He was likewise preferred to the rectory of St Edmund’s at Salisbury; but his next publication had no tendency to advance him in the church. It appeared anonymously, under the title of “The Prostestant Reconciler; humbly pleading for Condescension to Dissenting Brethren in things indifferent and unnecessary, for the sake of peace, and shewing how unreasonable it is to make such things necessary Conditions of Communion.” Lond. 1683, 8vo. The churchmen of that period were unprepared for the reception of such doctrines; and the author was immediately exposed to a storm of controversial abuse. The bishop obliged him to make a formal retractation; and in a second part of the Protestant Reconciler, he endeavoured in some measure to recover the good opinion of his more bigoted brethren. He now sent to the press a treatise on a less hazardous subject; “Ethices Compendium, in usum academicae juventutis.” Oxon. 1684, 8vo. His most important work, the principal labour of fifteen years, was his Paraphrase and Commentary on the New Testament, published in 1700, in two volumes folio. He afterwards published additional annotations, and an “Examen variantium Lectionum Johannis Millii in Novum Testamentum.” Among the other works which he produced, we must not overlook “The Necessity and Usefulness of the Christian Revelation, by reason of the Corruptions of the Principles of Natural Religion among Jews and Heathens.” Lond. 1705, 8vo. In 1710 he published two works against Calvinism. One of these, a Discourse with a long title, is commonly described as Whitby on the five Points. In 1711 he published a Latin treatise on original sin. According to Bishop Tomline, he confuted Calvinism almost to a demonstration; but the bishop was himself a very slender and superficial theologian. One of Dr Whitby’s [7:21:874]works might be advantageously reprinted in the present state of controversial discussion: “Dissertatio de Scripturarum Interpretatione secundum Patrum Commentarios.” Lond. 1714, 8vo. The scope of this dissertation is to evince, by copious examples, that the fathers are for the most part very incompetent and unsafe guides in matters of theological controversy. Dr Whitby had now become a decided Arian; and to these opinions, apparently derived from Dr Clarke, he adhered till the time of his death. Having preached at St Edmund’s church on the preceding day, he died on the 24th of March 1726, at the age of eighty-eight. Of the changes in his creed he left an account in “The last Thoughts of Dr Whitby, containing his Correction of several Passages in his Commentary on the New Testament. To which are added five Discourses.” Lond. 1727, 8vo. This posthumous publication was accompanied with an account of his life by Dr Sykes.