John Fransham (1730–1810) was an English freethinker, eccentric, tutor and author. Early life Fransham was the son of Thomas and Isidora Fransham, born early in 1730 (baptised 19 March) in the parish of St. George of Colegate, Norwich, where his father was sexton or parish clerk. A relative enabled him to begin to study for the church. After that he scraped a living; John Taylor gave him free instruction, and he took lessons from W. Hemingway, a land surveyor. He then wrote for Marshall, an attorney, but was never articled. one of Marshall's clerks, John Chambers, afterwards recorder of Norwich, took trouble over him. He made the acquaintance of Joseph Clover, the veterinary surgeon, who employed him to take horses to be shod, and taught him mathematics in return for Fransham's help in classics. In 1748 he travelled north, but returned almost destitute. After this he worked with Daniel Wright, a freethinking journeyman weaver. The two sat facing each other, so that they could carry on discussions amid the rattle of their looms. Tutor After Wright's death, around 1750, Fransham devoted himself to teaching. For two or three years he was tutor in the family of Leman, a farmer at Hellesdon, Norfolk. He next took pupils at Norwich in Latin, Greek, French, and mathematics. He only taught for two hours a day, and had time to act as amanuensis to Samuel Bourn (1714–1796). He became a member of a society for philosophical experiment, founded by Peter Bilby. His reputation grew as a successful preliminary tutor for the universities; he took on more pupils, and started to build a library. In 1767 he spent nine months in London, carrying John Leedes, a former pupil, through his Latin examination at the College of Surgeons. In London he met Samuel Foote, who in his 'The Devil upon Two Sticks' (1768) caricatured teacher and pupil as Johnny Macpherson and Dr. Emanuel Last. On his return to Norwich, the Chute family, who had a country house at South Pickenham, allowed him (around 1771) to sleep at their Norwich house and to use the library. He taught (around 1772) in the family of Samuel Cooper, D.D., at Brooke Hall, Norfolk, on the terms of board and lodging from Saturday till Monday. This engagement he gave up, as the walk of over six miles out and in was too much for him. The death of young Chute