See also
| Husband: | William Paley (1743-1805) | |
| Wife: | Catherine Dobinson (1742-1819) | |
| Marriage | 14 Dec 1795 | Saint Mary, Carlisle, Cumberland |
| Name: | William Paley | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | William Paley (1711-1799) | |
| Mother: | Elizabeth Clapham (1712-1796) | |
| Birth | Jul 1743 | Peterborough, Northamptonshire |
| Baptism | 30 Aug 1743 (age 0) | Peterborough Cathedral, Northamptonshire |
| Ordination | 21 Dec 1767 (age 24) | Ordained as Anglican priest |
| Occupation | 1782 (age 38-39) | -; Archdeacon of Carlisle |
| Death | 25 May 1805 (age 61) | Bishopwearmouth Rectory |
| Burial | 4 Jun 1805 | Carlisle Cathedral, Cumberland, north aisle |
| Name: | Catherine Dobinson | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Thomas Dobinson ( - ) | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | 1742 | Carlisle, Cumberland |
| Baptism | 22 Apr 1742 (age 0) | Saint Mary, Carlisle, Cumberland (source: IGI) |
| Death | 1819 (age 76-77) | |
William Paley, Doctor of Divinity, English theologian. Ordained in 1767, he lectured on moral philosophy at Christ's College, Cambridge. Made a prebendary of the cathedral church of Carlisle (1780), he became archdeacon of the diocese (1782), and chancellor (1785), the year he published Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy. He wrote Horae Paulinae (1790), in proof that the New Testament is not “a cunningly devised fable,” and A View of the Evidences of Christianity (1794), for which he is celebrated.
His book Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802) achieved great popularity. Paley's work strongly influenced Charles Darwin, who was "charmed and convinced of the long line of argumentation" (Autobiography). Paley's analogy of the watch inspired the title of Richard Dawkins's book "The Blind Watchmaker" (1986).
In 1825 a complete edition of Paley's writings was published by his son, Edmund Paley.
Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/william-paley
See also Dictionary of National Biography