Life

Brewster was the son of the Rev. Richard Brewster, M.A., vicar of Heighington

Heighington

Heighington can refer to two places in England:*Heighington, County Durham*Heighington, LincolnshireIt is also the surname of the following people:*Chris Heighington, Australian rugby league footballer...

 in County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

. He received his education at the grammar school of Newcastle-upon-Tyne under Hugh Moises, and at Lincoln College, Oxford

Lincoln College, Oxford

Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1775, and M.A. in 1778. He was appointed curate of Stockton-on-Tees

Stockton-on-Tees

Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...

 in 1776, and lecturer there in 1777. In 1791 he was presented to the vicarage of Greatham

Greatham

Greatham may refer to:*Greatham, County Durham*Greatham, Hampshire*Greatham, West Sussex...

, benefice he held until 1799, when he became vicar of Stockton through the patronage of Bishop Shute Barrington

Shute Barrington

Shute Barrington was an English churchman, Bishop of Llandaff in Wales, as well as Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham in England.-Life:...

. Barrington later preferred him to the rectories of Redmarshall

Redmarshall

Redmarshall is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. Redmarshall is situated to the west of Stockton-on-Tees, the Village is also located just north of the A66 which is one of the main Trunk routes in, out and through...

 in 1805, Boldon in 1809, and Egglescliffe

Egglescliffe

Egglescliffe is a village and civil parish which for ceremonial purposes is in County Durham, England. Administratively it is located in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It was formerly part of the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland....

in 1814.

He died at Egglescliffe 28 November 1842, aged 89.

Works

His chief work was his
'Parochial History and Antiquities of Stockton-on-Tees,' published in quarto at Stockton in 1796. A second and enlarged edition was printed in 1829, octavo. His other works were:
'Sermons for Prisons,' &c., 1790, 8vo.
'On the Prevention of Crimes and the Advantages of Solitary Confinement,' 1790, 8vo.
'Meditations of a Recluse, chiefly on Religious Subjects,' 1800, 12mo.
'A Thanksgiving Sermon for the Peace,' 1802.
'A Secular Essay, containing a View of Events connected with the Ecclesiastical History of England during the 18th Century.' 1802, 8vo.
'The Restoration of Family Worship recommended, in Discourses selected, with alterations, from Dr. Doddridge.' 1804, 8vo.
'Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles.' 1806, 2 vols. 8vo.
'Of the Religious Improvement of Prisons, an Assize Sermon,' 1808.
'Meditations for the Aged, adapted to the Progress of Human Life,' 1810, 8vo; four editions.
'Meditations for Penitents.' 1813.
'Reflections adapted to the Holy Seasons of the Christian and Ecclesiastical Year,' 12mo.
'Reflections upon the Ordination Service.' 12mo.
'Contemplations on the Last Discourses of our Blessed Saviour with His Disciples as recorded in the Gospel of St. John,' 1822, 8vo.
'A Sketch of the History of Churches in England, applied to the purposes of the Society for Promoting the Building and Enlargement of Churches and Chapels,' 1818.
'An Abridgment of Cave's Primitive Christianity.'
'Memoir of the Rev. Hugh Moises, A.M.;' privately printed in 1823, and reprinted in Nichols's 'Illustrations of Literature,' vol. v.