The Reverend James Pearson was born in 1825 and died in 1886. Little is known of his life but his work on tidal predictions is still valid today.

He published two monographs on the subject, Computation of Tides and An Elementary Treatise on the Tides and was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in recognition of his work.

In later life, he was the Vicar of Fleetwood. 

The respect in which he was held in the town and the extent of his involvement in its communal life is revealed by the large numbers of people from all walks of life who attended his funeral in April 1886.

Both of his books are available in Fleetwood Reference Library