Islington blue plaque: Newington Green memorial to philosopher and theologian Dr Richard Price

From a Newington Green house, a philosopher and theologian corresponded with peers including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, helping to shape the US constitution.

Now a blue plaque has been installed to honour a man described as a “mathematical genius and forward-thinking philosopher and theologian whose influence is still felt today”.

Those are the words of the BBC’s Huw Edwards, who unveiled the memorial to Welsh philosopher and preacher Dr Richard Price

The English Heritage honour, revealed on Wednesday, commemorates the 300th anniversary of the philosopher’s birth.

Price, a pioneer of actuarial science, is considered one of the greatest Welsh thinkers of all time.

Newington Green home

The blue plaque is at Price’s former home, in what is believed to be the oldest surviving terrace in London.

The red brick house at 54 Newington Green dates from 1658 and still has the arched entrance through which Price would have ridden on his favourite white horse. Some interior features that Price would have recognised remain, including an early 18th-century staircase.

He lived in the house from around 1758 to 1787 and it was from the turret chamber, in which he studied, that he wrote letters to the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, with whom he enjoyed close friendships.

His advice on the concept of liberty – that it was not the mere absence of restraint, but “to have the same expectation for others as we have for ourselves” – helped to shape the United States constitution.

Price’s support for the American revolution led to his house being searched.

English Heritage

English Heritage’s Howard Spencer said: “From economics and statistics to politics, religion and philosophy, Richard Price’s achievements are incredibly varied.

“He was a true man of the age of enlightenment and it is particularly exciting to commemorate him here in Newington Green, where we know he spent many years, and on a building of such note.”

Huw Edwards

Journalist, presenter and newsreader Huw Edwards said: “There is no doubt that Richard Price deserves to be a household name.

“He was a mathematical genius and forward-thinking philosopher and theologian whose influence is still felt today.

“I hope English Heritage’s new plaque will go some way towards getting him the recognition he deserves.”

Friends and neighbours

Price’s friends during his time in Newington Green included Joseph Priestley, with whom he corresponded on his discoveries on “purified air” (oxygen) and whose own blue plaque is in Hackney; Mary Wollstonecraft, who ran a school on Newington Green and was part of Price’s congregation; her husband William Godwin; and the prison reformer John Howard, who has a blue plaque on Great Ormond Street.

The poet Samuel Rogers lived two doors away as a boy, and he remembered how much Price enjoyed “the society of the young and loved to contribute to their amusement”.

There is a memorial to Price in the Unitarian Chapel where he preached, a short distance from his Newington Green house.

“His eminent talents were matched by his integrity, simplicity and goodness of heart,” says its inscription.

The English Heritage London Blue Plaques scheme is supported by members of the public.