The eldest son of Bernard Barton (d. 1773) and father of the Quaker poet Bernard Barton. He operated a bleaching business in Carlisle and London. William Roscoe was a friend.

CORRESPONDENCE OF John Barton:

John Barton to William Roscoe, [July 1788] in The Life of William Roscoe 2 vols (London: T. Cadell, 1833)