The Reverend Robert Eckett (26 November 1797 - 28 July 1862) was a Methodist clergyman and local politician. Born in Yorkshire, his family moved to London when he was a young child. At the age of 14 he was orphaned, and started employment in various occupations to support himself and his sister. At 16 he became a teacher at a Methodist Sunday School and at 18 a preacher. In 1838 he was ordained as a minister, having studied theology at the University of London. He died suddenly while visiting Bristol in 1862, aged 64.