Born: June 16, 1825, Norwich, Norfolk, England.
Baptized: October 30, 1825, St. Stephen’s Church, Norwich, England.
Died: September 2, 1898, at his home The Elms
in Thurmaston, Leicestershire.
Buried: Belgrave Cemetery, Red Hill Way, Leicester, England.
Betts was the only son of Henry Betts (one time Baptist minister in Yarmouth) and Charlotte Maltby.
He entered the Baptist ministry in 1847, and served first at the Romney Street Chapel, Westminster, London. While there, he became friends with Charles Spurgeon, who was beginning to attract attention as a preacher.
Betts went on to serve at Edinburgh, Scotland; Trinity Chapel, Bradford, Yorkshire; Manchester; Grange Road, Darlington; and Rye Hill, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. For some years he edited the Primitive Church Magazine.