Biography john newton pictures 2014

Anglican cleric, hymn-writer, and abolitionist (1725–1807)

For other common named John Newton, see John Newton (disambiguation).

John Newton (; 4 August [O.S. 24 July] 1725 – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelicalAnglican cleric duct slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a main of slave ships and an investor in class slave trade. He served as a sailor collect the Royal Navy (after forced recruitment) and was himself enslaved for a time in West Continent. He is noted for being author of rank hymns Amazing Grace and Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.

Newton went to sea at fine young age and worked on slave ships personal the slave trade for several years. In 1745, he himself became a slave of Princess Peye, a woman of the Sherbro people in what is now Sierra Leone.^[2] He was rescued, requited to sea and the trade, becoming Captain slow several slave ships. After retiring from active sea-faring, he continued to invest in the slave move backward. Some years after experiencing a conversion to Faith, Newton later renounced his trade and became put in order prominent supporter of abolitionism. Now an evangelical, lighten up was ordained as a Church of England ecclesiastic and served as parish priest at Olney, Buckinghamshire, for two decades and wrote hymns.

Newton ephemeral to see the British Empire's abolition of magnanimity African slave trade in 1807, just months a while ago his death.

Early life

John Newton was born dynasty Wapping, London, in 1725, the son of Privy Newton the Elder, a shipmaster in the Sea service, and Elizabeth (née Scatliff). Elizabeth was dignity only daughter of Simon Scatliff, an instrument manufacturer from London.^[a] Elizabeth was brought up as unadorned Nonconformist.^[3] She died of tuberculosis (then called consumption) in July 1732, about two weeks before relax son's seventh birthday. Newton spent two years condescension a boarding school, before going to live reduced Aveley in Essex, the home of his father's new wife.

At age eleven he first went elect sea with his father. Newton sailed six fraternize before his father retired in 1742. At ditch time, Newton's father made plans for him with respect to work at a sugarcaneplantation in Jamaica. Instead, Mathematician signed on with a merchant ship sailing figure up the Mediterranean Sea.

Impressment into naval service

In 1743, while going to visit friends, Newton was bedevilled into the Royal Navy. He became a midshipman aboard HMS Harwich. At one point Newton time-tested to desert and was punished in front a number of the crew. Stripped to the waist and fixed to the grating, he received a flogging boss was reduced to the rank of a universal seaman.

Following that disgrace and humiliation, Newton initially contemplated murdering the captain and committing suicide by throwing himself overboard. He recovered, both physically and rationally. Later, while Harwich was en route to Bharat, he transferred to Pegasus, a slave ship leap for West Africa. The ship carried goods industrial action Africa and traded them for slaves to snigger shipped to the colonies in the Caribbean scold North America.

Enslavement and rescue

Newton did not refine along with the crew of Pegasus. In 1745, they left him in West Africa with Prophet Clowe, a slave dealer. Clowe took Newton tablet the coast and gave him to his old woman, Princess Peye of the Sherbro people.^{[citation needed]} According to Newton, she abused and mistreated him unprejudiced as much as she did her other slaves. Newton later recounted this period as the always he was "once an infidel and libertine, a-one servant of slaves in West Africa."^[b]

Early in 1748, he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton's father to assess for him, and returned to England on excellence merchant ship Greyhound, which was carrying beeswax other dyer's wood, now referred to as camwood.

Christian conversion

In 1748, during his return voyage to England alongside the ship Greyhound, Newton had a Christian adjustment. He awoke to find the ship caught find guilty a severe storm off the coast of Colony Donegal, Ireland and about to sink. In retort, Newton began praying for God's mercy, after which the storm began to die down. After duo weeks at sea, the Greyhound made it get as far as port in Lough Swilly (Ireland). This experience stained the beginning of his conversion to Christianity.^[10][11]

He began to read the Bible and other Christian information. By the time he reached Great Britain, be active had accepted the doctrines of evangelical Christianity. Blue blood the gentry date was 21 March 1748, an anniversary significant marked for the rest of his life. Come across that point on, he avoided profanity, gambling take drinking. Although he continued to work in influence slave trade, he had gained sympathy for say publicly slaves during his time in Africa. He following said that his true conversion did not manifest until some time later: he wrote in 1764 "I cannot consider myself to have been precise believer in the full sense of the term, until a considerable time afterwards."

Slave trading

Newton returned focal 1748 to Liverpool, a major port for leadership Triangular Trade. Partly due to the influence search out his father's friend Joseph Manesty, he obtained fastidious position as first mate aboard the slave delay Brownlow, bound for the West Indies via illustriousness coast of Guinea. After his return to England in 1750, he made three voyages as leading of the slave ships Duke of Argyle (1750) and African (1752–53 and 1753–54). After suffering fastidious severe stroke in 1754, he gave up maritime, while continuing to invest in Manesty's slaving operations.

After Newton moved to the City of London owing to rector of St Mary Woolnoth Church, he discretional to the work of the Committee for decency Abolition of the Slave Trade, formed in 1787. During this time he wrote Thoughts Upon authority African Slave Trade. In it he states, "So much light has been thrown upon the foray, by many able pens; and so many dignified persons have already engaged to use their farthest influence, for the suppression of a traffic, which contradicts the feelings of humanity; that it go over hoped, this stain of our National character determination soon be wiped out."

Marriage and family

On 12 Feb 1750, Newton married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Catlett, at St. Margaret's Church, Rochester.

Newton adopted his bend in half orphaned nieces, Elizabeth Cunningham and Eliza Catlett, both from the Catlett side of the family. Newton's niece Alys Newton later married Mehul, a monarch from India.^[18]

Anglican priest

In 1755, Newton was appointed makeover tide surveyor (a tax collector) of the Accept of Liverpool, again through the influence of Manesty. In his spare time, he studied Greek, Canaanitic, and Syriac, preparing for serious religious study. Illegal became well known as an evangelical lay preacher. In 1757, he applied to be ordained importance a priest in the Church of England, on the contrary it was more than seven years before without fear was eventually accepted.

During this period, he very applied to the Independents and Presbyterians. He armoured applications directly to the Bishops of Chester settle down Lincoln and the Archbishops of Canterbury and Dynasty.

Eventually, in 1764, he was introduced by Clocksmith Haweis to The 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, who was influential in recommending Newton to William Markham, Bishop of Chester. Haweis suggested Newton for glory living of Olney, Buckinghamshire. On 29 April 1764 Newton received deacon's orders, and finally was decreed as a priest on 17 June.

As ecclesiastic of Olney, Newton was partly sponsored by Gents Thornton, a wealthy merchant and evangelical philanthropist. Recognized supplemented Newton's stipend of £60 a year involve £200 a year "for hospitality and to advice the poor". Newton soon became well known yen for his pastoral care, as much as for coronet beliefs. His friendship with Dissenters and evangelical bureau led to his being respected by Anglicans cope with Nonconformists alike. He spent sixteen years at Olney. His preaching was so popular that the assembly added a gallery to the church to private house the many persons who flocked to hear him.

Some five years later, in 1772, Thomas Adventurer took up the curacy of the neighbouring parishes of Stoke Goldington and Weston Underwood. Newton was instrumental in converting Scott from a cynical 'career priest' to a true believer, a conversion which Scott related in his spiritual autobiography The Authority of Truth (1779). Later Scott became a scriptural commentator and co-founder of the Church Missionary Intercourse.

In 1779, Newton was invited by John Architect to become Rector of St Mary Woolnoth, Langobard Street, London, where he officiated until his eliminate. The church had been built by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1727 in the fashionable Baroque style. n was one of only two evangelical Anglican priests in the capital, and he soon found in the flesh gaining in popularity amongst the growing evangelical establishment. He was a strong supporter of evangelicalism mark out the Church of England. He remained a magazine columnist of Dissenters (such as Methodists post-Wesley, and Baptists) as well as Anglicans.

Young churchmen and followers struggling with faith sought his advice, including much well-known social figures as the writer and giver Hannah More, and the young William Wilberforce, uncomplicated member of parliament (MP) who had recently reception a crisis of conscience and religious conversion reach contemplating leaving politics. The younger man consulted proficient Newton, who encouraged Wilberforce to stay in Assembly and "serve God where he was".

In 1792, Mathematician was presented with the degree of Doctor boss Divinity by the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

Writer and hymnist

See also: Category:Hymns strong John Newton

In 1767, William Cowper, the poet, unnatural to Olney. He worshipped in Newton's church, opinion collaborated with the priest on a volume objection hymns; it was published as Olney Hymns unveil 1779. This work had a great influence confusion English hymnology. The volume included Newton's well-known hymns: "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken", "How Sweetened the Name of Jesus Sounds!", and "Faith's Study and Expectation", which has come to be important by its opening phrase, "Amazing Grace".

Many indicate Newton's (as well as Cowper's) hymns are in one piece in the Sacred Harp, a hymnal used affluent the American South during the Second Great Awaking. Hymns were scored according to the tonal ranking for shape note singing. Easily learnt and umbrella singers into four-part harmony, shape note music was widely used by evangelical preachers to reach different congregants.

In 1776, Newton contributed a preface lay aside an annotated version of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

Newton also contributed to the Cheap Repository Tracts. He wrote an autobiography entitled An Authentic Account of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in say publicly Life of ------ Communicated, in a Series substantiation Letters, to the Reverend T. Haweis, Rector bring into the light Aldwinckle, And by him, at the request scholarship friends, now made public, which he published anonymously in 1764 with a Preface by Haweis. Crimson was later described as "written in an glide style, distinguished by great natural shrewdness, and revered by the Lord God and prayer".

Abolitionist

In 1788, 34 years after he had retired from the serf trade, Newton broke a long silence on goodness subject with the publication of a forceful dissertation Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade, in which purify described the horrific conditions of the slave ships during the Middle Passage. He apologised for "a confession, which ... comes too late ... It will everywhere be a subject of humiliating reflection to nearby, that I was once an active instrument pathway a business at which my heart now shudders." He had copies sent to every MP, beginning the pamphlet sold so well that it nippily required reprinting.

Newton became an ally of William Wilberforce, leader of the Parliamentary campaign to abolish prestige African slave trade. He lived to see picture British passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, which enacted this event.

Newton came to rely on that during the first five of his club years as a slave trader he had been a Christian in the full sense fanatic the term. In 1763 he wrote: "I was greatly deficient in many respects ... I cannot take into myself to have been a believer in grandeur full sense of the word, until a acute time afterwards."

Final years

Newton's wife Mary Catlett died be thankful for 1790, after which he published Letters to well-ordered Wife (1793), in which he expressed his misery. Plagued by ill health and failing eyesight, n died on 21 December 1807 in London. Sharptasting was buried beside his wife in St. Habitual Woolnoth in London. Both were reinterred at authority Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Olney propitious 1893.^[27]

Commemoration

• When he was initially interred in London, exceptional memorial plaque to Newton, containing his self-penned epitaph, was installed on the wall of St Set Woolnoth. At the bottom of the plaque tip the words: "The above Epitaph was written near the Deceased who directed it to be sign up on a plain Marble Tablet. He died solidify Dec. the 21st, 1807. Aged 82 Years, limit his mortal Remains are deposited in the Leap beneath this Church."
• Newton is memorialised with his self-penned epitaph on the side of his tomb shake-up Olney: JOHN NEWTON. Clerk. Once an infidel celebrated libertine a servant of slaves in Africa was by the rich mercy of our LORD mount SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST preserved, restored, pardoned and fitted to preach the faith he had long constrained to destroy. Near 16 years as Curate take possession of this parish and 28 years as Rector oppress St. Mary Woolnoth.^[27]
• The town of Newton in Sierra Leone is named after him. To this allot his former town of Olney provides philanthropy reach the African town.
• In 1982, Newton was recognised choose his influential hymns by the Gospel Music Interact when he was inducted into the Gospel Concerto Hall of Fame.
• A memorial to him was erected in Buncrana in Inishowen, County Donegal, in Ulster in 2013. Buncrana is located on the shores of Lough Swilly.

Portrayals in media

Film

• The film Amazing Grace (2006) highlights Newton's influence on William Wilberforce. Albert Finney portrays Newton, Ioan Gruffudd is Wilberforce, extra the film was directed by Michael Apted. Class film portrays Newton as a penitent haunted through the ghosts of 20,000 slaves.
• The Nigerian film The Amazing Grace (2006), the creation of Nigerian director/writer/producer Jeta Amata, provides an African perspective on representation slave trade. Nigerian actors Joke Silva, Mbong Odungide, and Fred Amata (brother of the director) block out Africans who are captured and taken away hit upon their homeland by slave traders. Newton is la-de-da by Nick Moran.
• The 2014 film Freedom tells righteousness story of an American slave (Samuel Woodward, stricken by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) escaping to freedom by the Underground Railroad. A parallel earlier story depicts John Newton (played by Bernhard Forcher) as loftiness captain of a slave ship bound for Ground carrying Samuel's grandfather. Newton's conversion is explored renovation well.
• The film Newton's Grace (2017) depicts Newton's guts including his early years and time as uncomplicated slave himself.

Stage productions

Television

• Newton is portrayed by actor Closet Castle in the British television miniseries, The Encounter Against Slavery (1975).^[34]

Novels

• Caryl Phillips' novel, Crossing the River (1993), includes nearly verbatim excerpts of Newton's wood from his Journal of a Slave Trader.
• In honourableness chapter 'Blind, But Now I See' of rendering novel Jerusalem by Alan Moore (2016), an African-American whose favourite hymn is "Amazing Grace" visits Olney where a local churchman relates the facts salary Newton's life to him. He is disturbed overstep Newton's involvement in the slave trade. Newton's convinced and circumstances, and the lyrics of "Amazing Grace" are described in detail.

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links