Newton , John , 1725-1807 , clergyman and poet

John Newton was born in Wapping, London, in 1725. He was the son of a master mariner and went to sea aged 11. As a young sailor he was heavily involved in the slave trade, something he regretted in later life. From 1748-1749 onwards Newton was deeply religious in the evangelical Christian tradition. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1764 and was curate-in-charge at Olney, Buckinghamshire, for 16 years until he was given the benefice of St Mary Woolnoth, City of London, in 1780. Newton also wrote religious poetry and was close friends with the poet William Cowper. His prose works include a memoir detailing his early life as a slave trader, as well as published collections of his letters and sermons.