John Newton

@Anglican Clergyman, Family and Childhood

John Newton was an English sailor and Anglican clergyman

Jul 24, 1725

HumanitarianPhilanthropistsBritishMiscellaneousPriestsLeo Celebrities
Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: July 24, 1725
  • Died on: December 21, 1807
  • Nationality: British
  • Famous: Anglican Clergyman, Sailor, Humanitarian, Philanthropists, Miscellaneous, Priests
  • Spouses: Mary Catlett
  • Birth Place: Wapping, London
  • Gender: Male

John Newton born at

Wapping, London

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Birth Place

In 1750, he married his long-time love and childhood sweetheart, Mary Catlett. The wedding ceremony was organised at the St. Margaret's Church, Rochester.

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Personal Life

He adopted two of his orphaned nieces. They were, Elizabeth and Eliza Catlett.

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Personal Life

He authored an anonymous autobiography titled, 'An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in the Life of ------ Communicated, in a Series of Letters, to the Reverend T. Haweiss'.

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Personal Life

John Newton was born in Wapping, London to John Newton Sr, a shipmaster and Elizabeth, an instrument maker. He lost his mother to tuberculosis at the age of six.

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Childhood & Early Life

He later relocated to Aveley, where he lived with his father and his new wife. He was then sent to a boarding school. By the time he turned eleven, he went to the sea with his father.

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Childhood & Early Life

Before his father retired in 1742, he had already been on six voyages with him. Even though his father wanted him to work in sugar plantation, he opted to sail with a merchant ship.

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Childhood & Early Life

In 1743, he was captured, while he was visiting a set of his friends, and was forced to become a part of the naval services by the Royal Navy. He was appointed as a midshipman aboard ‘HMS Harwich’.

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Career

During his service with the Royal Navy, he unsuccessfully tried to escape and was punished in front of a crew of 350 members for the same. He was stripped to waist and was demoted as a seaman.

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Career

Humiliated by the punishment, he wished to kill the captain for the disgrace he faced. He even had suicidal thoughts and longed to jump into the sea and end his life. However, before either of the extremes was acted upon, he recovered from the humiliation.

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Career

When ‘HMS Harwich’ was en-routed to India, he was shifted to the slave ship, ‘Pegasus’, which was going to South Africa. The ship carried goods and slaves to be sold in England and other countries.

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Career

Since he created a lot of problems for the crew aboard ‘Pegasus’, he was left in South Africa with a slave dealer named, Amos Clowe, who gave him to his wife, Princess Peye, an African duchess.

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Career

In 1792, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, conferred by the College of New Jersey.

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Awards & Achievements