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John Newton - Childhood and Early Years at Sea 1725 - 1745

The son of a ship's captain involved in the Mediterranean trade for the East India Company, John Newton was born in Wapping, London on 24th July 1725. His mother, Elizabeth, was a religious woman who attended the dissenting chapel of Dr. David Jennings, a friend of Isaac Watts. Jennings had introduced his congregation to the new-fangled notion of hymn singing; they were quite familiar with Watts's hymn, 'When I survey the wondrous cross'. Elizabeth Newton also introduced her young son to Watts's 'Catechisms' for the young, as well as his 'Children's Hymns'. Her influence on John was unhappily short since she died at thirty from consumption when he was only six.

His father soon remarried and John went to live in Essex, at the home of his stepmother's father. Between the ages of eight and ten, he was sent to boarding school, where according to him 'instead of making progress, I nearly forgot all that my good mother had taught me... The day I was eleven years old, I went on board my father's ship in Longreach. I made five voyages with him to the Mediterranean'. (Richard Cecil's 'John Newton').

In 1742 his father left the sea. Deciding that his son's future, too, was to be on land he wrote to his friend, Joseph Manesty, a Liverpool merchant and ship owner, asking for patronage for his son. Manesty offered young John the position of slave overseer on a Jamaican plantation with the opportunity of becoming a planter before he was thirty. He accepted the offer but fate intervened. A few days before he was to leave, a letter arrived from his mother's cousin and close friend, Elizabeth Catlett, inviting him to stay if ever he was in Kent. His father wished John to undertake some business for him in Maidstone, very near the Catletts' home at Chatham. The visit was a great success, all the family being warm and friendly to the 17 year-old, who was especially taken with the 14 year-old daughter of the house, Mary, known as 'Polly'. Unable to tear himself away he lingered at Chatham until the West Indies ship had sailed. After three weeks he returned to face his father, who decided that his punishment should be to sail to the Middle East as a common seaman.

On John's return home his father secured for him an officer's berth, but before sailing the boy was given permission to visit the Catletts. His father warned him that until he joined the merchantman and obtained his certificate of exemption he would be vulnerable to the press gangs operating in coastal areas. Since hostilities with France were very likely, this was a distinct possibility. (Political tension between the two countries was escalating. This would in March of that year culminate in the War of Austrian Succession).

Again John overstayed his leave and by the time he finally left had again missed his ship. In disgrace he returned to his father. Initially angry, Captain Newton eventually relented and found his son another ship. Since there was a little time before sailing he went to his stepmother's home in Essex. This was near a ferry, enabling him to cross into Kent to see Polly; he could not resist the temptation and walked straight into a press gang.

This time his father couldn't get him out of trouble, despite coming to speak to the Royal Navy officers himself. The French were out and shots had been exchanged. So John Newton was impressed as an Able Seaman on HMS Harwich, a 50-gun man-of-war on 4th March 1744. A month later Captain Carteret read out the Declaration of War to his crew and shortly after Newton was summoned to the Captain's cabin. His father had asked that his son be promoted midshipman and the Captain was glad to oblige Captain Newton, who was by now, an employee of the Royal Africa Company. Was Newton grateful that his father had yet again used his influence and enabled him to escape from the conditions existing below decks? Was Newton grateful to Captain Carteret for this chance do his duty and serve his country with honour as a warrant officer? He was not! He overstayed his leave on several occasions, but at Christmas 1744, learning that HMS Harwich was going to the East Indies and wouldn't be returning for some five years, he prevailed upon the Captain to allow him ashore. Twenty-four hour leave was granted but Newton didn't return to his ship until 1st January. This time he had lost his Captain's goodwill completely.

At the end of February, the 'Harwich' and a convoy, including Indiamen and Guinea ships (i.e. ships trading with West Africa - the Guinea coast) set sail but bad weather resulted in several ships running aground near Torbay. March was spent repairing the damage and early in April Newton was ordered to take the longboat and fetch fresh provisions from Plymouth. All thoughts of duty to his father, his captain, his country left him; he only thought of Polly and the long period of separation. He deserted. His freedom lasted two days and then he ran into a party of marines, who arrested him and marched him the 24 miles back to Plymouth. He was kept for two days under guard before being returned to his ship. It now depended on how Captain Carteret would react; desertion was a hanging offence but the punishment for absence without leave was at the Captain's discretion. Newton was put in irons, again his father interceded on his behalf and begged Admiral Medley to exchange him to a merchant ship, but Captain Carteret refused to agree. Newton was publicly stripped and whipped, and when fit for duty again he returned not as midshipman but at the lowest rank of Ordinary Seaman. Six years later he was able to write that he had been 'degraded and punished as I well deserved' but at the time he thought himself hard done by and ill-used.

An opportunity to leave the ship legally came when the 'Harwich' was anchored at Madeira preparing for the long voyage to the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Carteret had pressed two skilled men from a Guinea ship and the Commodore had ordered Carteret to supply two from his crew so that the merchant ship would not be undermanned. Newton begged that he should be one of the men to be exchanged and although he was far more skilled than the usual exchanges allowed, Carteret agreed - he was probably glad to be rid of him. All was decided in half an hour and yet another extraordinary chapter in Newton's long life would open up.

Again Newton seemed to have landed on his feet since the Captain of the Guinea ship knew his father. The ship was involved in the triangular trade so John could expect to be home in about a year and not after the five years service in the Far East that HMS Harwich would require.

Joan McKillop
March 05

References

  • Newton, Rev. John: 'An Authentic Narrative', London 1764
  • Cecil, Rev. Richard: 'The Life of John Newton' edited by Marylynn Rouse, Rosshire Christian Focus 2000
  • Pollock, John: 'Newton The Liberator', London Hodder & Stoughton 1981



The press-gang (after a cartoon by Gilray)
[Courtesy of The Wesley Center Online http://wesley.nnu.edu/]


HMS Harwich - a 50 gun, 4th rate ship of the line,


An 18th century naval flogging

Images & text © 2009 The Cowper & Newton Museum (unless stated otherwise) website by Jeremy Cooper at oliomedia