Olney Hymns in Three Books

John Newton (1725-1807) was an English sailor, in the Royal Navy for a period, and later a captain of slave ships. He became ordained as an evangelical Anglican cleric, served Olney, Buckinghamshire for two decades, and also wrote hymns, known for "Amazing Grace" and "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken".Newton started his career at sea at a young age, and worked on slave ships in the slave trade for several years, even after having a Christian conversion. Although Newton continued in the slave trade for several years, he later became a prominent supporter of abolitionism, living to see Britain's abolition of the African slave trade in 1807.In 1982 Newton was recognized for his influential hymns by the Gospel Music Association when he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.