Newton slave ship 

‘Reflecting on my sinful life, I recalled how badly we had treated our African slaves. I concluded that the whole slave trade was wicked in the extreme. Some recollections haunt me to this day. I saw women and girls taken on board a ship, naked, trembling, terrified, almost exhausted with cold, fatigue and hunger. They were exposed to the wanton rudeness of white savages.’ ’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about slave ships

The above illustrations of a slave ship were photographed in St Mary Woolnoth Church, near the Bank of England. The exhibition is there because of the part played by its rector, John Newton in the abolition of the slave trade. 

Newton became a vocal advocate for abolition, using his influence to sway public opinion and support the efforts of politicians like William Wilberforce. His actions as an abolitionist were instrumental in the eventual end of the British slave trade.

Having been a slave in Africa and the captain of a slave ship, John Newton understood the evils of the slave trade better than most campaigners. The human rights he promoted were rooted in Christianity.