Poet and hymnodist William Cowper is born at the St Peter’s Rectory in 1731, the son of Rev John Cowper who serves as rector of St Peter’s from 1722 to 1756.
William Cowper becomes one of the most influential writers in Britain. Much of his work centres on his deep faith, and he is especially remembered today for a number of popular Evangelical hymns, including “Oh! for a closer walk with God” and “There is a fountain fill’d with blood”. Cowper’s hymns gave the English language the phrase “God moves in a mysterious way”. His poetry is admired by both Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. Cowper is also active with William Wilberforce in the anti-slavery movement. In the 1960s, he is quoted in speeches by Martin Luther King. Two windows in St Peter’s Church commemorate Cowper’s life and writing.
