Biography
William Cowper was born in Berkhamsted in 1731, the son of an Anglican clergyman. His mother died when he was six. Educated at Westminster School, he later trained for the law, but severe mental distress repeatedly interrupted the course of his life.[1] [2]
During treatment at St Albans he developed an evangelical Christian commitment. Friendship and practical care were essential to his later years. His relationship with John Newton at Olney led to their collaboration on Olney Hymns.[1] [2]
Cowper also became an important English poet. His work included The Task, the comic narrative of John Gilpin, and translations of Homer. The range matters: he was a literary craftsman whose work extended beyond the devotional lines for which churches often remember him.[1]
His religious writing should not be used to turn his illness into a simple lesson about insufficient faith. His life includes serious suffering, dependence on friends, and periods in which assurance was difficult. Those experiences stand beside the hope expressed in his hymns.[1] [2]
He continued writing in his final years and died at East Dereham on 25 April 1800. His poems influenced later writers, while his hymns remain part of Christian worship. Reading the complete works gives a fuller understanding than collecting only his most familiar phrases.[1]