Isaac Watts - Stoke Newington Church Street, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 33.740 W 000° 04.670
30U E 702538 N 5716408
This plaque is attached to a stone gatepost on the north side of Stoke Newington Church Street. The plaque indicates that Isaac Watts "hymn-writer and poet stayed here 1734 - 1748" at Abney House.
Waymark Code: WMXJFK
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/19/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member fi67
Views: 2

The wording on the London Borough of Hackney plaque reads:

London Borough of Hackney

The gateway to
Abney House
which stood here 1700 -1843

Isaac Watts
Hymn-writer and poet
stayed here
1734 - 1748

The Encyclopaedia Britannica website has an article about Isaac Watts that advises:

Isaac Watts, (born July 17, 1674, Southampton, Hampshire, England—died November 25, 1748, Stoke Newington, London), English Nonconformist minister, regarded as the father of English hymnody.

Watts, whose father was a Nonconformist, studied at the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington, London, which he left in 1694. In 1696 he became tutor to the family of Sir John Hartopp of Stoke Newington (a centre of religious dissent) and of Freeby, Leicestershire, and preached his first sermons in the family chapel at Freeby. He was appointed assistant to the minister of Mark Lane Independent (i.e., Congregational) Chapel, London, in 1699 and in March 1702 became full pastor. He was apparently an inspiring preacher. Because of a breakdown in health (1712) he went to stay, intending a week’s visit, with Sir Thomas Abney in Hertfordshire; he remained with the Abneys for the rest of his life.

Watts wrote educational books on geography, astronomy, grammar, and philosophy, which were widely used throughout the 18th century. He is now best known, however, for his hymns. The famous hymns were written during Watts’s Mark Lane ministry. His first collection of hymns and sacred lyrics was Horae Lyricae (1706), quickly followed by Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), which included “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “There Is a Land of Pure Delight,” and others that have become known throughout Protestant Christendom. The most famous of all his hymns, “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” (from his paraphrase of Psalms 90), and “Jesus Shall Reign” (part of his version of Psalms 72), almost equally well known, were published in The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament . . . (1719). He also wrote religious songs especially for children; these were collected in Divine Songs for the Use of Children (1715).

Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit and describe your experience. Additional photos and information about the site or poet/author are appreciated.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Dead Poets' Society Memorials
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
OrientGeo visited Isaac Watts - Stoke Newington Church Street, London, UK 03/12/2021 OrientGeo visited it