Augustus Montague Toplady

TOPLADY, Augustus Montague. b. Farnham, Surrey, 4 November 1740; d. Kensington, London, 11 August 1778. He was the son of an army officer, Richard Toplady, who was killed at the siege of Carthagena in 1741. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Dublin. He was converted by a travelling Methodist preacher, James Morris, and was associated with the Methodists until he began to differ from John Wesley* because of his (Toplady’s) strong adherence to Calvinist views. He took Holy Orders (deacon 1762, priest, 1764), becoming curate of Blagdon, Somerset, and of Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, and later (ca. 1768) vicar of Broadhembury, Devon. He wrote The Church of England...