In the same year he was ordained a priest, and became a chaplain in the Royal Navy, in which he served till 1845, when he was placed on the retired list.
During his service at sea he saw much of the slave trade on the African coast, of which he afterwards published an account in two works.
An early publication, entitled 'Poems on Several Occasions' (chiefly love poems), was dedicated to his uncle, Oliver Hill, but in after years he repented of this production.
On 26 January 1863 he was appointed rector of St. Edmund the King and Martyr with St. Nicholas Acons, Lombard Street, City of London, where he continued to his death.
He endeavoured to enliven his church by providing a succession of preachers, by improving the choir, and holding short services in the middle of the day.