The Rev. John Ellerton (16 December 1826 – 15 June 1893) was a

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

and hymnologist.

Life

He was born in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, England, to George Ellerton, the head of an evangelical family. He was educated at

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, (B.A. 1849; M.A. 1854), where he came under the influence of Frederick D. Maurice. He died in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England, aged 66.

Service

Taking orders in 1850, he was Curate of

Easebourne Easebourne () is a village, Anglican parish and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is half a mile (0.8 km) north of Midhurst, across the River Rother on the A272 and A286 roads. The parish includes the ham ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. In 1852, he was in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, and Lecturer of St. Peter's, Brighton. In 1860, he became chaplain for Lord Crewe and vicar of

Crewe Green Crewe Green is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 1½ miles to the east of the centre of Crewe. The parish also includes a dispersed settlem ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, about thirty miles southeast of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He became chairman of the education committee at the Mechanics Institute for the local Railway Company. Reorganizing the institute, he made it one of the most successful in England. He taught classes in English and Bible History. He also organized one of the first Choral Associations of the Midlands. In 1872, he became Rector of

Hinstock Hinstock is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It appeared in the Domesday book survey as "Stoche" (from Old English ''stoc'', "dependent settlement"); the present version of its name was created in the mediaeval period by prefix ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. In 1876, he was transferred to

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

, (then in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

), a western suburb of London. The work among a large population broke him down and he had to go abroad for a year, serving as Chaplain at

Pegli Pegli is a neighbourhood in the west of Genoa, Italy. With a mild climate and a sea promenade, Pegli is mainly a residential area with four public parks and several villas and mansions. It is also known as a tourist resort with some hotels, campi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from 1884 to 1885. After returning, he took a smaller parish in White Roding in 1886, his last. During his final illness, he was given the honorary title of Canon of St. Albans Cathedral.

Published works

Ellerton was best known as a hymnologist, editor, hymn-writer and translator. He published ''Hymns for Schools and Bible Classes'' in Brighton in 1859. He was co-editor with

William Walsham How William Walsham How (13 December 182310 August 1897) was an English Anglican bishop. Known as Walsham How, he was the son of a Shrewsbury solicitor; How was educated at Shrewsbury School, Wadham College, Oxford and University College, Durham. H ...

and others of the

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) is a UK-based Christian charity. Founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray, it has worked for over 300 years to increase awareness of the Christian faith in the UK and across the world. The SPCK is th ...

(SPCK) ''Church Hymns'', 1871. His ''Notes and Illustrations of Church Hymns'' were published in the folio edition of 1881.

Hymns

Ellerton wrote or translated eighty-six or more hymns, including * Our day of praise is done * Saviour, again to thy dear name we raise * Shine Thou Upon Us, Lord (music by

Harriet Anne Smart Harriet Anne Smart Callow (October 20, 1817 - June 30, 1883) was a British artist and composer who is best remembered for her hymns and her paintings of the British countryside. Her works were published under the names Harriet Smart and H. A. Cal ...

) *

The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended is a Christian hymn written by the Anglican hymnodist the Rev John Ellerton (1826–1893) in 1870 for its inclusion in ''A Liturgy for Missionary Meetings.'' It is often sung to the tune of '' St Clement'' and ...

References

External links

Basic biographical information

Notes

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellerton, John 1826 births 1893 deaths Christian hymnwriters English hymnwriters Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People educated at King William's College 19th-century English musicians People from Clerkenwell