John Hampden Gurney (15 August 1802 – 8 March 1862) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

clergyman and

hymnist 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 ...

Life

Family vault of John Gurney in Highgate Cemetery

Born the son of Sir John Gurney,

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

in Serjeant's Inn, Fleet Street, London, England, he was educated in

Chobham, Surrey Chobham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England. The village has a small high street area, specialising in traditional trades and motor trades. The River Bourne and its northern tributary, the Hale, ...

and at

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 ...

, where he graduated B.A. as 3rd classic in 1824 and became M.A. in 1827. He was an active supporter 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 ...

and other religious societies. He died in London in 1862 and was buried in the Gurney family vault on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

. There is both a short street close to Marble Arch and a primary school nearby in Nutford Place named after him (Hampden Gurney C of E primary school).

Service

*Curate of

St Mary's Church, Lutterworth St Mary's Church is the parish church of the town of Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The church building is 13th-century, with 14th- and 15th-century alterations. A spire on the church was blown down in 1703 and rebuilt in 1761. Sir George Gilbert Sc ...

(1824–1844) (Listed as Stipendiary Curate, 1827) *Rector of St Mary's,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

*Prebendary of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

Published writings

*''Church Psalmody: Hints for the Improvement of a Collection of Hymns'' (1853) *''A Collection of Hymns for Public Worship'' (1838), known as the Lutterworth Collection *''Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship, Selected for Some of the Churches of Marylebone'' (1851) known as his Marlybone collection.

Selected hymns

His hymns include: ''We saw Thee not when Thou didst come'', Lord, as to thy dear Cross we flee, and ''Yes, God is good''.

References

Notes Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurney, John Hampden 1802 births 1862 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests Christian hymnwriters