Thomas Grinfield (27 April 1788, Bath, Somerset – 8 April 1870,

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton D ...

) was an English clergyman and hymn-writer.

Life

Thomas Grinfield was the son of Thomas Grinfield of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and Anna Joanna Barham, and the brother of Edward William Grinfield. He was born at Bath in 1788, and educated at Wingfield, near

Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southeas ...

, and afterwards at

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

, where he proceeded B.A. in 1811. He was ordained in 1813. He married his first cousin, Mildred Foster Barham; became curate at St Sidwells, Exeter; then rector of Shirland,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

; he subsequently resided at

, and was for twenty-three years curate in charge of St Mary le Port Church, Bristol. He died at Clifton on 8 April 1870, and was buried in the cemetery at

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

. Though he published little, his compositions were numerous, especially his sermons. Studious and contemplative, he mingled little with society. He was an accomplished scholar and poet. As well as the works listed below, he wrote a large number of small poems and lectures, many of which were published in the ''

Weston Mercury ''The Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury'' is a weekly paid for newspaper that covers Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding areas of Somerset and North Somerset in England. The ''Weston Mercury'' was established 1 April 1843 and was family-owned fo ...

''. There remain unpublished several manuscripts, especially a valuable series of theological lectures.

Works

* ''Epistles and Miscellaneous Poems'', 1815 * ''The Omnipotence of God, with other Sacred Poems'', 1824 * ''The Visions of Patmos'', 1827 * ''A Century of Original Sacred Songs'' * ''Sacred Poems'' * ''Fifty Sermons by Robert Hall, from Grinfield's Notes'', 1843, dedicated to

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

, and part of the publication of works of Robert Hall * ''The Moral Influence of Shakespeare's Plays'', 1850 * ''The History of Preaching'' (ed. Canon Eden, 1880, with preface and memoir)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grinfield, Thomas 1788 births 1870 deaths People from Bath, Somerset Church of England hymnwriters 19th-century English writers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests Clergy from Bristol