William H. Bathurst (28 August 1796 – 25 November 1877) 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. William Hiley Bathurst was the son of the Rt. Hon.

Charles Bragge Charles Bathurst PC (1754 – 13 August 1831), known as Charles Bragge from 1754 to 1804, was a British politician of the early 19th century. Background and education Born Charles Bragge, Bathurst was the son of Charles Bragge, of Cleve Hill ...

. He was born at Cleve Dale,

Mangotsfield Mangotsfield is an urban area and former village in the unitary authority area of South Gloucestershire, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England, to the north-east of Bristol. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 ...

, near Bristol on 28 August 1796. His mother was Charlotte Addington and his maternal grandmother's was Hiley, thus his middle name. He married Mary Anne Rhodes, in September 1829 and had 4 children. Bathurst was educated at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, graduating as B. A. in 1818. In 1819 he was ordained deacon and in the following year he was ordained a priest. In 1820 he was presented by his kinsman, Henry, Third Earl of Bathurst, to the Rectory of

Barwick-in-Elmet Barwick-in-Elmet (pronounced ''Barrick-in-Elmet'') is a village in West Yorkshire, east of Leeds city centre. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Romano-British kingdom of Elmet, the others ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and continued there as rector for thirty-two years. In 1852 he resigned the rectory because of conscientious scruples in relation to parts of the baptismal and burial services in the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

. He retired into private life and first lived at

Darley Dale Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, with a population of 5,413. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road. The town forms part o ...

, near

Matlock, Derbyshire Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The town is twinned with the French town of Eaubonne. The former spa resort of Matloc ...

, where for eleven years he gave himself to literary pursuits. In May 1863, he came into possession of his father’s estate when his elder brother died without heirs. He moved to

Lydney Park Lydney Park is a 17th-century country estate surrounding Lydney House, located at Lydney in the Forest of Dean district in Gloucestershire, England. It is known for its gardens and Roman temple complex. House and gardens Lydney Park wa ...

soon afterward and died there on 25 November 1877. His grave is in Lafayette Cemetery in New Orleans. During his early years of ministry, Bathurst composed hymns and versified a large portion of the psalms. These were published, 1830, in a small volume entitled ''Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Use''. All but 18 of the 150 psalms and all the 206 hymns in this volume are his.

Works

* ''The Georgics of Virgil'': Translated by W. H. B, 1849 * ''Metrical Musings; or Thoughts on Sacred Subjects in Verse'', 1849

Hymns

''Hark! the distant isles proclaim''

''Holy Spirit from on high''

''Jesus, thy Church with longing eyes''

''Eternal Spirit, by whose power''

''O for a faith that will not shrink''

''Of for That Flame of Living Fire''

''O Saviour, may we never rest, Till Thou art formed within''

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bathurst, William Hiley (hymnist) Church of England hymnwriters People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

19th-century English musicians 1796 births 1877 deaths