William Shrubsole (1760–1806) was an English musician and composer.

Life

The youngest son of Thomas Shrubsole, a farrier, he was born at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, and baptised on 13 January 1760. He was a chorister in

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

from 1770 to 1777, and organist at

Bangor Cathedral Bangor Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor) is a cathedral in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a place of Christian worship since ...

from 1782 to 1784, when he was dismissed for attending nonconformist meetings. Shrubsole became organist of

Spa Fields Chapel Spa Fields is a park and its surrounding area in the London Borough of Islington, bordering Finsbury and Clerkenwell. Historically it is known for the Spa Fields riots of 1816 and an Owenite community which existed there between 1821 and 1824. Th ...

, London, and held the post till his death on 18 January 1806. He was a successful teacher in London, and among his pupils were William Russell and

Benjamin Jacob Benjamin Jacob (1 April 1778 – 24 August 1829) was an English organist, conductor, and composer. He was a pupil of Willoughby, William Shrubsole, and Samuel Arnold (1796). Jacob was born and died in London. He was an organist at vari ...

. The 1794 ''Musical Directory'' describes him as an alto singer, and in that capacity he is said to have sung at Drury Lane and Westminster Abbey. Shrubsole is buried at

Bunhill Fields Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in central London, in the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London. What remains is about in extent and the bulk of the site is a public garden maintained by the City of London Cor ...

, London. Buried with him are the great-great-grandparents of

J.R.R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

, John Benjamin and Mary Tolkien.

Works

Shrubsole composed the hymn-tune known as "Miles Lane". It was set to the hymn by

Edward Perronet Edward Perronet (1721 – 2 January 1792) was the son of an Anglican priest, who worked closely with Anglican priest John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley for many years in England's eighteenth century Christian revival. He is perhaps most ...

, '' All hail! the power of Jesus' Name''. He knew Perronet at Canterbury, and Perronet left him property. The first notes of "Miles Lane" were cut on Shrubsole's tombstone.

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

wrote an article in the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' entitled 'Shrubsole' in which he describes him as a "one tune man", saying that he wrote "this one superb tune and no more".

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Shrubsole, William 1760 births 1806 deaths English organists British male organists English singers English composers