Sir Henry Williams Baker, 3rd Baronet (27 May 1821 – 12 February 1877), was an English

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and

hymnwriter 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 is traditional ...

Biography

Baker was the son of

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Sir Henry Loraine Baker, C.B., by his marriage with Louisa Anne, only daughter of William Williams, Esq., of Castle Hall,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. His father served with distinction at

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in 1815. His grandfather was Sir Robert Baker of Dunstable House,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, and of Nicholashayne, Culmstock,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, on whom a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

was conferred in 1796. Sir Henry Williams Baker was born at Brunswick House, Vauxhall,

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, on Sunday, 27 May 1821 in the house of his maternal grandfather. After completing his university education at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 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 ...

, took his B.A. degree and

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in 1844, and proceeded M.A. in 1847. In 1851 he was presented to the vicarage of Monkland near

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. On the death of his father, on 2 November 1859, he succeeded him as third baronet. In 1852, while at Monkland, Sir Henry wrote his earliest hymn, 'Oh, what if we are Christ's.' Two others, 'Praise, O praise our Lord and King,' and 'There is a blessed Home,' have been referred to 1861 (Selborne's Book of Praise, pp. 176, 207–8, 288–9). Sir Henry Baker's name is chiefly known as the promoter and editor of '

Hymns Ancient and Modern ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitabl ...

,' first published in 1861. To this collection Baker contributed many original hymns, besides several translations of Latin hymns. In 1868 an 'Appendix' to the collection was issued, and in 1875 the work was thoroughly revised. The hymnal was compiled to meet the wants of churchmen of all schools, but strong objections were raised in many quarters to Sir Henry Baker's own hymn addressed to the Virgin Mary, 'Shall we not love thee. Mother dear?' Sir Henry held the doctrine of

clerical celibacy Clerical celibacy is the requirement in certain religions that some or all members of the clergy be unmarried. Clerical celibacy also requires abstention from deliberately indulging in sexual thoughts and behavior outside of marriage, because thes ...

, and at his death the baronetcy devolved on a kinsman. He was the author of 'Daily Prayers for the Use of those who have to work hard,' as well as of a 'Daily Text-book' for the same class, and of some tracts on religious subjects. He died on Monday, 12 February 1877, aged 55, at the vicarage of Monkland, and was buried in the churchyard of the parish. His last words were from his hymn '' The King of Love My Shepherd Is'': "Perverse and foolish oft I strayed / But yet in love He sought me / And on His shoulder gently laid / And home, rejoicing, brought me."P.169
of Then Sings My Soul Special Edition by Robert Morgan. 2003 Stained glass windows have been put up to his memory in his own church and in All Saints Notting Hill.

Hymns

* O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height (based on Psalm 150) * My Father, for another night (tune of St. Timothy) * The King of Love My Shepherd Is (based on Psalm 23)

References

Biography and hymn list
(hymnary.org) ;Attribution

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Henry Williams 1821 births 1877 deaths 203 Church of England hymnwriters 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English musicians