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

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

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 composed many o ...

Biography

Baker was the son of Vice-admiral Sir Henry Loraine Baker, C.B., by his marriage with Louisa Anne, only daughter of William Williams, Esq., of Castle Hall,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

. His father served with distinction at

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in 1815. His grandfather was Sir Robert Baker of Dunstable House, Surrey, and of Nicholashayne, Culmstock,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, 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 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on Sunday, 27 May 1821, at the house of his maternal grandfather; and after completing his university education 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. ...

, took his B.A. degree and holy orders in 1844, and proceeded M.A. in 1847. In 1851 he was presented to the vicarage of Monkland near

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is t ...

. 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 charitable ...

,' 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 The King of Love My Shepherd Is is an 1868 hymn with lyrics written by Henry Williams Baker, based on the Welsh version of Psalm 23 and the work of Edmund Prys. It is sung to four different melodies: Dominus Regit Me, the traditional Irish tune ...

'': "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 All Saints Notting Hill is a Church of England parish church in Talbot Road, Notting Hill, London. It is a Victorian Gothic Revival stone building with polychromatic decoration. The west tower has five stages with the stump of a spire, and the ...

Hymns

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

(based on Psalm 23)

References

*
Biography and hymn list
(hymnary.org) ;Attribution

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Henry Williams 1821 births 1877 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Church of England hymnwriters 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English musicians