William Hiley Bathurst

William H. Bathurst August 28, 1796 - November 25, 1877), Anglican clergyman and hymnist

William Hiley Bathurst was the son of the Rt. Hon. Charles Bragge. He was born at Clevadale, near Bristol, August 28, 1796. His mother was Charlotte Addington and his maternal grandmother's was Hiley, thus his middle name. He married Mary Anne Rhodes, in 1828 and had 4 children.

Bathurst was educated at Winchester at Christ Church, Oxford, 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, Yorkshire, 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.

He retired into private life and first lived at Darley Dale, near Matlock, Derbyshire, 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 soon afterward and died there on November 25, 1877.

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 of the 206 hymns in this volume are his.

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

His hymns include:
** "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"
** "O Saviour, may we never rest."

References

cite book
last =Julian
first =John
authorlink =John Julian, D.D.
coauthors =
title =A Dictionary of Hymnology
publisher =John Murray
date =June, 1907
location =London
pages = pg 117
url =
doi =
id =

cite web
last =Christian Classics Ethereal Library
first =Calvin College
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Hymn Writers of the Church
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nutter/hymnwriters.Bathurst.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30

cite web
last =thePeerage.com
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.thepeerage.com/p14425.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30

cite web
last =Bethany Lutheran College
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Handbook
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.blc.edu/comm/gargy/gargy1/ELH.biographies.ABCD.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30