Born: Jan­u­a­ry 18, 1793, High Wy­combe, Buck­ing­ham­shire, Eng­land.

Died: Ap­ril 19, 1870, Leam­ing­ton, War­wick­shire, Eng­land.

Buried: Ast­ley, Wor­ces­ter­shire, Eng­land.

The epitaph on Havergal’s white marble tomb reads:

The Rev. William Henry Havergal, M.S., Vi­car of Shareshill and Hon. Canon of Worcester Ca­thed­ral.
Died at Leam­ing­ton, 19th Ap­ril 1870, aged 77.
Cur­ate 7, and Rec­tor 13 years, of this par­ish, 1822 to 1843.
“A faith­ful min­is­ter in the Lord” (Eph. Vi. 21).

Memorial tab­lets to him were placed in Wor­ces­ter Ca­thed­ral, St. Ni­cho­las and Shares­hill churche­s.

Havergal was ed­u­cat­ed at Mer­chant Tay­lors School St. Ed­mund’s Hall, Ox­ford (BA 1815, MA 1819). He was or­dained a dea­con in 1816, and priest in 1817. He held three rec­to­rships: Ast­ley, Wor­ces­ter­shire (1829); St. Ni­cho­las, Wor­ces­ter (1842); and Shares­hill, near Wol­ver­hamp­tom (1860). Hymn­ist Franc­es Ha­ver­gal was his daug­hter.

Sources

Hymns

  1. Blessed Jesus, Lord and Brother
  2. Brighter Than Meridian Splendor
  3. Christ­ians, Awake to Joy and Praise
  4. Come, Shepherds, Come, ’Tis Just a Year
  5. Forever and Forever, Lord
  6. Hallelujah, Lord, Our Voices
  7. Heralds of the Lord of Glory
  8. Hosanna, Raise the Pealing Hymn
  9. How Vast the Field of Souls
  10. In Doubt and Dread Dismay
  11. Lord, if Judgments Now Are Waking
  12. Jerusalem the Golden, the Home of Saints Shall Be
  13. My Times Are in Thy Hand
  14. No Dawn of Ho­ly Light
  15. Our Faithful God Hath Sent Us
  16. Remem­ber, Lord, Thy Word of Old Displayed
  17. Shout, O Earth! from Silence Waking
  18. So Happy All the Day
  19. Soon the Trumpet of Salva­tion
  20. To Praise Our Shepherd’s Care
  21. Widely Midst the Slumbering Na­tions
  22. Worcester Christmas Carol, The

Music

  1. Bavaria
  2. Dusseldorf
  3. Eden
  4. Evan
  5. Gennesaret
  6. Ratisbon
  7. St. John (Parish)
  8. Stobel
  9. Swabia
  10. Zoan