Neale, John Mason

(1818-1866)

   Born in London, the son of a clergyman, he won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1840. Closely connected to the Oxford Movement-which later brought him into conflict with some of the Church hierarchyhe was one of the founders of the Cambridge Camden Society. For a while he was chaplain and assistant tutor at Downing College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1842, in 1846 he was appointed warden of Sackville College, East Grinstead, Sussex, where he died, leaving behind several charitable institutions for the care of children and women in distress. He was the author of the History of the Holy Eastern Church (1847-1873) and a respected translator of ancient Latin and Greek hymns. Many of his hymns are used in modern hymn books. Some of his hymn/poems: "All glory, laud and honor," "Good Christian men, rejoice," "Good King Wenceslas," "Hymn for Easter Morn," "Jerusalem the golden," "O come, O come, Emmanuel," "Of the Father's love begotten," "Oh, Give Us Back the Days of Old!" "The Guide from St. Stephen the Sabaite."

   Sources: A Sacrifice of Praise: An Anthology of Christian Poetry in English from Caedmon to the Mid-Twentieth Century. James H. Trott, ed. Cumberland House Publishing, 1999. Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past: John Mason Neale (http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/220.html). Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Eerdman's Book of Christian Poetry. Pat Alexander and Veronica Zundel, eds. William B. Eerdmans, 1981. The Colum284 bia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Cyber Hymnal (http://www.cyberhymnal.org/index.htm). The New Oxford Book of Christian Verse. Donald Davie, ed. Oxford University Press, 1981. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.