The English HymnalÂwas the hymn book associated with the Oxford Movement within Anglicanism and published by Oxford University Press in 1906. The Oxford Movement was a movement to restore the Church of England to what it saw as its Catholic roots, and many of its founder members later went on to convert to Catholicism.
What makes it of interest from our point of view is that many of its hymn tunes were named after the counties and towns where they were recorded. The editors of the hymnal were Percy Dearmer, the Christian Socialist vicar of St Mary the Virgin in Primrose Hill, London, and Ralph Vaughan Williams of Down Ampney in Gloucestershire. Vaughan Williams was actually an atheist at the time, but like Thomas Hardy, retained a love of the trappings of Anglicanism long after he had lost his faith. His background as a collector of folk music made him eminently qualified to seek out the best hymn tunes from across the British Isles, continental Europe and North America.
I have compiled, to the best of my ablity, a table of tunes named after places in Wessex, which I reproduce below.
| Hymn # | First Line | Modern Tune | Metre | Season | Plainsong | Alternates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 656 | See him in raiment rent | Bridgwater/Langport | 64.63.D. | Litanies, etc. | ||
| 6 | Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes | Bristol | C.M. | Advent | ||
| 602 | Loving Shepherd of thy sheep | Buckland 1E | 77.77. | Catechism | App. 67 | |
| 460 | O Lord, who formedst me to wear | Christchurch (Ouseley) | 88.88.88. | General | ||
| 411 | Jerusalem on high | Christchurch (Steggall) | 66.66.88. | General | ||
| 25 | In the bleak mid-winter | Cranham | Irreg. | Christmas | ||
| 198 | Hark, the sound of holy voices | Deerhurst 1E | 87.87.D. | For any SaintÂ’s Day | App. 32 | |
| 294 | The year is swiftly waning | Devonshire | 76.76. | Autumn | ||
| 152 | Come down, O Love divine | Down Ampney | 66.11.D. | Whitsuntide | ||
| 206 | O thou, who didst with love untold | Crediton 2E | C.M. | St Thomas | ||
| 137 | The Day of Resurrection! | Ellacombe | 76.76.D. | Eastertide | ||
| 528 | Father of men, in whom are one | Exeter | 888.888. | Societies: Friendly | ||
| 283 | Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day | Farley Castle | 10 10.10 10. | Sunday | ||
| 217 | Her Virgin eyes saw God incarnate born | Farley Castle | 10 10.10 10. | St Mary the Virgin | ||
| 355 | In Paradise reposing | Hambridge | 76.76. | The Departed | ||
| 395 | God of mercy, God of grace | Heathlands | 77.77.77. | General | ||
| 282 | Now the busy week is done | Heathlands 1E | 77.77.77. | Saturday Evening | ||
| 260 | New every morning is the love | Melcolmbe [D major] | L.M. | Morning | ||
| 631 | Spirit of mercy, truth, and love | Melcombe | L.M. | Processional | ||
| 498 | There is a land of pure delight | Mendip | C.M. | General | ||
| 16 | The Maker of the sun and moon | Newbury | C.M. | Christmas Eve | ||
| 389 | Fight the good fight with all thy might | Shepton-Beauchamp | L.M. | General | ||
| 359 | O Lord, to whom the spirits live | South Cerney | 88.88.88. | The Departed | ||
| 554 | Thy kingdom come, O God | Kingsland 2E | 66.66. | Home and Foreign Missions | App. 64 | |
| 545 | Thy hand, O God, has guided | Thornbury 2E | 76.76.D. | The Church | 45 | |
| 467 | Oft in danger, oft in woe | University College | 77.77. | General | ||
| 177 | Captains of the saintly band | University College 1E | 77.77. | Apostles and Evangelists | ||
| 53 | The wingèd herald of the day | Wareham | L.M. | From the Octave of the Epiphany till Lent | P | |
| 52 | O splendour of GodÂ’s glory bright | Wareham | L.M. | From the Octave of the Epiphany till Lent | P | |
| 475 | Rejoice, O land, in God thy might | Wareham | L.M. | General | ||
| 55 | Lo! golden light rekindles day: | Wareham 1E | L.M. | From the Octave of the Epiphany till Lent | P | |
| 54 | Ye clouds and darkness, hosts of night | Wareham 1E | L.M. | From the Octave of the Epiphany till Lent | P | |
| 56 | Eternal Glory of the sky | Wareham 1E | L.M. | From the Octave of the Epiphany till Lent | P | |
| 502 | Through all the changing scenes of life | Wiltshire | C.M. | General | ||
| 9 | On JordanÂ’s bank the BaptistÂ’s cry | Winchester New | L.M. | Advent | ||
| 620 | Ride on! ride on in majesty! | Winchester New | L.M. | Palm Sunday Processional | ||
| 30 | While shepherds watched their flocks by night | Winchester Old | C.M. | Christmas | App. 08 | |
| 158 | When God of old came down from heaven | Winchester Old | C.M. | Whitsuntide | ||
| 332 | There is a fountain filled with Blood | Windsor | C.M. | Holy Communion |
You may notice a couple of well-known hymns in there. The tune of Fight the Good FightÂis named after Shepton Beauchamp near Ilminster in Somerset, and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By NightÂis sung to Winchester Old (originally known simply as Winchester). What is less well known is that the same tune is also used for a Whitsun carol, When God Of Old Came Down From Heaven, with words by another founder of the Oxford Movement, John Keble of Fairford. Two hymns, On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s CryÂand Ride On! Ride On! In Majesty are set to the similar-sounding but unrelated tune Winchester New.
Dearmer and Vaughn Williams aimed to create a “musical landscape” of Britain with their collection of hymn tunes. See this excellent article for further information.
