author
Aaron Crossley Hobart Seymour
1789–1870
An Anglo-Irish religious writer and hymn-writer, he began publishing young and went on to produce devotional works, biography, and poetry. His best-known books include Vital Christianity and a life of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon.
1 Audiobook
The life and times of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, Vol. 1 of 2
by Aaron Crossley Hobart Seymour
About the author
Born in County Limerick on 19 December 1789, Aaron Crossley Hobart Seymour was raised in a Church of Ireland family and was educated mostly at home. Early in life he was drawn to the evangelical circle associated with Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, an influence that shaped much of his writing.
He published his first major work, Vital Christianity, in 1810, while still a young man. The book was written as a series of letters on religion for young readers and included hymns and other verse. He later wrote a memoir for an edition of Charlotte Brooke's Reliques of Irish Poetry, edited a life of George Whitefield, and published Life and Times of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon in 1839, often described as his most important work.
Seymour also spent years in Italy, including time in Naples, before retiring to Bristol. He died there in October 1870. A few of his hymns remained in use after his death, and he is remembered today chiefly for his devotional writing and hymnody.