John Bacchus Dykes

Born in Hull in 1823, John Bacchus Dykes became one of the best-known writers of English hymn tunes in the 19th century. He studied at Cambridge and was ordained in 1849, combining parish work with a lasting gift for church music.

He served in Durham and later became vicar of St. Oswald's, Durham, in 1862. Alongside his ministry, he composed many hymn tunes that entered regular worship and helped define the musical style of Victorian hymnody.

Dykes died in 1876 in Sussex. Though remembered as a clergyman, his strongest legacy is musical: his tunes continued to be sung in churches for generations.