author
Philip Gell
1783–1870
A Derbyshire clergyman from the Hopton Hall family, he wrote earnest religious works shaped by his years at St John’s Church in Derby. His surviving books and sermons have the direct, practical tone of a preacher writing for everyday faith.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Philip Gell (1783–1870) was an Anglican clergyman and religious writer connected with the prominent Gell family of Hopton Hall in Derbyshire. Sources on his published works identify him as Rev. Philip Gell, M.A., and as minister of St John’s, Derby, later also described as rural dean.
St John the Evangelist in Derby records that he was the church’s first incumbent from 1828 to 1847, when the building was newly established. His known writings include The True Ministers of Christ Accredited by the Holy Spirit: A Sermon (1842), and book listings also show other theological works on baptism, communion, and the liturgy.
What stands out about his work is its strongly pastoral purpose. Rather than writing as a literary stylist, he wrote as a working churchman, addressing doctrine, worship, and Christian life in a way meant to guide his congregation and fellow clergy.