Lyte, Henry Francis (1793-1847), a British clergyman, is best remembered for the hymns he wrote. These hymns include “Abide with Me,” “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken,” and “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.” For 25 years, Lyte served as clergyman in the small fishing village of Lower Brixham on the Devonshire coast. In this village, he developed a Sunday school of 800 students and trained more than 70 teachers. Lyte worked constantly, preaching and visiting the members of his parish. He is said to have written “hymns for his little ones, hymns for fishermen, and hymns for sufferers.”
Lyte was born on June 1, 1793, in Ednam, Scotland, near Kelso. He was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church when he was 21 years old. He died on Nov. 20, 1847.
