Allen William Chatfield

Birth Year: 1808
Death Year: 1896

Allen William Chatfield was born at Chatteris, England, on October 2, 1808. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was Bell's University Scholar and Members' Prizeman. He graduated in 1831 with a first class in classical honours.

He was ordained in 1832 and served as Vicar of Stotfold, Bedfordshire, from 1833 to 1847, and as Vicar of Much-Marcle, Herefordshire, from 1847 until his death. Chatfield published several sermons and was known for his scholarly works in classical and ecclesiastical literature. His Litany in Greek verse, based on the Prayer Book, received commendation from contemporary scholars.

In 1876, he published Songs and Hymns of Earliest Greek Christian Poets, Bishops, and Others, Translated into English Verse, a collection of translations from early Christian Greek hymnody. Among these, the hymn "Lord Jesu, think on me" has been highlighted as a notable example of his work. Despite its scholarly merit, most of his hymns have seen limited adoption in standard hymnals.

Allen William Chatfield died on January 10, 1896.