Henry F. Lyte

Short Name: Henry Francis Lyte
Full Name: Lyte, Henry Francis
Birth Year: 1793
Death Year: 1847

Henry Francis Lyte was born on June 1, 1793, at Ednam, near Kelso, Scotland. He was the son of Captain Thomas Lyte. He was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, and later at Trinity College, Dublin, where he became a Scholar and graduated in 1814. During his university studies he won the English prize poem on three occasions.

Although he initially intended to study medicine, Lyte chose theology and was ordained in the Church of England in 1815. His first curacy was near Wexford, Ireland. In 1817 he moved to Marazion, Cornwall, and in 1819 to Lymington, Hampshire. In 1823 he was appointed Perpetual Curate of Lower Brixham, Devon, a position he held until his death.

Lyte experienced a significant change in his theological outlook in 1818, influenced by the illness and death of a fellow clergyman. This period marked a shift toward more Bible-centered preaching and writing.

His major literary and hymnological works include Poems, Chiefly Religious (1833, enlarged 1845), The Spirit of the Psalms (1834, enlarged 1836), and Remains (1850). The Spirit of the Psalms was written initially for use in his own parish and became the primary source of many of his hymn texts. His edition of The Poems of Henry Vaughan, with a memoir, was published in 1846.

Lyte is best known as the author of “Abide with Me”, along with other widely used hymns such as “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”, “God of Mercy, God of Grace”, and “Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above.” His hymn texts are characterized by restraint, tenderness, and reflective tone, and many are paraphrases of the Psalms.

He died on November 20, 1847, in Brixham, Devon, England.