Alice Flowerdew

Alice Flowerdew
Born (unknown maiden name)
1759
Bury St. Edmunds, England
Died 23 September 1830
Whitton, Suffolk, England
Resting place churchyard, Church of St Mary and St Botolph, Whitton
Occupation teacher, religious poet, hymnwriter
Language English
Nationality British
Notable works "Fountain of Mercy! God of Love!"
Spouse Daniel Flowerdew

Alice Flowerdew (sometimes erroneously called Anne; 1759 – 23 September 1830) was a British teacher, religious poet, and hymnwriter.

Early years

Alice Flowerdew was born in 1759, in Bury St. Edmunds, England.[1] Her maiden name has not been ascertained.[2] She is erroneously referred to as "Anne" by Sir Roundell Palmer and other authorities.[3] A living descendant subsequently corrected the name.[4]

Career

She was the second wife of Daniel Flowerdew,[1] who for a few years held a Government appointment in Jamaica. After he resigned his customs position in Jamaica and requested other employment,[5] they returned to England at the end of the 19th-century.[4]

After the husband's death in 1801, his widow kept a ladies' boarding school at Islington. It was while there that she wrote the most of her poetical pieces. During her residence at Islington, she attended the ministry of the Rev. Dr. John Evans, the author of A Sketch of the Several Religious Denominations (1795), and of some other works. Evans was the minister of the General Baptists Church, Worship Street, London, and a Arian, and Flowerdew is said to have held the same views.[4]

Subsequently, she removed to Bury St. Edmunds, and while there, she became a member of Bury St. Edmunds' “Glasshouse” congregation.[6] In 1802, her stepson, Charles Frederic Flowerdew, died.[6] In 1803, she published by subscription, in 1803, a duodecimo volume, entitled Poems on Moral and Religious Subjects.[7] It was sold by her friend, Henry Delahoy Symonds, and by Martha Gurney.[6]

In the preface to her work, dated 24 May 1803, she says they were:—"written at different periods of life—some indeed at a very early age, and others under the very severe pressure of misfortune, when my pen had frequently given that relief which could not be derived from other employments."[4] This work reached a second edition in 1804.[7]

"Fountain of Mercy! God of Love!"
(hymn)

Fountain of Mercy! God of Love!
How rich, Thy bounties are!
The rolling seasons, as they move,
Proclaim Thy constant care.

When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.

The spring's sweet influence was Thine,
The plants in beauty grew;
Thou gav'st refulgent suns to shine,
And mild refreshing dew.

These various mercies from above
Matured the swelling grain;
A yellow harvest crowned Thy love,
And plenty tills the plain.

Seed-time and harvest, Lord, alone
Thou dost on man bestow;
Let him not, then, forget to own
From whom his blessings How.

Fountain of love! our praise is Thine;
To Thee our songs we'll raise,
And all created nature join
In sweet harmonious praise.

Her volume reached a third edition in 1811, and in that edition appeared her well-known harvest hymn, “Fountain of mercy, God of love”. This hymn, sometimes attributed to John Needham, was probably altered from a hymn by Needham (1768). It is believed, by a relative of Flowerdew, to have been written prior to 1810. It first appeared in 1811, in the third edition of Poems on Moral and Religious Subjects. It is not found in the first edition of that work in 1803. By comparing it with Needham's hymns, it will be seen to be superior, especially in form. Relatives and friends of the family are fully agreed in ascribing it to Flowerdew.[4][8] She wrote other pieces afterwards, but her later poems were not published in a collected form.[4]

Flowerdew eventually moved to Ipswich. She died in Whitton[9] on 23 September 1830.[2] She was buried in the churchyard of Whitton, distant a few miles from Ipswich. The inscription from her tomb reads:—"Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Alice Flowerdew, who died September 23, 1830, aged 71 years."[4] She was survived by a grandson, J. D. McKenzie, of St. Albans.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Cranbrook (Earl of) 1953, p. 191.
  2. 1 2 Julian 1892, p. 379.
  3. ↑ Burrage 1888, p. 108.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miller 1869, p. 327.
  5. ↑ List & Index Society 1989, p. 287.
  6. 1 2 3 "Flowerdew, Alice (1769–1830)". Dissenting Women Writers, 1650-1850. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 Rogers 1867, p. 230.
  8. ↑ Gleanings 1875, p. 154.
  9. ↑ Cave 1830, p. 382.
  10. ↑ Rogers 1867, p. 679.

Attribution

  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Burrage, Henry Sweetser (1888). Baptist Hymn Writers and Their Hymns (Public domain ed.). Brown Thurston.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cave, E. (1830). The Gentleman's Magazine. Volume 100, Part 2; Volume 148 (Public domain ed.). E. Cave.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gleanings (1875). Gleanings from the sacred poets, with biogr. notices of the authors (Public domain ed.).
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Julian, John (1892). A Dictionary of Hymnology: Setting Forth the Origin and History of Christian Hymns of All Ages and Nations, with Special Reference to Those Contained in the Hymn Books of English-speaking Countries and Now in Common Use . (Public domain ed.). Murray.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Miller, Josiah (1869). Singers and Songs of the Church: Being Biographical Sketches of the Hymn-writers in All the Principal Collections : with Notes on Their Psalms and Hymns (Public domain ed.). Longmans, Green.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rogers, Charles (1867). Lyra Britannica: A Collection of British Hymns, Printed from the Genuine Texts, with Biographical Sketches of the Hymn Wirters (Public domain ed.). Longmans, Green.

Bibliography

  • Cranbrook (Earl of), John David Gathorne-Hardy (1953). Parnassian molehill: an anthology of Suffolk verse written between 1327 and 1864, with some account of the authors. The Aldeburgh Bookshop. ISBN 978-0-9531004-1-5.
  • List & Index Society (1989). Chatham Papers: 1783-1806 (PRO 30. H.M. Stationery Office.
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