Hammond, William

English, 1719–1783, born in Sussex. He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge. He joined the Calvinistic Methodists in 1743 and then in 1745 became a member of the Moravian Brethren. (This sect had arisen in Bohemia three centuries earlier among some of the followers of the martyr John Huss and had spread to many parts of the world. The Moravians were, and are, noted for the quality and enthusiasm of their music.) He was a scholar of Latin and Greek, choosing even to write his autobiography in Greek, and he translated many hymns into English in addition to writing hymns in English.

Lord, We Come Before Thee Now, 162 (Text)