Emily Steele Elliott (Emily Elliott Godsmark after marriage; 1836–1897), better known by the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of E. S. Elliott, was an English religious writer of poetry, hymns, and novels, as well as the editor of a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

magazine. Several of her hymns were used at St Mark's Church, Brighton, where her father, Rev.

Edward Bishop Elliott Edward Bishop Elliott (24 July 1793, in Paddington – 30 June 1875) was an English clergyman, preacher and premillennarian writer. Elliott graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1816, and he was given the vicarage of Tuxford, Nottinghams ...

, served as incumbent, and several were contributed to the ''Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor'', of which, for six years, she was the editor. Her hymns were translated into various languages, including Chinese, German, Portuguese, Sinhala, and Spanish. Elliott was also the author of numerous well-known books.

Early life

Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott was born in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, England, 22 July 1836. She was the third daughter of the Rev. Edward Bishop Elliott, author of the ''

Horae Apocalypticae ''Horae Apocalypticae'' is an eschatological study written by Edward Bishop Elliott. The book is, as its long-title sets out, "A commentary on the apocalypse, critical and historical; including also an examination of the chief prophecies of Dani ...

''. Rev. Elliott's siblings included the

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

Henry Venn Elliott Henry Venn Elliott (1792–1865) was an English Anglicanism#Anglican divines, divine. Early years Elliott was born 17 January 1792, the son of Charles Elliott of Grove House, Clapham, and his second wife, Eling, daughter of Henry Venn (Clapham S ...

, and the

hymnist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditionally ...

Charlotte Elliott Charlotte Elliott (18 March 1789 – 22 September 1871) was an English evangelical Anglican poet, hymn writer, and editor. She is best known by two hymns, Just As I Am (hymn), "Just As I Am" and "Thy will be done". Elliott edited ''Christian R ...

; their maternal grandfather was Henry Venn of

Clapham Sect The Clapham Sect, or Clapham Saints, were a group of social reformers associated with Holy Trinity Clapham in the period from the 1780s to the 1840s. Despite the label "sect", most members remained in the Established Church, established (and do ...

; and their uncle was

John Venn John Venn, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (4 August 1834 – 4 April 1923) was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher noted for introducing Venn diagrams, which are used in l ...

, Rector of

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

. Emily's maternal grandfather was Sir Richard Steele, 3rd Baronet (1775–1850).

Career

Among Christmas hymns designed for children, two popular ones were written by Elliott. One begins with the line, "There came a little child to earth," which was popular in England, but was not known to many singing congregations in the U.S.. The second hymn was just as suitable for adults as for youth. It was privately printed in 1864 for the use of the choir and school of St. Mark's Church, Brighton. The hymn has passed into almost every standard hymnal published in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century. It starts with, "Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown", and is usually sung to the music by Barnby or Matthews. She wrote a large number of hymns which were issued in book form in 1866. Her ''Chimes of Consecration'', a volume of 70 hymns and poems, was published in 1873, and her ''Chimes for Daily Service'' in 1880. The latter contains 71 hymns in two parts. The second part of 48 hymns is also published separately as ''Under the Pillow'', for use as a large type hymnbook with corresponding tune book for hospitals and infirmaries and the sick generally. For many years, Elliott worked for the missionary cause. For six years, she edited the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

's magazine for children, then named the ''Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor''. In later years, she rendered service by her Bible-readings for the women candidates in training at The Willows. She was an organizer of the Christmas Letter Mission, and was an Honorary Life Member of the Church Missionary Society.

Personal life

She married William Godsmark (b. 1829). Their children included, Caroline (b. 1859), William (b. 1861), Edith (b. 1873), and Annie (b. 1877). By 1887, she was living in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She was an invalid in her later life, suffering from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

. Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliot died suddenly on 3 August 1897, at the conclusion of an operation conducted at her home in

Mildmay, Islington Newington Green is an open space in North London between London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Hackney, Hackney. It gives its name to the surrounding area, roughly bounded by Ball's Pond Road to the south, Petherton Road to ...

, London. An inquest returned a jury verdict of

death by misadventure In the United Kingdom, death by misadventure is the recorded manner of death for an accidental death caused by a risk taken voluntarily. Misadventure in English law, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is ...

Selected works

* ''Under the microscope; or, 'Thou shalt call me My father, 1861
text
* ''Village Missionaries; Or, "To Every One His Work"'' (1861)
text
* ''Stepping Stones. A book for the young'', 1862
text
* ''Father's coming home : a tale'' 1862
text
* ''The Soldier's Return'', 1863
text
* ''Wayside pillars'', 1866
text
* ''Copsley annals preserved in proverbs'', 1867
text
* ''The End of Life and the Life that Has No Ending'', 1867
text
* ''The Regular Service'', 1868
text
* ''I must keep the chimes going'', 1868
text
; 1869
text
* ''The Vendale lost property office'', 1869
text
* ''One thing'', 1870
text
* ''Matty's hungry missionary-box, and the message it brought'', 1871
text
* ''Susie Grant; Or, the Lost Property Office'', 1872 * ''Chapters on Bible classes'', 1873
text
* ''"It's His Way," and Other Stories'', 1873
text
* ''All the Day Long'', 1873
text
* ''Stories for workers'', 1873
text
* ''The two watches : and other stories'' 1874
text
* ''Chimes of consecration and their echoes'' 1873
text
* ''From new year to new year and from all the world round'', 1877
text
* ''Chimes for Daily Service'', 1880 * ''The feast of sacrifice and the feast of remembrance, or, The origin and teaching of the Lord's Supper'', 1884
text
* ''"Do We Believe It?": A Home Question'', 1892 * ''Expectation Corner'', 1897

Notes

References

External links

*
Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott
at

The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology ''A Dictionary of Hymnology'' (or, more completely, ''A Dictionary of Hymnology: Origin and History of Christian Hymns and Hymnwriters of All Ages and Nations, Together with Biographical and Critical Notices of Their Authors and Translators'') by ...

Canterbury Press Canterbury (, ) is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climate. Canterbury is a popular tourist destination, wit ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, E. S. 1836 births 1897 deaths English hymnwriters English women hymnwriters 19th-century hymnwriters 19th-century English women writers English magazine editors British women magazine editors English women editors English religious writers