We have blogged about lending a set of handbells to Piggott School’s music department.
Well, we asked for a photo of them for our inventory and we were sent the pic above which got us intrigued to find out about the generous donator. This is what we’ve uncovered on the internet …
S. W. Gandy, Samuel Whitelock Gandy was a famous writer of hymns as well as vicar of All Saints Kingston, 1817-1851.
We’ve found the following about him on the Internet:
https://hymnary.org/person/Gandy_SW1
https://www.stempublishing.com/hymns/biographies/gandy.html
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/g/a/n/d/gandy_sw.htm
Gandy, Samuel Whitelock. This writer (Vicar of Kingston-on-Thames with Richmond from Jan. 1817 to his death, Dec. 24, 1851) was the author of “What tho’ the Accuser roar” (Victory through Jesus), and “His be the Victor’s name” (Victory through Jesus), in the Plymouth Brethren Hymns for the Poor of the Flock, 1838, Nos. 43, 44. Some of his Sermons were published posthumously in 1859. Sedgwick says he published a Selection of Psalms & Hymns, but we have not seen this work (S. MSS.). –John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)
Samuel was the son of John and Margaret Gandy. He was a King’s Scholar at Eton in 1788, and an assistant there, 1800–03.
He was admitted as a scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, July 28, 1795 (BA 1800, MA 1803, fellow 1798–1817).
He served as minister at East Stonehouse (now part of Plymouth), and vicar at St. Budeaux Parish Church, Plymouth (1802–17), and at Kingston-upon-Thames, from January 1817 until his death.
Zac Hicks has made this video and wrote the tune to this song using lyrics from ‘His be the Victor’s name’: