Herbert had intended to enter sacred orders since the age of seventeen, yet his talents and connections had led him into the public eye with much success. This intentional, yet cataclysmically divergent change to his state in the social hierarchy can be partially explained by considering Herbert’s own deeply introspective nature, which is revealed in his letters and personal poems. It seems odd that a man so accustomed to the complexities of the political, literary, and religious landscape of England would turn to pastoring in a rural parish outside the cultural epicenters of London and Cambridge, yet that is exactly what George Herbert did. Much more could be said of his remarkable life up to this point, but for the sake of this essay, biographical exploration will be confined to his final years of ministry and the historical context shaping his convictions, before turning to his poems and hymn texts themselves.
In 1624 he was ordained and took on minor priestly duties, and in 1629 he married Jane Danvers. However, he would only serve in this capacity for a year as a lifelong compulsion to enter the ministry finally gained the upper hand and he gave into his calling despite his own feelings of unworthiness, which were a real and recurrent element in his long resistance to this endeavor. Įventually his public connections would lead him to a seat in parliament. This unique position put him in a place of responsibility for all relations with nobility and official public correspondence, inevitably affording him the attention of many noteworthy patrons, including the Duke of Richmond, the Marquis of Hamilton, and even King James himself.
He served faithfully in this role until he was once again promoted to the position of the University’s public orator. He was academically gifted so that upon graduation the university appointed him as a reader in rhetoric. After studying at Westminster, Herbert was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge where he attained both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Notably he was to study under the tutelage of the headmaster, Lancelot Andrewes, who was an outspoken Anglican apologist and pastor who would eventually play a major role in the translation and production of the King James Bible. Thus, aside from formal educational pursuits, young George was very well educated simply through the interesting people with which his family came in contact.Īt the age of twelve Herbert was formally enrolled in Westminster School. She was a socially talented woman and even enjoyed the likes of famous composers as John Bull and William Byrd at her dining table. Indeed, Margaret Herbert was very careful about the manner in which she raised her children, intentionally immersing them in the cultural epicenters of England by taking them to numerous events, such as masques and plays at the Banqueting House in London, William Shakespeare at the Globe theater, great sermons at Whitehall Chapel, and concerts at Westminster Abbey. While his father Richard Herbert maintained a position in Parliament and a country estate, his mother was a kindred friend of the poet John Donne, as well as other lesser-known writers, and a few artists who must have made a great impression upon the young George. His family was politically accomplished, but simultaneously took a significant interest in the arts. George Herbert was born into a wealthy and powerful Welsh family in Montgomery, Powys, Wales in 1593.
Herbert’s songs and hymns did not gain widespread attention during his lifetime, but they were of such importance that when John and Charles Wesley discovered his work they were happy to adapt many of his texts for use in Methodist church life and widely promoted the musical output of this Anglican minister who they esteemed so much. Herbert was a uniquely eclectic individual who served as a pastor, wrote numerous prose works, played musical instruments and also composed tunes for his songs and hymn texts while playing the lute. Acclaimed as one of the foremost “metaphysical” poets of the early 17th century, he is credited with composing hundreds of poems and at least ninety-five well-known and respected hymn texts. Within the religious life and musical expression of Anglican Christians leading up to the English Civil War, George Herbert (1593-1633) stands out as a remarkable example of faith and musical output for those interested in hymn study.
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