Edward Mote

Full Name: Edward Mote
Birth/Death: 1797–1874

Edward Mote was born on January 21, 1797, in Upper Thames Street, London. Early in life, through the preaching of the Rev. J. Hyatt of Tottenham Court Road Chapel, he experienced a profound spiritual conversion that shaped his future ministry. Mote ultimately became a Baptist minister and devoted the last 26 years of his life to serving as pastor at Horsham, Sussex, where he remained until his death on November 13, 1874.

Mote is best known for his contributions to hymnody, particularly his work Hymns of Praise (1836), which combined nearly 100 original hymns with selections from other spiritual poets. Among his most famous compositions is My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (commonly known as On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand), written around 1834. The hymn was inspired during his daily walk to labor and later shared with a sick woman named Mrs. King, whose appreciation led Mote to publish it for wider distribution. The hymn emphasizes the unshakable foundation of faith in Christ, expressing confidence in His sustaining power through all trials.

Edward Mote’s hymns have endured for nearly two centuries, valued for their simplicity, doctrinal clarity, and heartfelt expression of personal faith. His work continues to be widely used in congregational worship and private devotion, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential English Baptist hymn writers of the 19th century.