Edwin Hatch

Full Name: Edwin Hatch
Birth/Death: 1835–1889

Edwin Hatch was born in Derby on September 4, 1835, and educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he graduated with honours in 1857. After serving in significant appointments in Canada, he returned to England and became Vice-Principal of St. Mary Hall, Oxford, in 1867. In 1883, he was appointed Rector of Purleigh, a position he held until his death on November 10, 1889.

Hatch’s contribution to hymnody was modest but notable. His most recognized hymn, Breathe on Me, Breath of God, first appeared in Allon’s Congregational Psalmist Hymnal in 1886 for Whitsuntide. Additional hymns were published posthumously in his collection Towards Fields of Light (London, 1890). His work is characterized by spiritual depth and lyrical fervour, reflecting his devout scholarly background.