Dorothy Ann Thrupp | |
|---|---|
 "A little ship on the sea, It was a pretty sight..." | |
| Born | 20 June 1779 Paddington Green, London, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 14 December 1847 (aged 68) London |
| Pen name |
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| Occupation | Psalmist, hymnwriter, translator |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | Hymns |
| Subject | Christianity |
| Notable works | "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead us" |
| Relatives |
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Dorothy Ann Thrupp (pseudonyms Iota and D.A.T.; 20 June 1779 – 14 December 1847) was a British psalmist, hymnwriter, and translator. Many of her psalms and hymns, which were published under various pseudonyms, were included in: Friendly Visitor (Rev. William Carus Wilson); Children's Friend (also edited by Wilson); Selection of Hymns and Poetry for the Use of Infant Schools and Nurseries (1838; edited by Mrs. Herbert Mayo); Hymns for the Young (1836; own publisher); and Thoughts for the Day (1836–37; own publication with partly previously-published material). Thrupp was the author of Thoughts for the Day that was published in 1837,[1] and Songs by the Way. In addition to these, her hymns were published in magazines edited by Caroline Fry. Thrupp is particularly remembered as a writer of hymns for children.[2] "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead us" first appeared unsigned in her collection Hymns for the Young, in 1836, with music by William B. Bradbury.[3] Her most popular hymn was for children and it was titled A Little Ship on the Sea.[4] Thrupp died in 1847.
Dorothy (or "Dorothea") Ann Thrupp was born 20 June 1779, in Paddington Green, Middlesex, England. She was a daughter of John Augustus Thrupp (1785–1844) of Spanish Place, Manchester Square, London,[5] and his first wife, Mary Burgon (d. 1795).[6] Her father was a coach builder and his business would, in time, become Thrupp & Maberly. She had two brothers, John and Charles. After her mother's death, her father married Mary Pillow. By this union, Dorothy had two half-brothers: Joseph and Frederick. Joseph Francis Thrupp, churchman, academic, and a writer on the Psalms, was her nephew.[7]
Thrupp spent her entire life in London,[2] where she wrote in children's magazines.[7] Modest in character, avoiding personal publicity, using pen names, Thrupp was not fully credited for her works.[2]
She contributed under the signature "Iota" to some of the juvenile magazines edited by Caroline Fry, and wrote several hymns: one, "A little ship was on the sea", was a great favourite with children. She also published translations from Pascal and Fenelon.[6] Her hymns, a few of which have come into extensive use, were contributed to the Rev. W. C. Wilson's Friendly Visitor and his Children's Friend, under the pen name of "Iota"; to Mrs. Mayo's Selection of Hymns and Poetry for the use of Infant Schools and Nurseries, 1838 (third edition, 1846, which her signature is "D. A. T."; and also to the Hymns for the Young, which she herself edited for the Religious Tract Society (R.T.S.) circa 1830, fourth edition, 1836. In 1836 and 1837, she also published Thoughts for the Day (second series), in which she embodied many hymns which previously appeared in the Friendly Visitor.[5] Another one of her manuals was Songs by the Way.
In addition to her hymns, which are annotated under their respective first lines, there are also several works in collections. Several additional hymns to those named above have also been attributed to Thrupp on insufficient authority. This has probably arisen out of the fact that all the hymns in the Hymns for the Young, including her own, were given anonymously.[5]
