William Walsham How

William Walsham How was born in Shrewsbury, England, on December 13, 1823. Educated at Shrewsbury School and Wadham College, Oxford, he was ordained deacon in 1846 and priest in 1847. After early ministry in Kidderminster and Shrewsbury, he became rector of Whittington, Shropshire, in 1851 and remained there for twenty-eight years. His parish work included education and local cultural life; he helped establish a public library in nearby Oswestry and also pursued botany as a serious interest.

How edited Psalms and Hymns with Thomas Baker Morrell and later helped edit Church Hymns in 1871. He wrote O Word of God Incarnate for the 1867 supplement to the former collection. His hymns characteristically join clear doctrine with congregational usefulness; other enduring texts include For All the Saints, We Give Thee but Thine Own, and O Jesus, Thou Art Standing.

In 1879 How became Bishop of Bedford, a suffragan post responsible for densely populated East London. His accessible pastoral ministry among poor communities brought affectionate descriptions such as the “poor man's bishop” and the “children's bishop.” In 1888 he became the first Bishop of Wakefield, serving industrial West Yorkshire until his death while traveling in Ireland on August 10, 1897. His pastoral offices, hymn editing, devotional writing, and work among children and laboring communities all shaped his practical understanding of the church's teaching mission.