Grigg, Jacob

Composer

b Launceston, Cornwall, 1769, d ?? A fellow-student with John Rippon (qv) at the Bristol Baptist College, he emigrated to N America via a pioneer missionary effort in Sierra Leone in 1795–96 and became pastor of a black Baptist ch in Virginia. Cliff Knight, whose A Companion to Christian Hymns favours this composer as distinct from other possible claimants to the tune, points out that his one surviving tune is named from Tiverton, Devon, as the birthplace of Rippon. No.255. The Grigg who ‘d.1768’ as given in Praise! was probably Joseph Grigg, b ?1728 [Julian favoured an earlier date], d Walthamstow, Essex 1768. Born into relative poverty, he worked as a mechanic until 1743 when, possibly still in his teens, he was appointed as Assistant Minister at Silver Street Presbyterian Ch, London. He was already writing hymns, but by 1747 he had married and moved to St Albans. From his many books, the hymns and other verses were collected by D Sedgwick in 1861 and entitled by him Hymns on Divine Subjects. See Author index.