Chandler, John

b Witley, nr Godalming, Surrey 1806, d Putney, Surrey (SW London) 1876. Corpus Christi Coll Oxford (BA 1827, then a Fellow). Ordained (CofE) 1831, to be curate of Witley before succeeding his father, John F Chandler, as its Vicar, thus remaining in the same parish all his life. In 1837 he published his significant pioneer work, Hymns of the Primitive Church, now first Collected, Translated, and Arranged: 108 hymns in Lat and English, most from the 1736 Paris Breviary, with additional items. In this he was a pioneer like Isaac Williams, whose example encouraged him some years before J M Neale’s work 30 miles to the west. A further collection appeared 4 years later, with a similar title but pruned and much revised. 30 such texts have been included in various edns of A&M, with 7 in the current one, Common Praise 2000. Julian observed that sometimes ‘doctrinal difficulties are either evaded or softened down’, but in this Chandler was hardly unique. He also compiled Horae Sacrae: Prayers and Meditations from the writings of the Divines of the Anglican Church (1844), as well as tracts, other books of prayers and in 1842 a biography of William of Wykeham (1324–1404). Nos.226, 316, 348.