Bonner, Carey

Composer

(writing under the name of Edwyn Vincent), b Southwark, S London (Surrey) 1859, d Muswell Hill, Hornsey, N London (Middx) 1938. Plaistow Sch, London; he then trained for the Baptist ministry at Rawdon Baptist Coll, Leeds, entering the pastorate at Sale, Ches, in 1884. Moving to Southampton in 1895, he ministered at Portland Road Chapel until becoming Secretary of the National Sunday School Union in 1900. He served in that position for 29 years including one as its President, and was much in demand as a speaker for Sunday Sch anniversaries; also Pres of the Baptist Union 1931–32. A prolific composer of hymn and song tunes as well as anthems and cantatas, he published among other collections the Garland of New Sunday School Music, at first in 2 parts (1881– 82); edited The Sunday School Hymnary in 1905, which ran to 19 edns; and compiled 3 influential vols of Child Songs in 1908, 1923 and 1936, which saw 22 edns. These featured the work of such writers as Katharine Hinkson, Florence M Hoatson and Edith Leathem. He also edited the first Girls Life Brigade Hymnal, wrote Some Baptist Hymnists (1937), and led combined choirs at many large-scale Christian events such as those at the Royal Albert Hall; one of these had a 1000-strong choir and another (international) event involved 3000 singers. Leading up to 1933 he chaired the editorial and tunes committees for The Baptist Church Hymnal (Revised) for which he produced a handbook in 1935. Once he ventured to write a ‘farewell hymn’ to the tune of ‘Swanee River’. Bonner used a number of noms-de-plume including ‘Edwyn Vincent’ as here; this many-talented man, wrote David Sale in 1975, ‘was ever seeking to win the new generation for his Lord’. No.318.