John Ellerton 16 December 1826 – 15 June 1893
The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended St. Clement
by Photograph – http://poor-hymnal.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7736137
John Ellerton was born on 16 December 1826 in Clerkenwell, Middlesex. He grew up in a devoted evangelical family and was educated at King William’s College on the Isle of Man and Trinity College, Cambridge. After taking orders in 1850, he served in various parishes, including Easebourne and Brighton, before becoming vicar of Crewe Green in Cheshire in 1860.
Ellerton reorganised the Mechanic’s Institute, ensuring it became a successful educational hub, where he taught English and Bible history. He also founded one of the first choral associations in the Midlands. In 1872, he moved to Hinstock, then to Barnes in Surrey, where the demands of his work took a toll on his health.
Ellerton was known for his hymns, writing or translating over eighty-six, including notable works like ‘Our day of praise is done’ and ‘The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended.’ He passed away on 15 June 1893, leaving a lasting legacy in hymn-writing and church music.
St Clement is a popular British hymn tune, most commonly set to John Ellerton’s hymn The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended. The tune is generally credited to the Rev. Clement Cotterill Scholefield (1839–1904). It first appeared in Sir Arthur Sullivan’s Church Hymns with Tunes (1874). Scholefield was born at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
