1818–1885

Downton was ed­u­cat­ed at Tri­ni­ty Col­lege, Cam­bridge (BA 1840, MA 1843).

Tak­ing Ho­ly Or­ders in 1843, he be­came cur­ate of Bem­bridge, Isle of Wight (1843), and of Ho­ly Tri­ni­ty, Cam­bridge (1847). In 1849, he be­came the in­cum­bent at St. John’s in Cha­tham.

He went to Ge­ne­va, Switz­er­land, as Eng­lish Chap­lain in 1847, and was ap­point­ed rec­tor of Hop­ton in 1873. He was al­so for some time Do­me­stic Chap­lain to Lord Mon­son.

Downtown’s hymns were main­ly con­tri­but­ed to the Church of Eng­land ma­ga­zine, Ar­thur Rus­sell’s Psalms and Hymns (1851), Bar­ry’s Psalms and Hymns (1862), and the Sun­day Ma­ga­zine.

In 1873, he col­lect­ed these and pub­lished them as Hymns and Vers­es. His trans­la­tions from the French of Al­ex­andre Vi­net are al­so in the vol­ume.

His oth­er works in­clude:

• A trans­la­tion of Pro­fess­or Er­nest Na­ville’s Lec­tures on Mo­dern Athe­ism, 1865
• Holy Scrip­ture and the Tem­per­ance Ques­tion, 1878

• Julian, p. 307

1. Another Year, An­oth­er Year
2. For Thy Me­rcy and Thy Grace
3. Forward! Sol­diers, Bold and Fear­less
4. Harp, Awake, Tell Out the Sto­ry
5. Lord, Her Watch Thy Church Is Keep­ing
6. My God, Though Cleav­ing to the Dust
7. My Song Shall Be of Mer­cy
8. Sing We, Breth­ren Faith­ful
9. When from Far Thy Tow­ers Shall Shine