Educated for the le­gal pro­fess­ion, Gur­ney was called to the bar at the Mid­dle Tem­ple, but the Bi­shop of Ex­e­ter or­dained him a dea­con in 1849, and priest in 1850. He was ap­point­ed one of the Bodlei­an Lec­tur­ers at Ex­e­ter, and in March 1852, be­came Cur­ate of St. Ma­ry, Crown Street, So­ho Square, Lon­don. He al­so served as Cur­ate of Buck­ing­ham (1854-58) and Chap­lain of the Eng­lish con­gre­ga­tion, Cour des Coches, Par­is (1858-71). His works in­clude:

• Po­ems, Spring, 1853
• The Tran­scen­dent­al­ists, 1853
• Songs of the Pre­sent, 1854
• Iphigenia at Del­phi, 1855
• The Ode of Peace, 1855
• Songs of Ear­ly Sum­mer, 1856
• Absolution, Its Use and Abuse, 1858
• Sermons at Par­is, 1860
• Gideon, 1860
• Restora­tion, or the Com­ple­tion of the Re­form­a­tion, 1861
• A Book of Praise, 1862

• Julian, pp. 212, 224, 254, 340, 474, 1058

1. Christ Is Ris­en! Christ Is Ris­en!
2. Come, Ye Lof­ty
3. Memory of the Blest De­part­ed