Around the throne of God a band

Author: J. M. Neale

John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly tem­perament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >

Around the throne of God, a band [in circling band]. J. M. Neale. [Children's Hymn.] This hymn appeared in Dr. Neale's Hymns for Children, First Series, No. xxxi., 1842, in 9 stanzas of 4 lines (with Bishop Ken's doxology), for Michaelmas Day. Two forms have been the outgrowth. The first, beginning with the same first line, is found, somewhat altered, in Harland's Church Psalter & Hymnal, No. 248; Thring's Collection,1882, in 4 stanzas,with "Thine" for "Thy," stanza 3,1.1, Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1875, No. 335, and other hymnals, and the second, " Around the throne in circling band" in the Sarum Hymnal, 1868, No. 312, and others.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)