Alford, Henry, widely known as the author of The Greek Testament with Notes and other volumes, was born in London October 7, 1810; was pious from his youth, and in his sixteenth year wrote the following dedication in his Bible: "I do this day, in the presence of God and my own soul, renew my covenant with God, and solemnly determine henceforth to become his and to do his work as far as in me lies." He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, ordained in 1833, and soon made a reputation as an eloquent preacher and sound biblical critic. He was appointed Dean of Canterbury in 1857, which distinction he held to the day of his death, in 1871. Dean Alford's Poetical Works (two volumes) were published in London in 1845. An American edition was published in Boston in 1853. He was the editor of The Year of Praise, a hymn and tune book intended primarily for use in Canterbury Cathedral, 1867. Four of his hymns appear in this collection:

Come, ye thankful people, come 717
Forward be our watchword 284
My bark is wafted to the strand 451
Ten thousand times ten thousand 618