1752 - 1818 Person Name: R. C. Brackenbury Author of "Bestow, great God, upon our youth" Brackenbury, Robert Carr, of an old Lincolnshire family, was born at Panton House, in that county, in 1752. He entered into residence at St. Catherine's Hall, Cambridge, but joining the Wesleys, he left without taking a degree, and became a minister of the Methodist denomination. In that capacity he visited Guernsey, Jersey and Holland. He retired from active work in 1789, and died at his residence, Raithby Hall, near Spilsby, Aug. 11, 1818.
His works include:—(1) Sacred Poems, in 3 parts, Lond., 1797; (2) Select Hymns, in 2 parts, Lond., 1795; (3) Sacred Poetry; or Hymns on the Principal Histories of the Old and New Testaments and on all the Parables, Lond., 1800, and some prose publications. He also edited and altered William Cruden's Divine Hymns, n.d. The hymn, "Come, children, 'tis Jesus' command," was given in J. Benson's Hymns for Children, 1806. It does not appear in any of Brackenbury's works. Mrs. Smith, daughter of Dr. Adam Clarke, has included several incidents in his life in her Raithby Hall.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Robert Carr Brackenbury