John Byrom
| John Byrom | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Byrom as a young man
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| Born |
29 February 1692 Manchester, England |
| Died | 26 September 1763 (aged 71) Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Poet, inventor of a shorthand system, landowner |
| Nationality | English |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education |
The King's School, Chester Merchant Taylors' School Trinity College, Cambridge University of Montpellier |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Notable works |
Anglican hymn Christians Awake, salute the happy morn Poem My spirit longeth for Thee Coined the phrase Tweedledum and Tweedledee |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Byrom |
| Children | Dorothy Byrom, Edward Byrom |
John Byrom or John Byrom of Kersal or John Byrom of Manchester FRS (29 February 1692 – 26 September 1763) was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as the writer of the lyrics of Anglican hymn Christians awake! Salute the happy morn, which was supposedly a Christmas gift for his daughter.
Byrom was descended from an old genteel Lancashire family. Ralph Byrom came to Manchester from Lowton in 1485 and became a prosperous wool merchant. His son Adam acquired property in Salford, Darcy Lever, Bolton and Ardwick (though his wealth did not prevent his mentally ill daughter from being accused of witchcraft). Edward Byrom helped to foil a Royalist plot to seize Manchester in 1642.
Byrom was born at what is now The Old Wellington Inn (part of the Old Shambles), Manchester, in 1692. (The property was then used as an office for market tolls, with accommodation on the upper floors.) The Wellington Inn, now a major tourist attraction, has a plaque in the bar area which commemorates his birth. However, some sources claim that he was born at Kersal Cell in Lower Kersal in the township of Broughton, near Salford, just outside Manchester. According to Bailey he was one of the tallest men in the kingdom.
His privileged background enabled him to obtain an excellent education, including The King's School, Chester, and Merchant Taylors' School, London. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a fellow there in 1714, He subsequently travelled abroad and studied medicine at Montpellier in France.
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