[2][3] Hankey was born in 1834, the daughter of a prosperous banker in London.

Her family were devout Anglicans and members of the Clapham Sect.

She was inspired by the Methodist revival of John Wesley and organised and taught in Sunday schools in London.

She then did missionary work as a nurse in South Africa, assisting her brother.

[2] Hankey's masterpiece was put to music by the American composer William Howard Doane.