Richard Jukes

This article provides a brief biography, and a summary of his work as a popular minister and hymn writer during the first half-century of Primitive Methodism.

[1] While Richard Jukes left his mark in Kendall's history as a hymn writer, his work as a minister was widely appreciated.

Before the Primitive Methodists came to this city (Manchester), and for some time after, it was very common to hear lewd or ribald songs sung in the streets, especially on the Lord’s day.

We used to pick up the most effective tunes we heard, and put them to our hymns; and at our camp meetings people, chiefly young ones, used to run up to hear us, thinking we were singing a favourite song.

It will show the utility of singing lively hymns in the streets; yea, more particularly, it will show the use to society in general of our hymn singing in the streets, if I here relate a fact which was told me by a friend on whose veracity and accuracy I can place reliance.

He said : “I was one day in a hair-dresser’s shop in a country village, when a man came in to be shaved, having a handful of printed hymns, which he had been singing and selling in the streets.

I entered into conversation with him, in course of which he said : “Your Jukes has been a good friend to us street-singers; I have sung lots of his hymns, and made many a bright shilling thereby.

Depend on it, the singing of hymns in the streets has done a good deal of good; for children stand to listen to us, and they get hold of a few lines, or of the chorus; and with the tune, or as much of it as they can think of, they run home, and for days they sing it in their homes, and their mothers and sisters get hold of it, and in this way, I maintain, our hymn-singing is of more use than many folks think.

He is my Prophet, Priest and King, Who did for me salvation bring; And while I’ve breath I mean to sing : Christ for me.

The Father’s well-beloved Son, Co-partner of His royal throne, Who did for human guilt atone; Christ for me.