The history behind this well-loved carol is something of a mystery although common consensus is that it was originally a Latin Christmas hymn, Adeste Fidelis’.
It is believed that its first written appearance was down to the actions of manuscript and music copywriter, John Francis Wade (1711-1786) a Roman Catholic. At that time, all Church services were conducted in Latin, so he knew the language well.
The story goes that in about 1750 he slipped this hymn into a manuscript he was copying for the English Roman Catholic College in Lisbon, Portugal. Thirty five years later, in 1785, it turned up in the Portuguese Chapel in London, where it became known as the ‘Portuguese Hymn’.
From there, the hymn appears to have ‘travelled’ across to the Margaret Chapel in London’s West End. Young William Ewart Gladstone, who later became British Prime Minister, greatly appreciated the services at this church, saying that the congregation were “the most devout and happy that I have ever seen.”
The minister at that time was Frederick Oakley, one of the leaders of the 19th century Oxford Movement, who was later to convert to Roman Catholicism. Oakley believed strongly in the power of religious symbols and fine music, and before he bade farewell to the Margaret Chapel, he introduced this hymn to the congregation. Having started as ‘Adeste Fidelis’, and then, for a while. ‘The Portuguese Hymn’, this hymn soon became known, and loved worldwide, as ‘O Come All Ye Faithful‘.
PP
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Featured Image: Adoration of the Shepherds, Jacopo Bassano, 1548, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons