Biography

Hymn writer Anne Steele was born in England in 1717. Her father was a Baptist minister. Steele had a passion for sacred writing and began to write her poems and song lyrics. Rather than put her name to her work, Steele used the name Theodosia as her pen name. A childhood accident left Steele in an invalid state which afforded her much time to create various verses. In her mid-forties Steele allowed her collection of hymns to be published. Several books of her works would be published throughout the years. Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Hymns, Psalms, and Poems by Anne Steele, and A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship are just some of Steele’s published works. Steele remained single all her life. She died on November 11, 1778.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer