Francis Duckworth

DUCKWORTH, Francis. b. Rimington, Yorkshire, 25 December 1862; d. Colne, Lancashire, 16 August 1941. He was the son of a grocer; after leaving school at the age of 12 Francis worked as an assistant in a tobacconist’s shop, before moving to Colne in 1882 to work for his brother Joshua in a printing business. He later became a successful grocer. He was a chapel organist in the Wesleyan Methodist church for over fifty years, first at Stopper Lane chapel, near Rimington, and then at Albert Road Chapel, Colne. He published 18 Original Hymn Tunes, All set to well-known Hymns, and sung in every clime, probably ca. 1904/05 (it had reached an 18th Edition by 1924). Four of these tunes were included in the Salvation Army Tune Book (1928 and 1987 editions): COLNE, DOWNHAM, LASCELLES and RIMINGTON (three of these named after Duckworth’s local villages).

By far the best known, and the tune by which he is remembered, is RIMINGTON, set to ‘Jesus shall reign where’er the sun’*, by Isaac Watts*. It was very popular in the 20th century (MHB, BHB, BPW, HP, HfTC) and is still found in books such as Praise! (2000). In the foreword to the 17th Edition of his book (1923), Duckworth proudly noted that it had been sung by the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1917, on the Sunday following their capture of Jerusalem. The tune is inscribed on Duckworth's gravestone at Gisburn, near Rimington.

RIMINGTON

JRW