We thank thee, Lord, for this fair earth
We thank thee, Lord, for this fair earth. George Edward Lynch Cotton* (1813-1866).
According to Percy Dearmer* in Songs of Praise Discussed (1933), this hymn ‘probably was inspired by the scenery around Marlborough’ where Cotton was headmaster from 1852 to 1858, before being appointed Bishop pf Calcutta. It was included in Church Hymns (1871; Church hymns with Tunes, 1874). It later became popular in British public school hymnbooks (see ‘Public School hymnody’*), and was found in British mainstream books such as SofP, SofPE, and MHB during the 1920s and 1930s:
We thank Thee, Lord, for this fair earth, The glittering sky, the silver sea,For all their beauty, all their worth, Their light...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "We thank thee, Lord, for this fair earth."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 15 Feb. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/w/we-thank-thee,-lord,-for-this-fair-earth>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "We thank thee, Lord, for this fair earth."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 15, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/w/we-thank-thee,-lord,-for-this-fair-earth.