Origination
The idea for the hymn book first came about in 1858 when two clergymen met on a train; William Denton of St Bartholomew, Cripplegate, and Francis Murray had published each the Church Hymnal and the Hymnal for Use in the English Church. Denton's son would be Charles Ashpitel Denton. Both of the vicars were part of the Oxford Movement.
They discussed the need for a standardisation of the hymn books in use throughout England and so the idea was born. They founded a board, called the Proprietors, which oversaw both the publication of the hymnal and the donation of the profits to appropriate charities, or to subsidise less wealthy parishes for the cost of the books.
Read more about this topic: Hymns Ancient And Modern