1690 - 1727 Person Name: William Wheall Hymnal Number: 116 Composer of "BEDFORD" in The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America 1940 William Wheal (Weale) c. 1690-1727 was the organist at St. Paul's, Bedford. He graduated with a Bachelor's in Music from Cambridge in 1719. The tune BEDFORD appeared in the "Psalm Singer's Magazine" of 1729, but it was probably first published earlier. It appears in The Divine Musick Scholars Guide by Francis Timbrell, which has an unknown date of publication, but copies found in personal libraries have dates beginning in 1723.
Dianne Shapiro, from "The Musical Times" Vol. 49, #781 (Mar. 1, 1908) pp. 165-169
W. Wheal