Elizabeth Cecelia Douglas Clephane (June 18, 1830 – February 19, 1869) was the author of the hymns "Beneath the Cross of Jesus" and "The Ninety and Nine".

Clephane was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and died at Bridgend House, near Melrose

Melrose, Scotland

Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...

, Roxburghshire

Roxburghshire

Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

Clephane's hymns have seen a resurgence of popularity in present day gospel. Folklore claims that Elizabeth wrote "The Ninety and Nine" for her brother, George Clephane, who had "returned to the flock" only a short time before his death. As the story goes, he fell from his horse and struck his head upon a rock and was killed instantly. His grave site at Fergus

Fergus

Fergus may refer to:people*Fergus places*Fergus, Ontario, Canada*Fergus, California, United States*Fergus County, Montana, United States*Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States*Fergus Falls Township, Minnesota, United States...

, Ontario, Canada has become a pilgrimage of sorts for those who admired Clephane's hymns.

External links

• Elizabeth Clephane - Page contains a photo of Elizabeth Clephane and a MIDI file with the music to the hymn