Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-78) was an Anglican
clergyman of Calvinist persuasion who is best known for two things – being a
vehement opponent of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and writing the
hymn “Rock of Ages” which is sung regularly in churches and other Christian
gatherings down to the present day.
The photo is of the rock that – it is widely believed -
inspired him to write the hymn. It is in Burrington Combe, a steep-sided valley
that offers a route from the top of the Mendip Hills down to the coastal plain
on the northern side. It has been described as the “poor man’s Cheddar Gorge”,
and would surely be much better known were it not that the latter is far more
spectacular.
Between 1762 and 1764 Toplady was a curate based at Blagdon
in Somerset, which is not far from Burrington Combe. The story goes that he was
on a walk that took him along the Combe when he was caught in a violent
thunderstorm. He sought shelter in a gap in the cliff at the side of the road,
which offered a measure of protection. He saw the presence of the gap at the
exact time he needed it as an example of Divine providence, and it therefore
became the “Rock of Ages, cleft for me” that formed the first line of his subsequent
hymn.
At least, that is the legend, but not everyone accepts its
historical accuracy. There is a plaque on the face of the rock that declares
the story to be true, and the nearby Burrington Inn does excellent business
from the many visitors who turn up with the intention of seeing the rock and
inserting themselves into the cleft, but there is no real evidence that Augustus
Toplady actually did what is alleged.
© John Welford
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