Who is He in Yonder Stall?

Benjamin Hanby is beloved for his Christmas song, Up on the Housetop, which is played constantly throughout the holiday season and ignites the imaginations of children looking forward to a visit from Santa. Less known, especially in this country, is his glorious carol, Who is He in Yonder Stall? written in 1866 as he was struggling with his final illness.

The haunting melody of Who is He in Yonder Stall? is my favorite Christmas carol even though I have no memory of hearing it until two decades ago after finding it through history. Around 2000 I was at work at the Westerville Public Library in the history area when I received a phone call from Ipswich, England. The young man on the other end of the phone gave me his name and told me he worked for a nonprofit similar to our United Way. He had called Westerville’s Chamber of Commerce to get information on Benjamin Hanby and had been referred to me. His U.K. nonprofit had used a cd of the caro,l Who is He in Yonder Stall?, as an incentive for holiday donations. The carol is much beloved in the U.K. and the fundraiser was successful, but the young man, Ian, began to wonder about the man behind the song. Thus the call across the Atlantic.

I was pleased to be able to share the Hanby family story whose journey to America began in Ipswich, England. Ian was thrilled by this connection and the tale of Bishop Hanby’s grandparents who were “redemptioners” which meant their passage to the New World was secured by indebting themselves to the shipping company that brought them. Ian began to look for the Hanby name in the records in Ipswich and found these grandparents listed in the debtor rolls with a bleak future if they stayed in England.

Ian became invested in the story of the Hanby family, told colleagues and friends about the remarkable life of Bishop William Hanby and his songwriter son, and even sent a fellow brass band enthusiast to Westerville from Chicago to do further investigation into the Hanby story and Benjamin’s catalog of music. Ian was well connected to the arts community in London with friends who were writers and documentarians. He wanted a work produced which would embody the spirit of Bishop William Hanby and his strong views on the evils of slavery with the goal of bringing it to the U.S. The financial upheaval of 2008 forestalled his plans and through the intervening years it has not come to fruition.

But the beauty of this powerful song, Who is He in Yonder Stall” lives on and I am sure is being sung in countless churches across the U.K. this Christmas season. I hope you take a moment and find a recording of it to listen to and that it touches your heart as it has touched so many others.

Join us as we open the Hanby House for tours with live music, refreshments and a house decorated for the Christmas season. We will be open Tuesday, 12/6 and Thursday, 12/8 from 7-9pm and Saturday, 12/10 from 10am to 2pm. These events are free no reservations required.