"Rock of Ages" was written by the Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady in 1763 and first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775.
From wikipedia – "Traditionally, it is held that Toplady drew his inspiration from an incident in the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills in England. Toplady, a preacher in the nearby village of Blagdon, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and scribbled down the initial lyrics on a playing card.
"The fissure that is believed to have sheltered Toplady is now marked as the "Rock of Ages", both on the rock itself and on some maps, and is also reflected in the name of a nearby tea shop.
"Rock of Ages" is usually sung to the hymn tune "Toplady" by Thomas Hastings Thomas Hastings (15 October 1784 – 15 May 1872) was an American composer, primarily an author of hymn tunes of which the best known is "Toplady" for the hymn Rock of Ages
"Hastings moved to Clinton, New York, as a youth and began his career as a singing teacher, being largely a self-taught musician. Hastings compiled the hymn book Spiritual Songs with Lowell Mason in 1831, which included his most well-known hymn "Rock of Ages." He then moved to New York City, where he served as a choir master for 40 years, from 1832 to 1872. Hastings was a prolific composer, writing some 1000 hymn tunes over his career
"Hastings’ 1822 Dissertation on Musical Taste, the first full musical treatise by an American author, was a notable voice in the shift in American music toward the models of German music rather than British; as "one of the first spokespersons for the cultivated tradition of American music," he emphasized the science and philosophical mission of music above the looser and more folk-based music of his predecessors
"This hymn was regarded as one of the Great Four Anglican Hymns in the 19th century, the others being 1. All Praise to Thee, my God, this Night,Thomas Ken 2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley 3 Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending, Charles Wesley