Which funeral hymns and poems are out of copyright in the UK?
15 of these 20 are free to print. The main rule: the words stay in copyright for 70 years after the end of the year the writer died. Words first published in another country by a writer from that country can have a shorter term, and the table gives no end year for those.
| Title | Status of the words in 2026 | Words by | Died | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abide with Me | Out of copyright | Henry Francis Lyte | 1847 | Hymn |
| The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond) | Out of copyright | Scottish Psalter of 1650; attributed to Francis Rous | 1659 | Hymn |
| Amazing Grace | Out of copyright | John Newton | 1807 | Hymn |
| The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended | Out of copyright | John Ellerton | 1893 | Hymn |
| Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer | Out of copyright | William Williams (died 1791); English by Peter Williams (died 1796) | 1791 and 1796 | Hymn |
| Jerusalem (And did those feet) | Out of copyright | William Blake | 1827 | Hymn |
| Love Divine, All Loves Excelling | Out of copyright | Charles Wesley | 1788 | Hymn |
| Dear Lord and Father of Mankind | Out of copyright | John Greenleaf Whittier | 1892 | Hymn |
| All Things Bright and Beautiful | Out of copyright | Cecil Frances Alexander | 1895 | Hymn |
| Nearer, My God, to Thee | Out of copyright | Sarah Flower Adams | 1848 | Hymn |
| O God, Our Help in Ages Past | Out of copyright | Isaac Watts | 1748 | Hymn |
| I Vow to Thee, My Country | Out of copyright | Cecil Spring Rice | 1918 | Hymn |
| Crossing the Bar | Out of copyright | Alfred, Lord Tennyson | 1892 | Poem |
| Remember | Out of copyright | Christina Rossetti | 1894 | Poem |
| Death Is Nothing at All | Out of copyright | Henry Scott Holland | 1918 | Reading |
| Morning Has Broken | In copyright In copyright until the end of 2035. | Eleanor Farjeon | 1965 | Hymn |
| Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks) | In copyright In copyright until the end of 2043. | W. H. Auden | 1973 | Poem |
| Lord of the Dance | In copyright In copyright until the end of 2074. | Sydney Carter | 2004 | Hymn |
| How Great Thou Art (English words) | In copyright In copyright until the end of 2059. | Stuart K. Hine (English version, 1949) | 1989 | Hymn |
| Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep | Treat as in copyright First published in the United States by a writer from there, so the UK term follows the term there (section 12(6)). This table does not work that term out. | Clare Harner (published 1934) | 1977 | Poem |
The rule, in the Act’s own words
“Copyright expires at the end of the period of 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies, subject as follows.” That is section 12(2) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, read on 10 November 2026. Where the author is unknown, section 12(3) counts 70 years from the year the work was made or first made available to the public.
Section 12(6) covers words from abroad: “Where the country of origin of the work is not the United Kingdom and the author of the work is not a national of the United Kingdom, the duration of copyright is that to which the work is entitled in the country of origin, provided that does not exceed the period which would apply under subsections (2) to (5).” So for those words the 70-year rule is the longest the term can be, and the real end date depends on the law of the other country.
What this table does not cover
- It does not work out terms under another country’s law. Where section 12(6) applies and 70 years have not yet passed since the writer died, the table says “Treat as in copyright” and gives no end year. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep is the one such row: Clare Harner was from Kansas and the poem first appeared in an American magazine in 1934.
- It is about the words. A tune has its own writer and its own term; printing words in a booklet does not involve the tune.
- A modern translation or a modern rewording of an old hymn can be in copyright even when the original is not.
- A church may hold a Church Copyright Licence from CCLI, which CCLI’s fact file on weddings and funerals calls “the most convenient way of obtaining permission to reproduce most hymns and songs”. The same fact file says that “the church is responsible for ensuring copyright permission has been obtained”, even when the family arranges the printing (CCLI fact file, October 2015, as hosted by the Diocese of Exeter, read 10 November 2026). For a church funeral, ask the minister what the church’s licence covers. For a service anywhere else, ask the celebrant or funeral director who holds permission.
- It applies to the UK. Other countries count differently.
Three tunes people ask about
| Tune | Status in 2026 | Composer | Died | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventide (Abide with Me) | Out of copyright | William Henry Monk | 1889 | Tune |
| Crimond (The Lord’s My Shepherd) | Out of copyright | Jessie Seymour Irvine (likely composer) | 1887 | Tune |
| Cwm Rhondda (Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer) | Out of copyright | John Hughes | 1932 | Tune |
Questions
- How long does copyright in a hymn’s words last in the UK?
- Under section 12 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, copyright in a literary work expires at the end of the period of 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies. Under section 12(6), words first published in another country by a writer who is not a UK national keep the term they have in that country if it is shorter.
- Is Morning Has Broken out of copyright in the UK?
- No. Eleanor Farjeon died in 1965, so under the 70-year rule copyright in her words runs until the end of 2035.
- Is Abide with Me out of copyright?
- Yes. Henry Francis Lyte died in 1847, far more than 70 years ago.
This page gives information, not legal advice. Facts were checked on 10 November 2026.
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