William Shrubsole

Headstone at Bunhill Fields for William Shrubsole, John Benjamin Tolkien (d. 1819) and Mary Tolkien (d. 1837)

William Shrubsole (1760–1806) was an English musician and composer.

Life The youngest son of Thomas Shrubsole, a farrier, he was born at Canterbury, and baptised on 13 January 1760. He was a chorister in Canterbury Cathedral from 1770 to 1777, and organist at Bangor Cathedral from 1782 to 1784, when he was dismissed for attending nonconformist meetings.

Shrubsole became organist of Spa Fields Chapel, London, and held the post till his death on 18 January 1806. He was a successful teacher in London, and among his pupils were William Russell and Benjamin Jacob. The 1794 Musical Directory describes him as an alto singer, and in that capacity he is said to have sung at Drury Lane and Westminster Abbey.