John Francis Wade

John Francis Wade (1 January 1711 – 16 August 1786) was an English hymnist who is usually credited with writing and composing the hymn "Adeste Fideles" (which was translated to "O Come All Ye Faithful" in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley). The authorship is disputed, with some asserting it was written by King John IV of Portugal, since the earliest known manuscripts of the hymn bear his signature. Others argue for John Reading (1645-1692) or anonymous Cistercian monks.

Wade fled to France after the Jacobite rising of 1745 was crushed. As a Catholic layman, he lived with exiled English Catholics in France, where he taught music and worked on church music for private use. Provided by Wikipedia