Biographical information from <<https://my.strathspey.org/dd/issue/3313/|issue 3313>>:  
William Leeves was  born 11 Jun 1748 in Kensington and died 25 May 1828 in Wrington, Somerset.

The Revd. William Leeves was Rector of Wrington from 1779 until 1828. He entered Holy Orders by way of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards having enlisted as an ensign in 1769. In 1779 he took Holy Orders and was appointed to the living of Wrington where he remained until his death, 49 years later. He was a contemporary of Hannah More and a frequent visitor to Barley Wood. He is perhaps best remembered for the fact that he wrote the music to the ballad of “Auld Robin Gray” as he was an accomplished musician and composer.