John Keble
John Keble (1792-1866) was an influential Anglican priest, poet, and essayist from England, known for his significant contributions to the Oxford Movement. Born into a well-established family, he excelled academically, earning double first-class honors at Oxford University. Keble's most notable work, *The Christian Year*, published in 1827, features poetry aligned with the Anglican liturgical calendar. His 1833 sermon, "National Apostasy," marked a pivotal moment for the Oxford Movement, advocating for a return to High Church traditions. Throughout his life, he authored various tracts and sermons, garnering respect even from those who opposed him. Keble served as the vicar of Hursley, Hampshire, where he married Charlotte Clarke and continued to write, producing works such as *Lyra Innocentium*. His legacy includes the founding of Keble College at Oxford three years after his death, honoring his impact on Anglican thought and literature.
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John Keble
Churchman
- Born: April 25, 1792
- Birthplace: Near Fairford, Gloucestershire, England
- Died: March 29, 1866
- Place of death: Bournemouth, Hampshire, England
Biography
John Keble, Anglican priest, poet, and essayist, was born on April 25, 1792, near Fairford, Gloucester, England. The eldest of five children, Keble came from an established family; his parents were Sarah Maule Keble and John Keble, Sr., a Tory, Catholic-minded vicar at Coln St. Aldwyn’s. Keble was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, where he took double first-class honors in 1811, the second person in history to do so, and was ordained in the Church of England in 1816. From 1818 to 1823, he taught as a fellow at Oriel College, Oxford, leaving to assist in his father’s parish after his mother died.
In 1827, at the insistence of his father, Keble published his most famous collection of poetry, The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays Throughout the Year. The poetry of these two volumes was organized around the order of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Returning to Oxford in 1831, he took a position as professor of poetry which he kept for the next ten years. In 1833, Keble received wide publicity due to his sermon “National Apostasy,” delivered on July 14 in the university’s chapel. The delivery of this sermon is considered to be the semiofficial inauguration of the Oxford Movement and expressed Keble’s view that the Anglican Church should return to the earlier High Church ideals of the 1600’s. Keble went on to write nine of the ninety Tracts for the Times which presented the theological positions of the Oxford Movement (its advocates also became known as Tractarians). Arguing against a state-controlled church, the Tractarians also translated and edited many writings of the early church fathers. Keble was highly respected, even by his opponents, and his piety and erudition caused him to be considered an Anglican saint.
While engaged in the controversy surrounding his sermon, Keble also was active elsewhere. When his father died in 1835, Keble married Charlotte Clarke, a childhood friend, and in 1836 he became vicar at Hursley, Hampshire, a position he held until his death. In 1839, he brought out another volume of verse, The Psalter: Or, Psalms of David in English Verse. The Oxford Movement received a blow to its leadership when John Henry Cardinal Newman converted to Catholicism in 1845; however, Keble was able to stabilize the movement and continue its efforts. In 1846, he brought out Lyra Innocentium: Thoughts in Verse on Christian Children, Their Ways, and Their Privileges. He subsequently published several volumes of sermons and other works.
The health of both Keble and his wife declined during the 1860’s, and they moved to Bournemouth, Hampshire, on the southern coast of England. Keble died on March 29, 1866, in Bournemouth; his wife died a few weeks later. Three years after his death, Keble College, Oxford, was founded in his honor.