Keble, John (1792–1866)

Anglican priest and religious poet. His sermon on the decline of religious faith in Britain, preached in 1833, heralded the start of the Oxford Movement, a Catholic revival in the Church of England. He wrote four of the Tracts for the Times (theological treatises in support of the movement), and was professor of poetry at Oxford 1831–41. His book of poems, The Christian Year (1827), was very popular in the 19th century. Keble College, Oxford, was founded in 1870 in his memory.

He was born in Fairford, Gloucestershire, and was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He was fellow and tutor of Oriel College 1811–23. In 1835 he accepted the country vicarage of Hursley, Hampshire, where he stayed until his death. The High Church sympathies of the Oxford Movement are apparent in the Tracts for the Times, in his standard edition of Richard Hooker's works (1836), and in all his sermons and poems.