Novelist and priest, social reformer and historian, naturalist and poet, Charles Kingsley's activities span the Victorian age. He was a monarchist and a radical, a churchman and a freethinker, a supporter of the army and a prophet of peace. Among his lasting works are stories originally designed for his children in which, speaking with supreme simplicity, he encapsulates the key issues of his time.

He was born at Holne in Devon in 1819. His mother had grown up in Barbados; his father was a somewhat lackadaisical Anglican priest. At Helston Grammar School he studied under Derwent, son of the poet Coleridge. A period at King's College, London then brought him under the influence of the broad churchman F. D. Maurice, whose liberal

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First published 07 July 2001

Citation: Fraser, Robert. "Charles Kingsley". The Literary Encyclopedia. 7 July 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2513, accessed 20 November 2009.]