Charles Kingsley was born in Holne (Devon), the son of a vicar. His brother, Henry Kingsley, also became a novelist. He spent his childhood in Clovelly, Devon and was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, before choosing to pursue a ministry in the church. From 1844, he was rector of Eversley in Hampshire, and in 1860, he was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge.
Kingsley's interest in history spilled over into his writings, which include The Heroes (1856), a children's book about Greek mythology, and several historical novels, of which the best known are Hypatia (1853), Hereward the Wake (1865), and Westward Ho! (1855).
In 1872 Kingsley accepted the Presidency of the Birmingham and Midland Institute and became its 19th President.
Kingsley died in 1875 and was buried in St Mary's Churchyard in Eversley.
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Biography
Brief Biography of Charles Kingsley
The Reverend Charles Kingsley, writer of poetry; novels; historical works; sermons; religious tracts; scientific treatises; and political, social, and literary criticism, was one of the Victorian age's most prolific authors. His was by no means the stereotypical writer's ivory-tower existence, however, as his extensive practical activities in the p ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 1 - ALL SAINTS' DAY
Westminster Abbey. November 1, 1874.
Revelation vii. 9-12. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 2 - PREPARATION FOR ADVENT
Westminster Abbey. November 15, 1874.
Amos iv. 12. "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."
We read to-day, for the first lesson, parts of the prophecy of Amos. They are somewhat difficult, here and there, to understand; but nevertheless Amos is perhaps the grandest of the Hebrew prophets, next to Isaiah. Rough and homely as his words are, there ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 3 - THE PURIFYING HOPE
Eversley, 1869. Windsor Castle, 1869.
1 John iii. 2. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
Let us consider this noble text, a ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 4 - THE LORD COMING TO HIS TEMPLE
Westminster Abbey. November, 1874.
Malachi iii. 1, 2. "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple. . . . But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's sope."
We believe that this prophecy was fulfilled at the first coming of our Lord Jesus Chri ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 5 - ADVENT LESSONS
Westminster Abbey, First Sunday in Advent, 1873.
Romans vii. 22-25. "I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I than ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 6 - CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Eversley. Quinquagesima Sunday, 1872.
Genesis ix. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6. "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. . . . Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you . . . But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 7 - TEMPTATION
Eversley, 1872. Chester Cathedral, 1872.
St Matt. iv. 3. "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."
Let me say a few words to-day about a solemn subject, namely, Temptation. I do not mean the temptations of the flesh--the temptations which all men have to yield to the low a ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 8 - MOTHER'S LOVE
Eversley, Second Sunday in Lent, 1872.
St Matthew xv. 22-28. "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she cr ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 9 - GOOD FRIDAY
Eversley, 1856.
St. Luke xxiv. 5, 6. "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."
This is a very solemn day; for on this day the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. The question for us is, how ought we to keep it? that is, what sort of thoughts ought to be in our minds upon this day? Now, many most excellent and pious p ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 10 - THE IMAGE OF THE EARTHLY AND THE HEAVENLY
Eversley, Easter Day, 1871.
1 Cor. xv. 49. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
This season of Easter is the most joyful of all the year. It is the most comfortable time, in the true old sense of that word; for it is the season which ought to comfort us most--that is, it gives us strength; ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 11 - EASTER DAY
Chester Cathedral. 1870.
St John xii. 24, 25. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
This is our Lord's own parable. In ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 12 - PRESENCE IN ABSENCE
Eversley, third Sunday after Easter. 1862.
St John xvi. 16. "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."
Divines differ, and, perhaps, have always differed, about the meaning of these words. Some think that our Lord speaks in them of His death and resurrection. Others t ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 13 - ASCENSION DAY
Eversley. Chester Cathedral. 1872.
St John viii. 58. "Before Abraham was, I am."
Let us consider these words awhile. They are most fit for our thoughts on this glorious day, on which the Lord Jesus ascended to His Father, and to our Father, to His God, and to our God, that He might be glorified with the glory which He had with the Father befo ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 14 - THE COMFORTER
Eversley. Sunday after Ascension Day. 1868.
St John xv. 26. "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."
Some writers, especially when they are writing hymns, have fallen now-a- days into a habit of writing of the Holy Spirit of God ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 15 - THOU ART WORTHY
Eversley, 1869. Chester Cathedral, 1870. Trinity Sunday.
Revelation iv. 11. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."
I am going to speak to you on a deep matter, the deepest and most important of all matters, and yet I hope to speak simp ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 16 - THE GLORY OF THE TRINITY
Eversley, 1868. St Mary's Chester, 1871. Trinity Sunday.
Psalm civ. 31, 33. "The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: The Lord shall rejoice in his works. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
This is Trinity Sunday, on which we think especially of the name of God. A day which, t ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 17 - LOVE OF GOD AND MAN
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.
Eversley. Chester Cathedral, 1872.
1 John iv. 16, 21. "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. . . . And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
This is the first Sunday after Trinity. On it the Church begins to teach us morals,--that i ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 18 - COURAGE
Chester Cathedral, 1871.
Acts iv. 13, 18-20. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. . . . And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and J ...read
Sermon
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons, 19 - GOOD DAYS
Eversley, 1867. Westminster, Sept. 27, 1872.
1 Peter iii. 8-12. "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life a ...read
