Derwent Coleridge
Encyclopedia
Derwent Coleridge third child of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, was a distinguished English
scholar and author.
, Cumberland
, 14 Sept. 1800 (Derwent Water
is not far away). He was sent with his brother Hartley
to be educated at a small school near Ambleside
. The two brothers were in those days in continual intercourse with Southey
and Wordsworth. Derwent was sent to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he formed intimate lifelong friendships with W. M. Praed, Macaulay
, John Moultrie, Sidney Walker
, Charles Austin
, and Bulwer
. In the autumn of 1822 he joined them as a contributor to Knight's Quarterly Magazine. His contributions, signed ‘DAVENANT CECIL,’ were mostly poetical. He proceeded B.A. 1824, and M.A. 1829.
In 1825 he was ordained by William Carey, Bishop of Exeter
; soon afterwards he was appointed master of the grammar school at Helston
, Cornwall
. One of his most distinguished pupils there was Charles Kingsley
. While at Helston he published his largest work, The Scriptural Character of the English Church (1839). He agrees with the conclusions which Mr. Gladstone
supported in Church Principles considered in their Results, published the following year, although Mr. Gladstone wrote as a pronounced high churchman, while Coleridge aimed at setting forth the views of his father on church and state. The avowal that he wished to be regarded as his father's disciple induced F. D. Maurice to dedicate to him his Kingdom of Christ. Coleridge's book, though eloquent, missed popularity, perhaps on account of its impartiality.
and Alfieri as easily as Racine
and Schiller, and was well acquainted with Hungarian
and Welsh poetry
; of the latter he was intensely fond. He could also read not only Arabic and Coptic
, but Zulu
and Hawaiian
.
Under his guidance sacred music was made a large part of the training of the college students. Choral services were not known in 1841, except in cathedrals, and when one was established in St. Mark's College Chapel pilgrimages used to be made to hear the novelty, not only from all parts of London, but by country clergy. ‘The chapel service is the keystone of the arch,’ he wrote in an interesting letter to Archdeacon Sinclair, published in 1842. He published several pamphlets in the course of his principalship, all evidently inspired by the desire to place the education of the people in the hands of the church, though his view of the church itself and its doctrines was by no means a narrow one. His last publication on the subject was a manifesto against compulsory education and in favour of denominational schools.
appeared under his editorship, and with a memoir by him. In 1854 Bishop Blomfield offered him the living of Northolt
, but he declined it. Ten years later he accepted from Bishop Tait
the rectory of Hanwell
. Finding the parish church a long way from the population, he set to work to build a new one in the midst of them, and it was consecrated on the last day of 1879, when he was in his eightieth year. His mind had lost none of its vigour when he resigned next year, but he had become subject to constant attacks of acute neuralgia, and he retired to Torquay
, where he died on 28 March 1883. His wife, to whom he had been married for more than fifty-five years, survived him. He left a son (Ernest Hartley Coleridge
) and a daughter (Christabel Rose Coleridge
).
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, was a distinguished English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
scholar and author.
Early life
Derwent Coleridge was born at KeswickKeswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, 14 Sept. 1800 (Derwent Water
Derwent Water
Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria....
is not far away). He was sent with his brother Hartley
Hartley Coleridge
David Hartley Coleridge was an English poet, biographer, essayist, and teacher. He was the eldest son of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His sister Sara Coleridge was a poet and translator, and his brother Derwent Coleridge was a distinguished scholar and author...
to be educated at a small school near Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
. The two brothers were in those days in continual intercourse with Southey
Southey
Southey ward—which includes the districts of Fox Hill, New Parson Cross, Southey, Wadsley Bridge, and part of Old Parson Cross—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2. The...
and Wordsworth. Derwent was sent to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he formed intimate lifelong friendships with W. M. Praed, Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay PC was a British poet, historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer, and on British history...
, John Moultrie, Sidney Walker
William Sidney Walker
-Life:Born at Pembroke in Wales, on 4 December 1795, he was the eldest child of John Walker, a naval officer, who died at Twickenham in 1811 from the effects of wounds received in action. The boy was named after his godfather, Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, under whom his father had served. His mother's...
, Charles Austin
Charles Austin
Charles Austin is an American athlete who won the gold medal in the men's high jump at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the owner of So High Sports and Fitness a sports performance and personal training company. He opened his So High Sports and Fitness Studio in 2002 and his...
, and Bulwer
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
. In the autumn of 1822 he joined them as a contributor to Knight's Quarterly Magazine. His contributions, signed ‘DAVENANT CECIL,’ were mostly poetical. He proceeded B.A. 1824, and M.A. 1829.
In 1825 he was ordained by William Carey, Bishop of Exeter
Diocese of Exeter
The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan bishop, the Right Reverend Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Province of...
; soon afterwards he was appointed master of the grammar school at Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. One of his most distinguished pupils there was Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
. While at Helston he published his largest work, The Scriptural Character of the English Church (1839). He agrees with the conclusions which Mr. Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
supported in Church Principles considered in their Results, published the following year, although Mr. Gladstone wrote as a pronounced high churchman, while Coleridge aimed at setting forth the views of his father on church and state. The avowal that he wished to be regarded as his father's disciple induced F. D. Maurice to dedicate to him his Kingdom of Christ. Coleridge's book, though eloquent, missed popularity, perhaps on account of its impartiality.
Chelsea
In 1841 he was appointed first principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea, just established by the National Society. He held that post until 1864, and undoubtedly did much to shape the course of elementary education in England. He was a strong advocate of Latin in mental training, placing it altogether above mathematics or physical science. The study of languages was always a passion with him. Dean Stanley once declared him the most accomplished linguist in England. He could read CervantesCervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
and Alfieri as easily as Racine
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
and Schiller, and was well acquainted with Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and Welsh poetry
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
; of the latter he was intensely fond. He could also read not only Arabic and Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
, but Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
and Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
Under his guidance sacred music was made a large part of the training of the college students. Choral services were not known in 1841, except in cathedrals, and when one was established in St. Mark's College Chapel pilgrimages used to be made to hear the novelty, not only from all parts of London, but by country clergy. ‘The chapel service is the keystone of the arch,’ he wrote in an interesting letter to Archdeacon Sinclair, published in 1842. He published several pamphlets in the course of his principalship, all evidently inspired by the desire to place the education of the people in the hands of the church, though his view of the church itself and its doctrines was by no means a narrow one. His last publication on the subject was a manifesto against compulsory education and in favour of denominational schools.
Literary work and later life
His life of his brother Hartley, published in 1849, is a very well-written biography, and he also edited some of his father's works in conjunction with his sister. In 1864 the works of PraedWinthrop Mackworth Praed
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was an English politician and poet.-Early life:He was born in London. The family name of Praed was derived from the marriage of the poet's great-grandfather to a Cornish heiress. Winthrop's father, William Mackworth Praed, was a serjeant-at-law. His mother belonged to the...
appeared under his editorship, and with a memoir by him. In 1854 Bishop Blomfield offered him the living of Northolt
Northolt
Northolt is a town in the London Borough of Ealing, England. The town has London Underground and Network Rail stations and is on the A40 road...
, but he declined it. Ten years later he accepted from Bishop Tait
Archibald Campbell Tait
Archibald Campbell Tait was a priest in the Church of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury.-Life:Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tait was educated at the Royal High School and at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was twice elected dux. His parents were Presbyterian but he early turned towards the...
the rectory of Hanwell
Hanwell
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent...
. Finding the parish church a long way from the population, he set to work to build a new one in the midst of them, and it was consecrated on the last day of 1879, when he was in his eightieth year. His mind had lost none of its vigour when he resigned next year, but he had become subject to constant attacks of acute neuralgia, and he retired to Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, where he died on 28 March 1883. His wife, to whom he had been married for more than fifty-five years, survived him. He left a son (Ernest Hartley Coleridge
Ernest Hartley Coleridge
Ernest Hartley Coleridge was a British literary scholar and poet. He was son of Derwent Coleridge and grandson of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He did scholarly work on his grandfather’s manuscripts, being the last of the Coleridges involved in their editing. He also took part in the campaign to buy...
) and a daughter (Christabel Rose Coleridge
Christabel Rose Coleridge
Christabel Rose Coleridge was an English novelist who also edited girls' magazines, sometimes in collaboration with the writer Charlotte Yonge....
).