Life and character Charles Kingsley

caricature adriano cecioni published in vanity fair in 1872.

kingsley born in holne, devon, elder of 2 sons of reverend charles kingsley , wife mary lucas kingsley. brother henry kingsley , sister charlotte chanter became writers. spent childhood in clovelly, devon, father curate 1826–1832 , rector 1832–1836, , @ barnack, northamptonshire , educated @ bristol grammar school , helston grammar school before studying @ king s college london, , university of cambridge. charles entered magdalene college, cambridge, in 1838, , graduated in 1842. chose pursue ministry in church. 1844, rector of eversley in hampshire. in 1859 appointed chaplain queen victoria. in 1860, appointed regius professor of modern history @ university of cambridge. in 1861 became private tutor prince of wales.

in 1869 kingsley resigned cambridge professorship and, 1870 1873, canon of chester cathedral. while in chester founded chester society natural science, literature , art, played important part in establishment of grosvenor museum. in 1872 accepted presidency of birmingham , midland institute , became 19th president. in 1873 made canon of westminster abbey. kingsley died in 1875 , buried in st mary s churchyard in eversley.

kingsley sat on 1866 edward eyre defence committee along thomas carlyle, john ruskin, charles dickens, john tyndall, , alfred tennyson, supported jamaican governor edward eyre s brutal suppression of morant bay rebellion against jamaica committee.

one of daughters, mary st leger kingsley, became known novelist under pseudonym lucas malet .

kingsley s life written widow in 1877, entitled charles kingsley, letters , memories of life.

kingsley received letters thomas huxley in 1860 , later in 1863, discussing huxley s ideas on agnosticism.