author
Frederick Temple
1821–1902
A forceful Victorian church leader and educator, he rose from school reform and Rugby headship to become Archbishop of Canterbury. His writing reflects a practical mind, moral seriousness, and a strong interest in faith’s place in public life.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born on November 30, 1821, in Santa Maura in the Ionian Islands, Frederick Temple became one of the most prominent churchmen in Victorian England. He studied at Balliol College, Oxford, was ordained in 1847, and first built his reputation through education, including work connected with schooling for the poor and later as headmaster of Rugby School.
Temple went on to serve as Bishop of Exeter, Bishop of London, and finally Archbishop of Canterbury from 1896 until his death in 1902. He was known for a direct, disciplined style and for taking both education and religion seriously as public responsibilities.
As an author and speaker, he wrote out of long experience as a teacher, bishop, and church leader. Readers coming to his work today will find clear-minded Victorian prose shaped by questions of belief, duty, scripture, and the moral life.