Category: Brief histories of famous people across the world and ages

By Tim Lambert His Early Life John Keats was one of England’s greatest poets. He was born in London on 31 October 1795. His father Thomas Keats was an innkeeper. His mother was called Frances. The couple had 5 children. In 1803 John Keats went to Clarke’s School in Enfield. However, in 1804 tragedy struck… Continue reading A Brief Biography of John Keats

By Tim Lambert His Early Life John Milton was a great English writer of the 17th Century. Milton was also a great believer in liberty. Milton was born in Bread Street in London on 9 December 1608. His father also called John was a scrivener (a man who wrote contracts and other legal documents). His… Continue reading A Brief Biography of John Milton

By Tim Lambert His Early Life John Wesley was a famous preacher of the 18th century. He helped to found the Methodist movement. John Wesley was born on 28 June in the village of Epworth in Lincolnshire. His father was Samuel Wesley and his mother was Susanna. In 1714 John was sent to Charterhouse School.… Continue reading A Brief Biography of John Wesley

By Tim Lambert Joseph Lister is famous as the surgeon who invented antiseptic surgery. Lister was born on 5 April 1827 in Upton in Essex. He was one of 7 children and his father was a wine merchant. The Lister family were Quakers. At the age of 11, Joseph Lister was sent to school in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Joseph Lister

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Joseph Priestley was a great chemist of the 18th century. Priestley was born in Yorkshire on 24 March 1733. He was one of 6 children. Joseph could not go to university because he was a dissenter (a Protestant who did not belong to the Church of England). Instead in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestley

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Julian of Norwich 1342-1416 was a great Christian mystic and writer of the Middle Ages but little is known about her. It is a myth that women were unimportant in the Middle Ages. Some women like Julian certainly did have influence. However, we know very little about her life.… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Julian of Norwich

By Tim Lambert His Early Life King John was born in December 1166 or 1167. John was a younger son of Henry II and he was not expected to become king. His father conquered Ireland and in 1185 John was sent to that country. The expedition was a failure and John returned to England in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of King John

By Tim Lambert King Richard I was born in 1157 in Oxford. His father was Henry II and his mother was Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard was an educated man. In 1172 he became Duke of Aquitaine. In 1183 his older brother Henry died and he became heir to the throne of England. Richard succeeded his… Continue reading A Brief Biography of King Richard I

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Margaret Fell helped to found the Quakers. Margaret was born in Dalton in Furness in Lancashire in 1614 (the exact date is not known. Her father was John Askew, a well-off landowner. In 1632 Margaret married a barrister called Thomas Fell. Her husband later became a judge and an… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Margaret Fell

By Tim Lambert Margery Kempe was an English mystic of the Middle Ages. She is famous for her autobiography. Margery was born in n in 1373. Her father was a wealthy merchant. At that time Kings Lynn was a large and important town and port. When she grew up Margery married a merchant named John… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Margery Kempe