The Oxford Movement, marriage and domestic life: John Keble, Isaac Williams and Edward King

Abstract

• While a number of studies have highlighted the theological and social importance of the household in nineteenth-century Protestant Britain, the significance of domestic life for the leaders of the Oxford, or Tractarian, Movement remains almost completely unexplored. This essay will argue that the high view of celibacy held by many leaders of the Oxford Movement was tempered by a more positive view of domestic life reflected in the writings of three individuals who were closely associated with the Oxford Movement, namely John Keble (1792—1866), Isaac Williams (1802—65) and Edward King (1829—1910).