Samuel Rickards (1796–1865) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

clergyman, opponent of the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

, and writer of

devotional literature Christian devotional literature (also called devotionals or Christian living literature) is religious writing that Christian individuals read for their personal growth and spiritual formation. Such literature often takes the form of Christian daily ...

Biography

Rickards, son of Thomas Rickards of Leicester, was born in 1796. He matriculated from

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

, on 28 January 1813, graduating

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

in 1817 and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in 1820. He was a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

there from 16 April 1819 to 6 October 1822, being contemporary with

John Keble John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, was named after him. Early life Keble was born on 25 April 1792 in Fairford, Glouc ...

and other leaders of the

ritualistic A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, ...

movement. He was Newdigate prizeman, 1815, writing on the "Temple of Theseus", and English essayist, 1819, writing on "Characteristic Differences of Greek and Latin Poetry". His marriage in 1821 obliged him to surrender his fellowship and seek a

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

. From 1822 to 1832 he was the

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in charge of

Ulcombe Ulcombe is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The name is recorded in the Domesday Book and is thought to derive from 'Owl-coomb': 'coomb' (pronounced 'coo-m') meaning 'a deep little wooded valley; a hollow in a hill side' (Cha ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican priest and later as a Catholic priest and ...

, while on a visit to him in September 1826, wrote his well-known verses, "Nature and Art", and, during a second visit in October 1827, "Snapdragon, a Riddle". In 1832 Rickards was presented by a college friend, Henry Wilson, to the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically o ...

Stowlangtoft Stowlangtoft is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England two miles south-east from Ixworth. Located around five miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 270. Name The village, or ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

, where he passed the remainder of his life. At an early period he parted company with the

Oxford movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

, and wrote expostulatory and warning letters to Keble and Newman. He was nevertheless instrumental in the publication of Keble's "

The Christian Year The Christian Year is a series of poems for all the Sundays and some other feasts of the liturgical year of the Church of England written by John Keble in 1827. The book is the source for several hymns. It was first published in 1827, and quic ...

", a duplicate manuscript copy of which was lent to him by Keble, and, when Keble's own copy was lost in Wales, it was Rickards' copy that was printed. Rickards had a reputation as a sound theologian of high character, and many of his clerical brethren looked up to him for counsel and guidance in the controversies by which his times were marked. He died at Stowlangtoft rectory on 24 August 1865, leaving an only daughter, Lucy.

Works

* ''Hymns for Private Devotion for the Sundays and Saints' Days'', 1825 * ''The Christian Householder, or Guide to Family Prayer'', 1830 * ''Poems'', 1870 (posthumous) * numerous other small devotional works

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Rickards, Samuel 1796 births 1865 deaths English religious writers Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests People from Ulcombe