Matthew Arnold English poet and culture critic Matthew Arnold was born on December 24, 1822, and died on April 15, 1888. He also worked as a school inspector. He was born to Thomas Arnold, who was the famous teacher of Rugby School, and his siblings were Tom Arnold who taught literature, and William Delafield Arnold, who wrote novels and ran the colonies. People have called Matthew Arnold a "sage writer," which means that his books chastise and teach the reader about modern social problems. He also worked as a school inspector for 35 years and backed the idea of secondary education being regulated by the state. Thomas Arnold and his wife Mary Penrose Arnold (1791–1873) had one son. He was born on December 24, 1822, in Laleham-On-Thames, Middlesex. Matthew asked John Keble to be his godfather. In 1828, Thomas Arnold was made Headmaster of Rugby School, which is where the family moved that same year. Arnold was taught in Laleham by his priest uncle John Buckland starting in 1831. In 1834, the Arnold family stayed at Fox How, a vacation home in the Lake District. Wordsworth lived nearby and was friendly with the people who lived there. Read More Read Less