R. W. ChurchR.W. CHURCH About the author Richard William Church, sometimes known as Dean Church, was an English churchman and writer who lived from 25 April 1815 to 6 December 1890. The oldest of three boys born to wine trader John Dearman Church and his wife Brmley Caroline Metzener, Richard William was born (died 1845). John was not baptised into the Church of England until his marriage in 1814. His paternal grandparents, Cork businessman Matthew Church and his wife, were Quakers. In 1818, the family relocated to Florence. His mother moved to Bath when his father passed away in 1828, and he was enrolled at Redland, a severe evangelical school near Bristol. He was enrolled to Wadham College at Oxford in 1832, and in 1836 he graduated with first-class honours. In the meanwhile, his mother had remarried to Leghorn-born widower Thomas Crokat. He co-founded The Guardian newspaper in 1846 and contributed to The Saturday Review early on. He once more served as Oriel's instructor before accepting the modest living of Whatley in Somerset, close to Frome, in 1858. He was reportedly a conscientious parish priest and a dedicated learner who made significant contributions to contemporary writing. Read More Read Less