H. P. Grice on Doctor Keate -- (From "Grice goes to Eton")

John Keate (1773 – 5 March 1852) is an English schoolmaster, and Head Master of Eton College.

He was born at Wells, Somerset, the son of Prebendary William Keate, rector of Laverton, Somerset, and brother of Robert Keate FRCS (1777–1857), Serjeant-Surgeon to King William IV and Queen Victoria.

He was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge.^[2] Taking holy orders, he became, about 1797, an assistant master at Eton College. In 1809 he was elected headmaster, having been "Under Master"^[3]. Although his predecessor had been somewhat relaxed, and the teacher-pupil ratio was extremely low, the discipline of the school was not improved by the harsh measures that he took as headmaster, including large-scale floggings with the birch, resulting in mass rebellions by the boys. He took the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1810. He retired in 1834.

Keate was made a canon of the eighth stall of Windsor in 1820. He died at Hartley Wespall, Hampshire, of which parish he had been rector since 1824.

References[edit]

1. ^ A.Clutton-Brock. "Eton" London: George Bell and Sons.
2. ^ "Keate, John (KT792J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. ^ Maxwell Lyte, A History of Eton College]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Keate, John". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Maxwell Lyte, History of Eton College (3rd ed., 1899)
• Collins, Etoniana
• Harwood, Alumni Etonienses
• Annual Register (1852)
• Gentleman's Magazine (1852)

Academic offices
Preceded by Joseph Goodall	Head Master of Eton College 1809–1834	Succeeded by Edward Craven Hawtrey

hide v t e Head Masters of Eton College since 1711
Andrew Snape Henry Bland William George William Cooke John Sumner Edward Barnard John Foster Jonathan Davies George Heath Joseph Goodall John Keate Edward Craven Hawtrey Charles Old Goodford Edward Balston James John Hornby Edmond Warre Edward Lyttelton Cyril Alington Claude Aurelius Elliott Robert Birley Anthony Chenevix-Trench Michael McCrum Eric Anderson John Lewis Tony Little Simon Henderson
For Head Masters prior to 1711, see List of Head Masters of Eton College

Categories: 

• 1773 births
• 1852 deaths
• People educated at Eton College
• Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
• People from Wells, Somerset
• Schoolteachers from Somerset
• Head Masters of Eton College
• Canons of Windsor