Henry Beeching: Professor, Poet, Priest

​Henry Beeching (1859–1919), Dean of Norwich, was the quintessential Man of Letters. Many of the most celebrated scholars, poets and clergy of the age were his friends and correspondents; amongst them the enduring relationship with his uncle, the poet Robert Bridges. A popular preacher active for the cause of reform in the Church, Beeching was also a poet, eminent scholar and a widely read journalist. As a contemporary journalist wrote of him, “Many men are content to make a reputation in any one of these departments. Mr Beeching has made a mark in each.” It is the breadth of his interests and achievements that is unusual.

This first full-length biography covers Beeching's character and his many enthusiasms and accomplishments, from the satirical and scandalous 'Balliol epigrams' to sermons during the First World War and the creation of the Memorial Chapel at Norwich Cathedral. Seen through the spectrum of national issues and challenges, this biography highlights Beeching’s wide appeal both as a Christian thinker, literary scholar and a humourist. Above all, the book considers how a literary scholar and lover of Shakespeare married this passion to a love of God.