John Keate

John Keate (1773 – 5 March 1852) was an English schoolmaster, and Head Master of Eton College.[1]

John Keate, silhouette

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

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