Life of George Herbert
1593 3 April Born at Montgomery, Wales, son of Richard and Magdalen Herbert.
1593 20 May Sir Edward Herbert (grandpa) buried at Montgomery.
1596 15 October Richard Herbert buried at Montgomery Church.
1597 Mother makes acuaintance of John Donne at Oxford.
1601 Mother moves family to London.
1603 Queen Elizabeth dies; James VI of Scotland crowned James I of England.
1605 Herbert enters Westminster School in London. Gunpowder Plot is foiled.
1605 29 June Elected scholar at Westminster School.
1609 26 February Magdalen H. (40 yrs. old) married to Sir John Danvers (20 yrs. old).
1609 Herbert enters Trinity College, Cambridge.
1616 Shakespeare dies.
1614 Elected minor fellow.
1615 Elected major fellow.
1616 Masters of Arts.
1619 21 October Appointed deputy orator at Cambridge.
1620 Elected public orator for the university.
1624 November Elected member of Parlianment for borough of Montgomery.
1625 James I dies. Charles I ascends throne and takes Roman Catholic French princess, Henrietta Maria, as his queen.
1627 8 June Lady Danvers buried at Chelsea.
1629 5 March Marries Jane Danvers (cousin of John Danvers) at Baynton House.
1630 19 September Ordained priest at Salisbury Cathedral.
1630 Charles I offers Herbert rectory of small church at Bemerton, a short distance from Saisbury which he reluctant accept.
1633 1 March Dies in Bemerton Rectory.
Milieu
The poem titled "The Windows" was written Bemerton Patish, a small church, near Salisbury, England. The poem was written between 1630 to 1633. During this period, King Charles was the ruler of England. Engand also faced theological problems between Anglican and Puritan Churches. The poem is not political in any way or fashion. However, its main purpose was to inspire and encourage future readers. For example, there are three parts in The Temple. The first part has to do with "the church porch."This part prepares the reader to grow in faith. This helps the reader to prepare the reader to enter "the church." The second part is "the church," which discusses about "The Windows," "The Floor," and other physical sections of the church. These poems question God's will, which will ultimately make the individual stronger. Finally, the last section concerns the individual to unite with other church members. This section is called "the church militant." The three parts help believers grow both intellectually and spiritually. The Temple was only discovered after Herbert's death. Nicholas Ferrar, his long life friend, published The Temple and his other works. Most of his works were well recieved. "The Windows" was in the second part. I believe that Herbert wrote the second part while he supervised the construction of Bemerton Rectory.Please explore our gallery to examine Herbert's life, surroundings, and other fascinating things about his history and poems.