Gerard Manley Hopkins was born in 1844. He was born in London of Welsh ancestry, whose family were devout anglicans. He was the eldest of eight children. He was an actively artistic child, especially in music, drawing and poetry. This was encouraged in many Victorian households.

He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1863, where he became a follower of Edward Pusey and a member of the Oxford Movement. It was also at Oxford that he forged the friendship with Robert Bridges which would be of importance in his development as a poet, and also wrote many poems. In 1866, following the example of Newman, he converted to Roman Catholicism, and in 1868 he decided to enter the Jesuit order in which he was totally dedicated, therefore, stopped...