The Life of J. C. Ryle (Rough Outline) 

By Davis L. Moore

“Little more needs to be said of this volume [Practical Religion] than that it sustains the author's well-earned reputation for evangelical simplicity and power. Mr Ryle is looked upon as a typical representative of evangelical churchmanship, but in reality he ascends far higher. While with all her faults he loves the Church of England still, he loves the souls of men much more, and most of all the gospel of their salvation. This too, is a gospel to be loved, the gentleness of which has made him great, and the experience of which has led to the earnest desire that it may do for others what it has done for him. … Men’s ideas of the wrath to come may be judged of by the earnestness with which they exhort others to fly from it.” - Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  

“Calling at the hour he had fixed for seeing me, I found him in his study: he was very bright and as was his wont, he inquired after my health and about the parish. On remarking how touched we all were by seeing him with us at St Nathaniel's on Christmas morning, he smilingly replied, ‘Yes, I said to my children, “Let us go to St Nathaniel's this morning, for I am sure we shall be welcome there.’”” Ryle then gave Hobson his Bibe that he had used for 50 years in his study and said, ‘Now let us have a parting prayer.’ Hobson continued, “I knelt by his chair, and oh, what a prayer he offered for me! I shall never forget it.” - Hobson, near Ryle’s death 

Ryle was six foot two inches. There is no doubt that Ryle’s physical health (as he was a sportsman) in his youth, was a great advantage to him in his later years. Though strong physically, he still was a man who needed much sleep. 

Ryle gave £1,200 towards the cost of the Church house, and his extremely valuable library of over 5,000 books, as well as the paintings that belonged to him. Sadly, all of what was his library several decades later (July of 1940-July of 1941), most of his books were removed and replaced with more liberal works. Whatever happened to be left within the library that at one time belonged to him, was all destroyed in 1941 along with the Church House by German Bombing.  

• Born – 1816 May 10th at 4:00 

• Started School under John Jackson in Macclesfield – August 8th, 1824 (aged 8) 

• Left school – December 1827 

• Went to Eton College – End of January, 1828 (Almost 1 2) 

• Returned home to Cheshire – Summer, 1834 

• Entered Christ Church, Oxford – October, 1834 

• Had severe illness (something to do with the lungs) - 1837, (possibly 6/24-12/25) 

• Converted – 1837, near the end of the year (aged 21) 

• Attempted law with Jonathan Christie in Lincoln’s Inn, London – 1838  

• Bank fell; bankruptcy for family – June, 1841 

• Ordained – December 12, 1841 

• Preached first sermon – December 19, 1841 

• Became bishop of Winchester? - December, 1843 

• First marriage – October 29, 1845 

• First baby born – March 13, 1847 

• First published book (though not his own work technically): Spiritual Songs – 1849  

• Regeneration: A Tract for the Times – 1850  

• Second marriage – February 21, 1850 

• Second baby, first to second wife (Jessy Isabelle) - 1851 

• Another baby (died soon after birth) - 1853 

• First of his own work: The Bishop, the Pastor, and the Preacher – 1854  

• Another baby (Reginald) - 1854 

• Wrote Matthew Commentary – 1856 

• Another baby (Herbert) - 1856 

• Wrote Mark Commentary – 1857 

• Another baby (Arthur) - 1857  

• Wrote both Luke commentaries – 1858-59 X2 

• Hymns for the Church on Earth (selected and arranged) 

• Third marriage (Henrietta) - October, 24 1861 

• Wrote first of John commentaries – 1865 

• Wrote ‘biographical papers’ which became c.l.o.t. l..c for The Family Treasury– 1866-67 

• Became speaker at Norwich – 1868  

• Second wife died (age 38) - May 19, 1860 

• Wrote Christian Leaders of the 18th Century – 1868 

• Wrote second of the John Commentaries – 1869  

• Christian Leaders of the Last Century – 1869  

• Spoke regular, became vice-president of Church Association – 1870  

• Words for All (forty-five tracts) - 1871  

• Most likely wrote auto-biography – 1873, somewhere in the middle of the year 

• Wrote third and final of John commentaries – 1873  

• Wrote Knots Untied – 1874  

• Wrote Holiness – 1877  

• Wrote Old Paths – 1877  

• Wrote Practical Religion – 1879 

• Wrote Coming Events and Present Duties – 1879    

• Left Norwich – 1880  

• Left Stradbroke – June 20, 1880  

• Appointed first bishop of Liverpool – 1880  

• Son gets ordained, ‘83 becomes Ryle’s examiner – 1882 

• Wrote The Upper Room – 1888 

• Henrietta Ryle (third wife) died (were married near 30 yrs.) - April 6, 1889 

• Wrote Light From old Times – 1890 

• Final address at Hull – 1890  

• Suffered a slight stroke, recovered, continued work – 1891  

• 80th birthday, Liverpool clergy and laity presented him with an address – May 10, 1896 

• Last conference address in Liverpool – 1898 

• Ryle's health begins to decline – Beginning of 1899 

• Preached his last sermon at St. Nathaniel’s on John 15:15 – January 8, 1899 

• Had his last public meetings – Week of May 13, 1899 

• Preached for Church Missionary Society St Silas’ on Col. 2:23 – May 14, 1899 

• Tuesday meetings with individuals in office ended – Summer of 1899  

• Made proposal, set foundation for a Church House – August 1899 

• Herbert (son) paid visit, advised his resignation *See note – September 1899 

• Saw his friend Hobson for the very last time – January 22, 1900 

• Put forth his resignation for the following month – February 1, 1900 

• Died, having just past 84th birthday – Sunday June 10th, 1900 

• The day he died, the church sang Rock of Ages, his favorite hymn 

• He was buried with his 3rd lovely wife, Henrietta, at All Saint’s Church, Childwall, Liverpool 

*He wrote that he found him, “so evidently enfeebled in step, in hearing and memory.”