Roger Kelke

Roger Kelke (1524–1576) was an English churchman and academic, a Marian exile and Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge from 1558 and Archdeacon of Stow from 1563.

Early life Roger was the son of Christopher Kelke of Barnetby, Lincolnshire. His father died shortly after Roger was born, and his mother, Isabel Girlington subsequently married William Tyrwhit. Amongst her subsequent children Roger had some notable half-brothers who were Members of Parliament: Robert Tyrwitt, Tristram Tyrwhitt and Marmaduke Tyrwhitt.

Kelke was a student at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1544, M.A. in 1547. He was elected a fellow of St John's around 1545, a preacher there on 25 April 1552, and a senior fellow the following October.

Career On the accession of Mary I of England, Kelke left the country, and his name appears in the list of exiles at Zürich on 23 October 1554. He returned to Cambridge on the accession of Elizabeth I; in August 1558 was nominated Lady Margaret preacher in the university, and on 1 November that year was appointed master of Magdalene College. He was re-elected to his senior fellowship at St John's a few days later (9 November) The conditions of the Lady Margaret preachership, a post he continued to hold until 1565, required that the preacher should deliver annually six sermons at places in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

Kelke continued to fill the office of master at Magdalene College until his death; during that time he was twice a candidate for the mastership of St John's College, in 1563 and again in 1569. On the former occasion he was actually elected, having been strongly recommended to William Cecil; but Cecil favoured another candidate, Richard Longworth. On 15 May 1563 he was collated to the archdeaconry of Stow, and in the following year he proceeded D.D.