Born: February 29, 1640, Stoke-Hammond, Buckinghamshire, England.
Died: July 18, 1704, Horselydown, Southwark, England.
Buried: Baptist burying ground, in the Park, Southwark, England.
Keach joined a Baptist church early in life, and began to preach at age 18. For the next 10 years, he worked as an evangelist in towns and villages, often being persecuted for his principles as a Baptist and Nonconformist. Upon publication of The Child’s Instructor, he was fined, pilloried, and imprisoned.
In 1668, Keach moved to London and became pastor of a Baptist church which met first in private homes, and later in Horselydown, Southwark.
There a large congregation gathered around him, to which he ministered until his death. He was the first to introduce singing to Baptist congregations.