Robert Hooke was in poor health as a child

In 1635, Robert Hooke was born on the Isle of Wight, a territory of Great Britain. His father was John Hooke and Cecily Gyles was his mother. John Hooke, who was a curate at All Saints Church in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, was Robert Hooke's father. John Hooke was left in charge of All Saints even though he was technically a curate since the minister was also the dean of Gloucester Cathedral and Wells. It was a wealthy church since St John's College in Cambridge served as its patron. John Hooke served as a private tutor in addition to managing a small school that was affiliated with the church. The youngest of four children, Hooke was.

Robert's health was bad, as it was for many kids his age, and he was not expected to live to maturity. If Robert had been in excellent health as a youngster, there is little question that he would have continued the family tradition because his father came from a family where it was anticipated that all the boys would enter the church (John Hooke's three brothers were all ministers). As it was, Robert's parents started preparing for his schooling with this in mind, but his persistent headaches made studying difficult. This is the reason why he spent much of his education time at home.