Charles Walmesley
Charles Walmesley,
Early life
He was the seventh son of John Walmesley of Westwood House,
Walmesley's scientific attainments soon brought him into notice as an astronomer and mathematician. He was consulted by the British Government on the
Procurator General
From 1749 to 1753 Walmesley was
Walmesley's energy and ability attracted to him an amount of attention seldom given to Catholic bishops in England in the eighteenth century. So much was this the case that during the
In 1789 when the action of the "Catholic Committee" threatened seriously to compromise the English Catholics, Walmesley called a synod of his colleagues, and a decree was issued that the bishops of England "unanimously condemned the new form of oath intended for the Catholics, and declared it unlawful to be taken". The issue was over the form of an oath of loyalty to
On 15 August 1790, Walmesley consecrated
Burial
In the latter part of his life, Walmesley suffered from deafness.[3] He died in Bath, and was buried at St. Joseph's Chapel, Trenchard Street, Bristol. In 1906 the bodies there interred were removed, and the bishop's remains were translated to Downside Abbey and placed in a vault beneath the choir of the abbey church. Thus, more than a century after his death, his body came into the charge of that community by which he was educated nearly two hundred years ago.
The suggestion was put forward that the bishops of the two hierarchies of America and England, of whom the large majority trace their spiritual descent to Walmesley, should erect a fitting monument over his grave. The proposal met with generous support, and a beautiful altar tomb with recumbent effigy in alabaster from the designs of F. A. Walters, F.S.A., has now been erected on the Gospel side of the sanctuary.
Works
Walmesley's published works consist chiefly of treatises on astronomy and mathematics.
Walmesley is most famous for his General History of the Christian Church from her birth to her Final Triumphant States in Heaven chiefly deduced from the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle, by Signor Pastorini (a pseudonym). This was first published in 1771 and went through ten editions in Great Britain and five more were produced in America. Translations of the work also appeared in Latin, French, German, and Italian, and were also reprinted. The book
An 1823 refutation by "Pastor Fido" (also a pseudonym) was titled: "Pastorini proved to be a bad prophet, and a worse divine".[6]
William Carleton's popular short story, The Poor Scholar, quotes an Irish supporter of Pastorini speaking in Hiberno-English: "An', doesn't Pastorini say it? Sure, when Twenty-five comes, we'll have our own agin, the right will overcome the might – the bottomless pit will be locked – ay, double bolted, if St. Pether gets the kays, for he's the very boy that will accommodate the heretics wid a warm corner; an' yit, faith, ther's many o' them that myself 'ud put in a good word for, after all."[7]
A number of his letters are in the archives of the
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in England and Wales
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
- Roman Catholicism in England and Wales
Notes
- ^ Signor Pastorini (pseudonym of Charles Walmesley): General History of the Christian Church …, 1790
- ^ a b c Huddleston, Gilbert. "Charles Walmesley." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 12 January 2019
- ^ a b c Scott OSB, Geoffrey. "The Early Career of Bishop Charles Walmsley", English Benedictine Congregation History Commission, 1997
- ^ Monaco library notes on Pastorini Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Catalogue details, 2011 Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, in the National Library of Ireland
- ^ Pastor Fido's book, catalogued at the National Library of Ireland
- ^ Carleton W., "The Poor Scholar", text at Project Gutenberg
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Charles Walmesley". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
