Michael Mayne
Cuddesdon Theological College |
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Michael Clement Otway Mayne,
Early life
Michael Clement Otway Mayne was born at Harlestone, Northamptonshire, the son of Rev. Michael Ashton Otway Mayne, rector of that parish, and his wife Sylvia Clementia Lumley Ellis. His father committed suicide by jumping from the top of Harlestone church tower when Mayne was three years old, after which his mother moved the family to Torbay and then London. With the support of clerical charities, Mayne was educated at The King's School, Canterbury and later at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxford. His early passion for acting and drama flourished while at university, though his former headmaster encouraged him to take up the priesthood.[1]
Ecclesiastical career and later life
Mayne served his curacy at St John's
In 1972 Mayne was made the head of religious programmes for BBC Radio a difficult post expounding Christian faith in a largely secular organisation and arguably made more difficult by Mayne's lack of relevant broadcasting experience. However at the time of his death it was remembered that "he brought to religious broadcasting, if not much in the way of innovation or combative empire-building, yet a great deal in terms of stylistic enrichment and quality. He was.....an artist rather than an administrator, a performer rather than an initiator; but he enjoyed very wide respect in his department and outside, with a wit and a humanity which endeared him (despite an occasional grandeur of manner) to his many friends."[2]
After a seven-year stint in the BBC he became the vicar of
In 1986 he was invited by
During his tenure he selected various people to be commemorated in the abbey, including Oscar Wilde, Alexander Pope, Edward Lear, Robert Herrick and Matthew Arnold. On his retirement in 1996 he was made Dean Emeritus of Westminster and also received his KCVO.
During his 50s Mayne was diagnosed with
Books
- A Year Lost and Found ISBN 0-232-51747-9
- This Sunrise of Wonder: A Quest for God In Art and Nature ISBN 0-00-627870-1
- Pray, Love, Remember ISBN 0-232-52270-7
- The Enduring Melody ISBN 0-232-52687-7
- Learning to Dance ISBN 0-232-5243-43
References
- ^ Harvey (2010)
- ^ Harvey, Anthony (28 October 2006). "The Very Rev Michael Mayne". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ 12:01AM BST 24 Oct 2006 (24 October 2006). "The Very Rev Michael Mayne". Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ McCrum, Robert (17 September 2006). "Observer review: The Enduring Melody by Michael Mayne | Books | The Guardian". The Observer. Books.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
Bibliography
- Harvey, A. E. (2010). "Mayne, Michael Clement Otway (1929–2006)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press [Jan 2010; online edition, Sept 2010; subscription of UK library membership required]
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