Thomas Atkinson was born in 1815 at Gunnerton near Hexham and came to Ampleforth with his brother Matthew in 1831. He received the Habit in 1837, and Minor Orders 31 December 1837. He was ordained Subdeacon 1 January 1838 and professed 11 November 1838. He became Deacon 31 December 1839 and Priest in December of 1842.
Shortly after his ordination he went on the Mission, as assistant priest at Brownedge. His further appointments are as follows: Aberford 1843; Whitehaven assistant 1866; Rixton 1872; Lee House 1874, where he died.
The North Province Matricula says of him: 'Fr Austin was not a person of any great talent, but was a zealous and effective Missioner, of a benevolent and charitable disposition, and much beloved by those under his pastoral charge. He never held any Office in the Order. In 1875 his health began to fail from internal bleedings, and he calmly expired after receiving all the rites of the Church on March 26th 1876, and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery at Lee House near Preston.'
Joseph Cummins was born in Liverpool 30 July 1847 and came to Ampleforth in 1858. He was clothed at Belmont 28 September 1865 and professed 29 September 1866. Returning to Ampleforth in 1869, he made his Solem profession 23 October 1869. He received orders as follows: Minor Orders at Belmont 23 August 1868; Subdiaconate 31 October 1869; Diaconate 8 March 1873; Priesthood 8 March 1874. During the four and a half years before he passed to the Mission, Fr Bede took much interest in the choral chant, and after the introduction at Ampleforth of the Mechlin Vesperale devoted himself to the preparation of a monastic supplement, a work which was subsequently carried through by D Bruno Kengelbacher of Downside.
Fr Bede was sent on the Mission in 1874 and was appointed first to St David's Swansea. His health being none too good, he was removed in 1876 to Bath, but without success, for he died on August 23rd of the same year at his home, Waterloo, Liverpool. He was buried at Belmont. There is a representation of him at Ampleforth in the window of the 'Mater Monachorum' chapel, which was furnished by the zeal of his devoted brother, Abbot Ildefonsus Cummins.
Joseph Murphy was born at Ormskirk in 1834 and came to Ampleforth in 1844. He received the Habit 17 October 1854 and was professed 10 November 1855. He received his orders as follows:- Minor Orders 17 May 1856; Subdiaconate 6 June 1857; Diaconate 18 June 1859; Priesthood 19 October 1862. He was sent on the Mission in the year of his ordination and had this missionary career: Liverpool St Augustine's 1862, St Anne's 1863, St Peter's 1864; Ormskirk 1864; Lee House 1868; Warrington St Alban's 1870; Lee House 1871; Cowpen 1874; Rhymney 1876. The extant records provide no explanation of these frequent changes, which were perhaps due to ill health. He died in Liverpool.
William Ryan was born in Liverpool in 1803, came to Ampleforth in 1822, aged 18, received the Habit 2 October 1822, and was professed 9 October 1823. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 10 June 1822; Subdiaconate 18 December 1824; Diaconate 11 July 1825; Priesthood in 1826.
He appears to have gone on the Mission in the year of his ordination, and worked for a short period at Brownedge and in Liverpool. In the year 1827 he was appointed to Calehill in Kent, a chaplaincy to the Darrell family, and remained there until 1838, when the chaplaincy was abandoned. He was then appointed Incumbent of Warwick Bridge, at which Mission he spent the remaining 39 years of his life. During his tenure of this Mission he effected very considerable improvements, first building a priest's house, with good garden, stabling and coach-house, and then, 1841, the small but attractive church, to the designs of Augustus Welby Pugin. Despite the considerable outlay which these improvements involved, he contrived to have the finances of the Mission in a very satisfactory state [See Allanson's account of the Mission of Warwick Bridge].
He was a Definitor of the North Province from 1866 to 1870, and in the latter year became a Definitor of the Regimen. The General Chapter of 1874 made him Cathedral Prior of Winchester. He died at Warwick Bridge and was buried in the cemetery attached to his church.
The North Province Matricula gives this account of him: 'Fr Wilfrid was a character firm and determined, was a man of excellent judgement and a reliable counsellor in matters of difficulty and business. He ably defended the rights of his independent Mission against all encroachments of the Howard family yet by his tact continued the trusted friend and adviser of the family, at whose mansion he spent most of his time in his declining years... He had reached the advanced age of 72 when on the death of Provincial Allanson, 1876, the office of Provincial of York devolved on him, from 1866 he was Provincial Second Elect, and he declined it. He had suffered from heart disease; this and years now began to tell fast on his constitution. After several severe attacks from which he rallied, at length in the autumn of 1877 his health completely broke down, and after bearing with great patience and resignation for many weeks his sufferings which at times were very acute, he calmly expired on the 26th of October 1877 after having received all the rites of the Church, and was buried at the foot of the stone cross adjacent to the church of Warwick Bridge, the Incumbency of which he had held the lengthened period of 39 years'.
Charles Wright was born at Wigan 31 May 1848 and came to Ampleforth in 1859. He was clothed at Belmont 28 September 1867 and simply professed 6 October 1868. He made his solemn profession at Ampleforth 23 February 1872. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders at Belmont 28 October 1870; Subdiaconate 8 March 1873; Diaconate 19 December 1874; Priesthood 18 September 1875. He was sent on the Mission before the end of that year to St David's Swansea, where, after a brief period of apostolic work, he died.
Charles Price was born in Liverpool in 1819. He came to Ampleforth in 1831, apparently as a Lamspring student, for when that House was temporarily re-established at Broadway, 1834-41, he went there with two other Ampleforth boys, John Hall and William Tootle, and was professed there in 1836. When Broadway was dissolved, he went to Downside and was there in the period 1841-2. Subsequently, perhaps in 1844 [Council Book p90] he moved to Ampleforth and was affiliated to St Laurence's Community. He was ordained priest 3 December 1849 and in the following year passed to the service of the Mission. His missionary career was as follows:- Liverpool St Anne's 1850; Coventry 1852; Chideock 1853; Coventry 1854; Chepstow 1857 [See MS 263 No 44]; Abergavenny 1858; Chideock 1859; Bridgend 1864; Swansea St David's 1873-6.
In 1876 he was compelled by ill health to retire to Ampleforth but recovering in 1877 resumed missionary work at Clytha in Monmouthshire, where he died in 1878.
From 1872 to 1876 he was a Canon of the Diocese of Newport and Menevia.
As Incumbent of Abergavenny, with the assistance of generous benefactors, he was able to lay the foundation stone of a new church which was opened under his successor 15 May 1860. He was able also, with similar assistance, to provide for the building of a new presbytery; but again did not himself see the fulfilment of the project.
James Poole was born in Liverpool in 1819 and came to Ampleforth in 1831. He was clothed in 1837 and made his profession 11 November 1838. He received his Orders as follows: Minor Orders 31 December 1837; Subdiaconate 1 January 1838; Diaconate 31 December 1839; Priesthood 25 June 1845. [These are the dates of the Obit Book and may be open to question] It would appear that Br Edmund Poole, before his ordination, was for a time resident at Brownedge. Prior Cockshoot, in a letter of 29 February 1844, informs Dr Molyneux that 'Mr Brewer a short time ago told me Br Edmund was childish, and would not be ready for Ordinations (sic) for some years. The plea of Ordinations is a genteel dismissal. I have told Mr Brewer that his Ordinations will not be accelerated by his return, as Dr Briggs will not hold Ordinations here for twelve months. Mr Poole is his own enemy'. [MS 240 No 19]
However, we may presume that Br Edmund was ordained priest at the date given above, for he went on the Mission in the following year, 1846. His missionary career was as follows:- Warrington 1846; Whitehaven 1857 [See a letter of his about his work there in MS 140 No 81]; Maryport, Incumbent, 1859; Walton-le-Dale 1868-78. He died in Liverpool.
He visited Ampleforth, from time to time, for the Exhibition Day and showed his interest in the school by giving a prize of £5 for classics, which was competed for in 1875.
Edward Dinmore was born at Knaresborough in 1805, and came to Ampleforth in 1818. He was clothed 20 March 1823, and professed 30 March 1824. He received Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 10 June 1822; Subdiaconate 20 January 1827; Diaconate 27 June 1828; Priesthood 18 September 1830.
He went on the Mission in 1831 and was first appointed to Bellingham, Hesleyside, Northumberland, a chaplaincy to the Charlton family, where he remained until the chaplaincy was given up in 1833. He was then appointed to Goosnargh, a Mission just then transferred to the Benedictines by the Provincial of the Franciscan Recollects, and he served Goosnargh until his death there in 1879, a period of 46 years.
He would appear to have been a frugal man and successful in his financial dealings, for he amassed a large peculium and became in consequence a considerable benefactor to Ampleforth and the North Province. Here is a brief summary of his contributions:
To Ampleforth: Money sunk and Spolia £3576.9s.2d.
To the North Province: Money sunk and Spolia £3155.0.0.
To the North Province: for Church Students at Ampleforth £2175.0.0.
Total: £8906.9s.2d.
On the dissolution of the Provinces the funds for church students were assigned to St Laurence's, 1891, so that the total sum received from him by Ampleforth was £5751.9s.2d. For a fuller account of his finances and financial dispositions, see the book devoted to the Church Student Funds.
Matthew Fairclough, elder brother of D Francis Fairclough (d.1835), was born at Wigan in 1788 and educated at Stonyhurst. On the recommendation of D Alban Molyneux he was accepted as a postulant at Ampleforth in 1816 and clothed on July 6th of that year. [The Council Book says June 24] Having made his profession on September 3rd 1818 he was lent to Dr Marsh, to assist him in his task of re-establishing St Edmund's Community at Douay. He did not remain very long at Douay, for he was back at Ampleforth in 1819 and received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders and Subdiaconate 25 January 1819; Diaconate Advent 1819; Priesthood Whitsuntide 1820.
He went presently on the Mission, first as chaplain to the Selby family at Biddlestone, Northumberland and probably soon after his ordination. [Allanson puts him there before his ordination, in 1819, the Obit Book says 1822.] His next appointment was to Bungay, probably in 1826, though here again there is a conflict of dates. From Bungay he passed to Bosworth Hall, Leicestershire, in 1828, when he relinquished missionary work in England and retired to Arras. There, attached to the church of St Gery and occupied apparently in parochial duties, he passed the next fifty years of his life. In the year 1878, being then 92 {90?} years of age, he retired to St Edmund's, Douay, where he died.
Apart from a letter of President Molyneux to Bishop Brown, dated 2 November 1853, little is known of him during the fifty years which he spent in isolation from his brethren. The Bishop was looking for a chaplain for Mr Phillips of Longworth, Hereford, and the President gives him an account of D Charles Fairclough, whom he had then recently met and who was toying with the idea of returning to missionary work in England. Dr Molyneux says something of his early career, mentioning that the reason of his retirement from the Mission was 'some scandal which was never fairly proved against him', and gives a picture of him and his occupations in 1853 [MS 262 No 200]
That he was not without some contact with Ampleforth during his long exile is shown by the fact that in 1870 he had the sum of £480 sunk in the House on a life-interest [Ampleforth Finances p51]
John McAuliffe was born at Bath 17 December 1842, and came to Ampleforth in 1857. He was clothed at Belmont 28 September 1865 and professed 29 September 1866. He made his Solemn Profession at Ampleforth 23 October 1869. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders at Belmont 23 August 1868; Subdiaconate 26 February 1871; Diaconate 8 March 1873; Priesthood 8 March 1874.
Fr Placid possessed a tenor voice of exceptional quality which he was able to use with effect in the Masses of Haydn and Mozart that were then regularly performed. He was in demand also as a writer of the librettos of school operettas. And he was an attractive preacher. In the year 1874 he became Prefect of Discipline, which office he held until the year of his death and exercised with great success, winning the esteem and affection of those under him. The last year of his life was a time of much anxiety for him and the Community of St Laurence's in consequence of Prior Kearney's defection. For a few months in that year he was acting Superior of the House, until the appointment in June of Prior Whittle. Having previously relinquished the office of Prefect, Fr Placid now became Junior Master. But his constitution, at no time robust, had been weakened by work and anxiety, and began to fail rapidly in the summer. He was forced to take to his bed in September and died peacefully a week later, much regretted by his brethren. He is commemorated by a window in the Sanctuary of the old church.
John Lynch was born at Wavertree, Liverpool 14 May 1849 and came to Ampleforth in 1861. He was clothed at Belmont 28 September 1867 and professed 11 November 1868. He made his Solemn Profession at Ampleforth 23 February 1872. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders at Belmont 28 October 1870; Subdiaconate 8 March 1873; Diaconate 19 December 1874; Priesthood 18 September 1875.
He was sent on the Mission in 1877 and stationed at St Mary's Liverpool. He died at Woolton of typhus fever, caught in the discharge of his duties at St Mary's: a 'martyr of charity'.
Thomas Jackson was born in Liverpool in 1815, and came to Ampleforth in 1824. It is not clear how long he was in the school, but he returned to Ampleforth in 1834 and was clothed in that year. He was professed 5 March 1836. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 31 December 1837; Subdiaconate 1 January 1838; Priesthood 31 December 1839. [There was an Ordination on the next day, and it is possible that he received Diaconate and Priesthood on these successive days.]
Fr Bernard became a member of Council 1 May 1841 and was Secretary of that body from 1842 to 1849. In 1844 he was appointed Subprior. He went on the Mission in 1849, to Middleton Lodge, which place he served until 1865. In that year he had some sort of mental breakdown [MS 245 No 36] Recovering he served Aberford from 1866 to 1868, when he was transferred to Brownedge, as assistant to D Anselm Walker. He died 22 February 1881 - the Obit Book says 'at Leyland' - and was buried at Brownedge.
Miles Lawson was born in 1816. It is possible that he came to Ampleforth in 1841, or even that he was clothed in that year; but he was not then professed, as the Obit Book records. The Council Book shows the Council voting for his Profession on 14 July 1843.
A letter of his, of 6 March 1858, reveals him doubting his vocation and asking President Burchall for release from his vows [MS 243 No 54] However, yiedling to the judgement of the President and Prior Cooper, he persevered until death in the life of a devout and hardworking laybrother.
Henry Froes was born at Wakefield 19 March 1860 and came to Ampleforth in 1869, at which date his parents lived near Thirsk. His father, Francis Henry Froes, was of Portuguese extraction and claimed connexion with the royal family. He was clothed at Belmont 3 September 1878, but through ill health did not make his Simple Profession until 19 January 1880. Being a musician of some talent, and Ampleforth needing an organist, he returned there before his time, in 1881. But his health deteriorated and he was able to perform his duties only for a short period and with difficulty. Early in 1882 he became seriously ill and was allowed to go about Easter to his parents at Wellington, Shropshire. The change did not arrest his decline, and he died at Wellington on May 1st of that year, before he was due for Solemn Profession. He was buried at Belmont, which he left with regret.
John Potter was born at Birmingham 5 October 1848 and came to Ampleforth in 1860, apparently from Liverpool. He was clothed at Belmont 28 September 1867, and professed 6 October 1868. He made his Solemn Profession at Ampleforth 23 February 1872. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders at Belmont 28 October 1870; Subdiaconate 8 March 1873; Diaconate 8 March 1874; Priesthood 17 December 1874.
He went on the Mission in 1875 to Liverpool and save for a few months in 1881 at St Anne's, was at St Augustine's until his death. Like his contemporary, D Jerome Lynch, he contracted the prevailing typhus fever and died a 'martyr of charity' at Ormskirk.
Edward Lynass was born at St Helen's, Lancashire 6 August 1823 and came to Ampleforth in 1836. He was clothed 15 December 1841, and professed 15 August 1843. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 14 December 1848; Subdiaconate 15 December 1848; Diaconate 1 December 1849; Priesthood 21 December 1850.
In October of 1850 he became a member of Prior Cooper's Council and appears to have remained a member until some time in 1853. In the minutes of a Council held 21 January 1854 we read that 'by this time Fr Lynass had gone on the Mission' [Council Book p142. The Obit Book puts him at Redditch in 1850-51 and at Waterloo, Liverpool 1852-55] It is possible that he 'supplied' at these places, and he was perhaps settled at Waterloo from 1853 until 1855, when he was appointed Incumbent of Leyland. In 1859 he was transferred to Whitehaven, where he remained for 14 years and where he built St Gregory's church, [architect Peter Paul Pugin] raising the necessary funds by preaching and by other methods. He was a zealous missioner but impetuous in his ways - he actually began to build before he had legal possession of the site - and not happy in his relations with his assistant, with his brethren and with his Provincial, Allanson. There is a series of letters to him, 1861-64, in MS 168 from Provincial Allanson, who is led to declare that Fr Lynass 'as given him more trouble than all the heads of our double Missions put together and he supposes he must await more with resignation'. He appears to have been indiscreet in his public utterances and unpopular with the neighbouring clergy, who were dismayed when it was proposed that he should replace Fr Vincent Clifton as Dean of St Gregory's Conference. In 1871 he was anxious to be removed to some other mission, and in 1873 was appointed to Knaresborough, which he served for the remaining ten years of his life and where he died.
William Watmough was born at Crosby, Liverpool in 1837 and came to Ampleforth with his brother, Jonathan, in 1847. He was clothed in 1856 and professed 23 December 1857. It is noteworthy that on the occasion of his Profession, though not obliged to do so, he made a formal renunciation of his substantial patrimony, about £6000, in favour of his monastery. This act made possible the building of Prior Cooper's New College [Council Book p186] He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 18 June 1859; Subdiaconate 19 June 1859; Diaconate 1 November 1863; Priesthood 17 December 1864.
He appears to have been librarian at Ampleforth in 1867 [MS 245 No 240] and in the same year to have ministered to the Catholics, not only of the Ampleforth district, but also of Kirby Moorside, where he was anxious to establish a Mass-centre [MS 240 No 159, MS 245 No 240] He went on the Mission in 1868 and served as follows:- Liverpool St Mary's 1868, St Augustine's 1869; Warrington St Alban's 1874; Lee House 1876; Bedlington 1882, where he died at the age of 47.
John Proctor was born at Brindle, Lancashire in 1823 and came to Ampleforth in 1839, at the age of 16. He was clothed in January of 1845 and professed 3 April 1846. He received his Orders as follows:- Minor Orders 14 December 1848; Subdiaconate 15 December 1848; Diaconate 30 November 1849; Priesthood 13 December 1851.
He went on the Mission in 1852 and, save for a short period at Ampleforth in 1855, served it until his retirement, as follows:- Brandsby, being the last resident Missioner, 1852; Whitehaven 1854; Liverpool St Augustine's 1854; Brownedge 1855; Walton-le-Dale, as Incumbent of the newly-founded Mission where he built a School-Chapel, 1856; Liverpool St Augustine's 1865; Leyland 1869; Lee House 1882-84. He retired then in failing health to Ampleforth and died there.