Arthur Blennerhassett Rowan, (1800–1861) was a
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
cleric,
Archdeacon of Ardfert from 1856 to 1861, known also as an antiquarian writer.
Life
Rowan born in
county Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
, probably in
Tralee, the son of William Rowan, Provost of Tralee, and his wife Letitia Denny, daughter of
Sir Barry Denny, 1st Baronet
Sir Barry Denny, 1st Baronet (c. 1744 – April 1794) was an Anglo-Irish politician. The Denny family effectively owned the town of Tralee.
Denny was the son of Reverend Barry Denny and Jane O'Connor. He served in the Tralee Corps of the Irish Vo ...
of Tralee Castle and a cousin. He was educated at Dr. King's school,
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
, and at the age of sixteen entered
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
.
Graduating B.A. in 1821, M.A. 1827, B.D. and D.D. 1854, Rowan was ordained in 1824, and received the curacy of
Blennerville
Blennerville (, meaning "the seat/home of the Morans") is a small village and now a suburb of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. It is approximately west of the town centre on the N86 road to Dingle, where the River Lee enters Tralee Bay. The vill ...
in county Kerry; he held it for 30 years, some of that time with
Ballynahaglish. He set up and edited the ''Kerry Magazine'', which ran for two or three years, and mainly dealt with local history and antiquities.
In 1854 Rowan was appointed rector of
Kilgobbin,
Clonfert, and on 31 March 1856 was promoted archdeacon of Ardfert. He died at Belmont, near Tralee, 12 August 1861, and was buried in Ballyseedy churchyard.
Works
Rowan's published works included:
* ''Spare Minutes of a Minister'', poems (anon.), 1837.
* ''Letters from Oxford'', by Ignotus (pseudonym), Dublin, 1843, dating from a visit in 1840 to Oxford, and commenting on the
Tractarians
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
.
* ''Romanism in the Church, illustrated by the case of the Rev. E. G. Browne'', London, 1847.
* ''Newman's Popular Fallacies considered'', in six letters, with introduction and notes from ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'', Dublin, 1852.
* ''Lake Lore, or an Antiquarian Guide to some of the Ruins and Recollections of Killarney'', Dublin, 1853.
* ''First Fruits of an Early Gathered Harvest'', edited by A. B. R., 1854.
* ''Casuistry and Conscience'', two discourses, 8vo, Dublin.
* ''Gleanings after Grand Tourists'' (anon.), 1856, from a European tour in 1849.
* ''Brief Memorials of the Case and Conduct of T. C. D., A.D. 1686–1690, compiled from the College Records'', Dublin, 1858.
* ''Life of the Blessed Franco, extracted and englished from a verie anciente Chronicle'', London, 1858.
* ''The Old Countess of Desmond, her identitie, her portraiture, her descente'', 1860.
Family
Rowan married Alicia, daughter of Peter Thompson. They had two sons, William, later of Belmont, county Kerry, and Arthur Edward Denny, and two daughters,
including writer and historian,
Anne Margaret and Ora.
References
External links
Belmont House, Tralee, landedestates.nuigalway.ie
;Attribution
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Archdeacons of Ardfert
1800 births
1861 deaths
Diocese of Limerick, Ardfert and Aghadoe
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