John Purcell-Fitzgerald (1803–1879) was an English

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

, and the elder brother of the poet Edward FitzGerald. He has been called "eccentric and religiously fanatical".

Life

He was born at

Bredfield Bredfield is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is situated just off the A12, two miles north of Woodbridge. Another village, Dallinghoo, is to the north, and to the west is Boulge, a small hamlet. The popul ...

, Suffolk, the son and heir of John Purcell who in 1818 changed his surname to Fitzgerald. In 1858 he took the surname Purcell-Fitzgerald. He was one of eight children of Purcell and his wife and cousin Mary Frances Fitzgerald.

Robert Bernard Martin Robert Bernard Martin (1918–1999) was an American scholar and biographer, specializing in Victorian literature. Pseudonym Robert Bernard Life Robert Bernard Martin was born September 11, 1918, in La Harpe, Illinois, to Carl and Maggie Martin. H ...

describes him in relation to his siblings as "easily the most eccentric of a peculiar lot". Fitzgerald was a pupil of

Benjamin Heath Malkin Benjamin Heath Malkin ( – G. Martin Murphy, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) was a British scholar and writer notable for his connection to the artist and poet William Blake. Career and education Malkin was born in London, and wa ...

at Bury St Edmunds Free School. He matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1822, graduating B.A. in 1826 and M.A. in 1829. Venn writes that when young he "had suffered from brain-fever which had had the effect of so weakening his sight, that it became impossible for him, as had been intended, to take Orders in the Church of England." Martin comments that he "had been strange all his life, sufficiently so at Cambridge to warrant special attention for eccentricity". He had a

speech impediment Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...

, described as "a bad "sissing" or whistling ... that alternated with a clicking of his teeth". Nonetheless, he took up preaching, and attracted audiences in the 1840s to hear his views on

biblical prophecy Bible prophecy or biblical prophecy comprises the passages of the Bible that are claimed to reflect communications from God to humans through prophets. Jews and Christians usually consider the biblical prophets to have received revelations from G ...

. He was valued by

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

Property owner

John Fitzgerald the elder became by inheritance a wealthy landowner. He built in 1826 Castle Irwell on the edge of

Pendleton Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri *Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon *Pendleton, South Carolina *Pe ...

in Lancashire, on one of his estates. It was close to the site of

Pendleton Colliery Pendleton Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after the late 1820s on Whit Lane in Pendleton, Salford, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. John Fitzgerald era John Purcell Fitzgerald, Member of Pa ...

, which he also owned, but which was a loss-making venture. In

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

was the Naseby Wooleys estate. He suffered bankruptcy in 1849. With numerous family properties in Ireland and England, John Fitzgerald the younger resided at some point at Little Island in

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

. He inherited Boulge Hall in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. The "History of Parliament", calling Fitzgerald a "highly eccentric and grossly fat lay preacher", states that the family properties, including also an estate at Seaford, passed to him; and that he resided for much of his time at Castle Irwell. He had additions made to that house in 1861. His ''Letter of Earnest Remonstrance'' (1870) to

W. E. Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, on the appointment as

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), Bishop of London (1885–1896) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896–1902). Early life T ...

the previous year, was signed as from Castle Irwell.

Religious associations

In 1847 Fitzgerald published a funeral sermon for the Rev. Timothy Richard Matthews of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. Matthews had a chapel in Bromham Road, and Fitzgerald assisted him for some services. In the Manchester area, Fitzgerald arranged for the hire of lecture halls, and speakers at them. Involved were Robert Baxter (1802–1889) of Doncaster the former

Irvingite The Catholic Apostolic Church (CAC), also known as the Irvingian Church, is a Christian denomination and Protestant sect which originated in Scotland around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States.Edmund Gardiner Fishbourne, and Joseph Samme.

Family

Fitzgerald married twice. His first wife, married in 1832, was Augusta Jane Lisle Phillipps, daughter of Charles March Phillipps of

Garendon Hall Garendon Hall was a country home near Shepshed, Leicestershire, England. It was demolished in 1964. History The site of Garendon Hall was formerly occupied by a Cistercian abbey, known as Garendon Abbey. The abbey was founded in 1133 and dissolve ...

. After her death in 1837, he married in 1843 Hester Haddon. Gerald Charles Fitzgerald (1820–1879) and Maurice Noel Ryder Fitzgerald (1835–1877) were sons of the first marriage.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell-Fitzgerald, John 1803 births 1879 deaths English evangelicals English landowners People with speech impediment 19th-century British businesspeople