Robert Brett (1808–1874), was an English surgeon and writer of devotional books, involved with the

tractarian movement 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 ...

Life

Brett was born on 11 September 1808, it is believed at or near

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

, Bedfordshire. As soon as he was old enough, he entered

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...

, London, as a medical pupil, and passed his examinations, both as

MRCSE The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

and LSAL, in 1830. He then probably filled some hospital posts, and most certainly married. At this time he wished to take holy orders, and go abroad as a missionary. But he was dissuaded from such a step, and continued the practice of his profession. On the death of his wife, he went as assistant to Samuel Reynolds, a surgeon at

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, whose sister he married, and with whom he entered into a partnership which lasted fourteen years. He continued to practise at Stoke Newington until his death, on 3 February 1874.

Religious activities

He entered enthusiastically into the tractarian movement from its commencement, doing all in his power as a layman to forward it; he became friends with most of the leaders, especially

Edward Bouverie Pusey Edward Bouverie Pusey (; 22 August 180016 September 1882) was an English Anglican cleric, for more than fifty years Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. He was one of the leading figures in the Oxford Movement. Early years H ...

, and his whole life and means were spent in promoting the interests of this section of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. Even the motto on his carriage was "''Pro Ecclesia Dei''". It was owing to his calling the attention of Edward Coleridge, of Eton, to the deplorable condition of the ruins of

St Augustine's Abbey St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, that a scheme was set on foot which resulted, through the munificence of

Alexander Beresford Hope Sir Alexander James Beresford Beresford Hope PC (25 January 1820 – 20 October 1887), known as Alexander Hope until 1854 (and also known as A. J. B. Hope until 1854 and as A. J. B. Beresford Hope from 1854 onwards), was a British author and Co ...

, in the establishment of St Augustine's Missionary College. He parcelled out the parish of St Matthias, Stoke Newington, and was the chief agent in the building of its church, completed in 1853 to the designs of

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was born in Lon ...

. Brett thought that the Dissenting chapels such as

Newington Green Unitarian Church Newington Green Unitarian Church (NGUC) in north London is one of England's oldest Unitarian churches. It has had strong ties to political radicalism for over 300 years, and is London's oldest Nonconformist place of worship still in use. It was ...

were attracting worshippers in part because the Anglican pews were full.'Stoke Newington: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 204-211. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=4732 Date accessed: 29 May 2009. He was subsequently involved in the erection of two churches at

Haggerston Haggerston is a locale in East London, England, centred approximately on Great Cambridge Street (now renamed Queensbridge Road). It is within the London Borough of Hackney and is considered to be a part of London's East End. It is about 3.1 mi ...

and St Faith's, Stoke Newington. He did other practical good work in founding the Guild of St Luke, which consists of a band of medical men who co-operate with the clergy. He was an active member of the first church union that was started, and was at the time of his death a vice-president of the

English Church Union The Church Union is an Anglo-Catholic advocacy group within the Church of England. The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on 12 May 1859 to challenge the authority of the English civil courts to determine questio ...

. He wrote sixteen devotional books, including ''Devotions for the Sick Room'' ''Companion for the Sick Room'', and ''Thoughts during Sickness''. He was buried on 7 February 1874 at

Tottenham Cemetery Tottenham Cemetery is a large burial ground in Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey, in north London, England. It was opened in 1858 by the Tottenham Burial Board to replace the churchyard of All Hallows' Church, Tottenham which had clos ...

. A large number of clergymen, noblemen, physicians, and barristers attended his funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Robert 1808 births 1874 deaths English surgeons Tractarians English Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholic writers