Robert Gradwell (26 January 1777 – 15 March 1833) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop, who served as rector of the English College in Rome. In 1828, he was appointed coadjutor to

James Bramston James Bramston (c. 1694–1743) was an English poet who specialised in satire and parody. He was also a pluralist cleric of the Church of England. Family The son of Col. Francis Bramston, a guards officer, he was born at Skreens, near Chelmsf ...

, Vicar Apostolic of the London district.

Life

Gradwell was born at Clifton-in-the Fylde,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the third son of John and Margaret Gregson Gradwell. He went to the

English College, Douai The English College (''College des Grands Anglais'') was a Catholic seminary in Douai, France (also previously spelled Douay, and in English Doway), associated with the University of Douai. It was established in 1568, and was suppressed in 1793. ...

in 1791. The college being suppressed by the French revolutionists, he was confined for some time, and was not allowed to return to England till 1795. With most of the Douai refugees, he went to

Crook Hall Crook Hall, sited near Lanchester, County Durham, some north west of the city of Durham, was one of two Roman Catholic seminaries which temporarily replaced the Douai seminary in Douai, France when that college was suppressed soon after the Frenc ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

, where he was ordained priest in December 1802. He taught poetry and rhetoric for seven years at Crook Hall, and at

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw), is a former Roman Catholic Church, Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for ...

. He left the college in July 1809 to go to

Claughton, Wyre Claughton ( ) is a sparse village and civil parish in the county of Lancashire in the north of England, in the Borough of Wyre. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 633. It is sometimes called Claughton-on-Brock to disting ...

as assistant to the resident priest, who was in failing health. Gradwell succeeded him as missionary for the Chaughton District in February 1811 and remained there until September 1817.Brady, William Maziere. ''Annals of the Catholic Hierarchy in England and Scotland: A.D. 1585-1876'', J. M. Stark, 1883, p. 197
/ref> About this time,

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

decided to reopen the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English College, ...

, and on

John Lingard John Lingard (5 February 1771 – 17 July 1851) was an English Roman Catholic priest and historian, the author of ''The History of England, From the First Invasion by the Romans to the Accession of Henry VIII'', an eight-volume work published i ...

's recommendation, Gradwell was appointed rector (1818).Brown, C.F. Wemyss. "Robert Gradwell." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 5 June 2019 Gradwell wrote a life of Lingard for the German edition of Lingard's ''History of England''.Cattermole, Philip H., ''John Lingard: The Historian as Apologist'', Troubador Publishing Ltd, 2013, p. 5, n.18
/ref> Under his administration the establishment flourished. He also acted as Roman agent for the English vicars Apostolic, exhibiting tact and diplomacy in this office. In 1821 the pope made him a doctor of divinity. In 1828 he was consecrated

Bishop of Lydda Diocese of Lydda ( Lod) is one of the oldest bishoprics of the early Christian Church in the Holy Land. Suppressed under Persian and Arab-Islamic rule, it was revived by the Crusaders and remains a Latin Catholic titular see. History In early ...

, as coadjutor to

, the

vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of the London district, and he came to London soon afterwards to take up his new duties. After some years of ill-health, he died of

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Works

His writings include: "A dissertation of the Fable of Papal Antichrists" (London, 1816); "A Winter Evening Dialogue ... or, Thoughts on the Rule of Faith" (London, 1816); and various journals, letters, and MSS. in connexion with his residence in Rome; his notes on the old archives of the English College there are of historical interest; all are in the Westminster archdiocesan archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gradwell, Robert 1777 births 1833 deaths People from Newton-with-Clifton Rectors of the English College, Rome 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Apostolic vicars of England and Wales Deaths from edema