Robert Owen (13 May
1820
Events
January–March
*January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7).
*January 8 – General Maritime T ...
– 6 April
1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...
) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
theologian and
antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
.
Life
Owen was born in
Dolgellau
Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...
,
Merionethshire
, HQ= Dolgellau
, Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start= 1284
, End=
, Code= MER
, CodeName= ...
, on 13 May 1820. After being educated at
Ruthin School
Ruthin School is a public school (i.e. independent school) located on the outskirts of Ruthin, the county town of Denbighshire, North Wales. It is over seven hundred years old, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. Original ...
, Owen attended
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...
,
matriculating
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
in 1838.
He obtained a third-class
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in
Literae Humaniores in 1842, with further degrees of
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
(1845) and
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...
(1852). He was a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of Jesus College from 1845 until 1864, when an allegation of immorality forced his resignation.
In 1843, Owen was ordained by
Christopher Bethell
Christopher Bethell (21 April 1773 – 19 April 1859) was Bishop of Bangor.
Bethell was the second son of the Reverend Richard Bethell, the rector of St Peter's Wallingford, Berkshire, who died 12 January 1806 having married his wife Ann in 177 ...
,
Bishop of Bangor. However, he held no position after serving as
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
until 1845 at
Tremeirchion
Tremeirchion (previously known as ''Lleweni'') is a small residential community in Denbighshire, Wales. It lies on the B5429 road, to the north east of Denbigh and to the east of St Asaph. The community includes the village of Rhuallt.
The tow ...
. He was influenced by the
Oxford 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 ...
and corresponded with
John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...
, before and after Newman converted to Catholicism. Owen was a supporter of
disestablishment of the Welsh Church, believing that this would help promote its catholic character. After his resignation, he retired to his estate at
Vron-y-graig,
Barmouth
Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the Historic coun ...
, and carried on his writings. He died, unmarried, on 6 April 1902 and was buried at
Llanaber
Llanaber is a linear coastal village in north west Wales, about north of Barmouth on the A496 road. The Irish Sea lies directly to the west and the Rhiniog mountains directly to the east.
Facilities
Its main attraction is the large beach whic ...
.
[
]
Works
Owen has been described by one biographer as having "a claim to be considered the most erudite of the nineteenth-century fellows of his college".[ He edited ''The Unbloody Sacrifice'' by John Johnson in 1847. His major works were ''An Introduction to the Study of Dogmatic Theology'' (1858), and ''Institutes of Canon Law'' (1884), written at the prompting of ]Walter Kerr Hamilton
Walter Kerr Hamilton (16 November 1808 – 1 August 1869) was a Church of England priest, Bishop of Salisbury from 1854 until his death.
Life
He was born in 1808, educated at Eton College, tutored by Thomas Arnold, and then attended Christ Chur ...
, who was Bishop of Salisbury. In 1880, he published ''Sanctorale Catholicum, or, Book of Saints'' (1880) which not only included a significant number of Welsh saints but was also the first such book to include "just men" of the Anglican church. He also wrote ''The Kymry: their Origin, History and International Relations'', based on his study of Welsh history
The history of what is now Wales () begins with evidence of a Neanderthal presence from at least 230,000 years ago, while ''Homo sapiens'' arrived by about 31,000 BC. However, continuous habitation by modern humans dates from the period after ...
and philology, and a verse work, ''Pilgrimage to Rome'' (1883).[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Robert
1820 births
1902 deaths
People educated at Ruthin School
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford
19th-century Welsh Anglican priests
Welsh theologians
People from Dolgellau
19th-century Welsh theologians
19th-century Welsh writers