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Richard Challoner (29 September 1691 – 12 January 1781) 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 ...
Roman Catholic
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. The titular Bishop of Doberus, he is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay–Rheims translation of the Bible.


Early life

Challoner was born in
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of t ...
,
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English C ...
, on 29 September 1691. His father, also Richard Challoner, was married by licence granted on 17 January, either 1690 or 1691, to Grace (née Willard) at
Ringmer Ringmer is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. The village is east of ...
, Sussex, on 10 February. After the death of his father, who was a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...
winecooper (wine-barrel maker), his mother, now reduced to poverty, became housekeeper to the Catholic Gage family, at Firle, Sussex. It is not known for sure whether she was originally a Roman Catholic, or whether she subsequently became one under the influence of a Catholic household and surroundings. In any case, thus it came about that Richard was brought up as a Catholic, although he was not
baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
a Roman Catholic until he was about thirteen years old. This was at Warkworth, Northamptonshire, seat of a recusant Roman Catholic family, that of George Holman, whose wife, Lady Anastasia Holman, was a daughter of Blessed William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, a Catholic unjustly condemned and beheaded in the
Titus Oates Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705) was an English priest who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II. Early life Titus Oates was born at Oakham in Rutland. His father Samuel (1610� ...
hysteria of 1678.


Education and academic career in France

In 1705 young Richard was sent to the English College at
Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, ...
(France) on a sort of scholarship, entering the English College on 29 July. He was to spend the next twenty-five years there, first as student, then as professor, and as vice-president of the
university of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...
. At the age of twenty-one he was chosen to teach the classes of
rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate partic ...
and
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
, which were the two senior classes in the
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the time ...
. He graduated with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in
divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine
from the
University of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...
in 1719, and was appointed professor of
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some s ...
, a post which he held for eight years. At this period, though it was no longer necessary to have aliases, he was known by his mother's surname of Willard. His nickname was "Book". Ordained a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
at
Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
on 28 March 1716, in 1720 he was chosen by the president,
Robert Witham Robert Witham (1667–1738) was an English Roman Catholic college head and biblical scholar. Early Years There is scant documentation of Robert Witham’s early life. He was born into a large and committed Catholic family, one of three sons to ...
, to be his vice-president, an office which involved the supervision of both professors and students. At the same time he was appointed professor of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and prefect of studies, so that he had the direction of the whole course of studies. Though in 1727 he defended his public
thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
and obtained a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in divinity, Challoner's success as a teacher was probably due rather to his untiring industry and devotion to this work than to any extraordinary mental gifts. He was not considered an original thinker, but his gift lay in enforcing the spiritual reality of the
doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
s he was expounding. Challoner has been described as being gentle, cheerful, generous to the poor, and able to instill confidence in others.


Return to England

Having in 1708 taken the college oath, binding himself to return to England, when required, to labour on the mission, in 1730 Challoner was given permission to embark for England on August 18, and was stationed in
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 major s ...
. There he entered into the work of the ministry. Though the penal laws were no longer enforced with extreme severity, the life of many Catholic priests was still a difficult one, especially in London. Disguised as a layman in London, Challoner ministered to his flock there, celebrating
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementa ...
secretly in obscure ale-houses, cockpits, and wherever small gatherings could assemble without exciting remark.Langham, Mark. "Bishop Richard Challoner", Westminster Cathedral, 12 January 2007
/ref> In this regard, he was an untiring worker, and spent much time in the poorest quarters of the town and in the prisons. Recent scholarship notes, however, that the English Catholic community was not as marginalized as might be thought today, especially for those
recusant Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...
Catholics whose social position gave them access to the courtly centers of power and patronage. Challoner avoided the houses of the rich, preferred to live and work among the poor of London, and in his spare hours gave himself to study and writing, which ultimately enabled him to produce several works of instruction and controversy. His first published work, a little book of meditations under the quaint title of '' Think Well On't'' dated from 1728. The controversial
treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions." Trea ...
s which he published in rapid succession from London attracted much attention, particularly his ''Catholic Christian Instructed'' (1737), which was prefaced by a witty reply to Conyers Middleton's ''Letter from Rome, showing an Exact Conformity between Popery and Paganism''. Challoner was the author over the years of numerous controversial and devotional works, which have been frequently reprinted and translated into various languages. In 1740 he brought out a new prayer book for the laity, the ''Garden of the Soul'', which until the mid 20th century remained a favourite work of devotion, though the many editions that have since appeared have been so altered that little of the original work remains. Of his historical works, the most valuable is one which was intended to be a Roman Catholic response to the Protestant John Foxe's well-known martyrology, ''
Foxe's Book of Martyrs The ''Actes and Monuments'' (full title: ''Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church''), popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by Protestant Engli ...
''. It is entitled ''Memoirs of Missionary Priests and other Catholicks of both Sexes who suffered Death or Imprisonment in England on account of their Religion, from the year 1577 till the end of the reign of Charles II'' (2 vols. 1741, frequently reprinted). This work, compiled from original records, was for a long while the only published source on the
list of Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation The Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation are men and women executed under treason legislation in the English Reformation, between 1534 and 1680, and recognised as martyrs by the Catholic Church. Though consequences of the English Ref ...
, including the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, among others. It remains a standard work on the subject. In 1745 he produced anonymously his longest and most learned book, ''Britannia Sancta'', containing the lives of the British, English, Scottish, and Irish
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
s, an interesting work of
hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
which was later superseded by that of
Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died whe ...
and then by more recent publications. In 1738 the president of Douai College, Robert Witham, died, and efforts were made by the superiors of the college to have Challoner appointed as his successor. But Bishop Benjamin Petre, the
Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dis ...
, who already had Challoner as his vicar general, opposed this on the ground that he desired to have him as his own
coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...
with right of succession. The Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide had apparently already arranged Challoner's appointment as President of Douai, but Petre's representations prevailed, and papal briefs were issued on 12 September 1739, appointing Challoner to the see of Debra ''in partibus''. These briefs, however, were not carried into effect, for the bishop-elect, endeavouring to escape the responsibility of the episcopate, raised the point that he had been born and brought up a Protestant. The delay so caused lasted a whole year, and it was not until 24 November 1740 that new briefs were issued. The consecration took place on 29 January 1741 in the private chapel at
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. I ...
, London. The new bishop's first work was a visitation of the district, the first methodical visitation of which there is any record since the creation of the vicariate in 1688. The district included ten counties, besides the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...
and the British possessions in America—chiefly
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...
and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...
and some
West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...
islands. The missions beyond the seas could not be visited at all, and even the home counties took nearly three years. His flock included the old, noble Catholic families in the countryside and recently arrived indigent Irish workers.Hyland, Willam P., "Bishop Richard Challoner & the Idea of the Primitive Church", ''Touchstones'', March/April 1999
/ref> As an administrator he provided for his people a suitable prayer and meditation book, as well as convenient editions of the
scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
, the ''
Imitation of Christ In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 page 115''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testamen ...
'', and the
catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
of Christian doctrine. Beyond this literary work, he caused two schools for boys to be opened, one at Standon Lordship, later represented by St. Edmund's College, Old Hall, and the other at
Sedgley Park Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish ...
, in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked Counties of England, county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwicks ...
. Finance was a serious problem, but there were legal ones as well, as Catholics were forbidden to buy land or to run schools; so various subterfuges had to be used to get round the law. He also founded a school for poor girls at
Brook Green Brook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approximately west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Holland Park, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Brackenbury Villag ...
,
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. I ...
, besides assisting the already existing convent school there. He instituted conferences among the London clergy, and he was instrumental in founding the "Benevolent Society for the Relief of the Aged and Infirm Poor". His private life was marked by scrupulous mortification, while large
charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...
passed through his hands.


Revision of English Bible

Challoner devoted much energy and time to revising the English Catholic Bible. He had long perceived a need to update the language of the
Douay–Rheims Bible The Douay–Rheims Bible (, ), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by member ...
that had appeared over the years 1582–1610. Challoner did not set out to make a new translation; his aim was to remove antiquated words and expressions so that the Bible would be more readable and understandable by ordinary folk. While still at
University of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...
, he was one of the approving prelates for a revision of the Rheims
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christi ...
published in 1730 by the college president, Robert Witham. After returning to England, he and Francis Blyth published in 1738 another revision of Rheims in an attractive large
folio The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...
edition. Challoner's more important work would appear over the years 1749–1752. An edition of the New Testament appeared in 1749, and another, together with the first edition of the
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
, in 1750. Between the two editions of the New Testament there are few differences, but the next edition, published in 1752, had important changes both in text and notes, the variations numbering over two thousand. All revisions attributed to Challoner were published anonymously. It is unclear to what extent he was personally involved in, or even approved of, the various changes. Challoner is believed to have had the assistance of Robert Pinkard (alias Typper), the London agent for Douay College, in preparing the 1749 and 1750 revisions. The chief points to note in these revisions are the elimination of the obscure and
literal translation Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence. In translation theory, anoth ...
s from the Latin in which the original version abounds, the alteration of obsolete terms and spelling, a closer approximation in some respects to the
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
Authorised Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...
(for instance, the substitution of "the Lord" for "our Lord"), and finally the printing of the verses separately.


Other works

In 1753 Challoner brought out another of his best-known works, the
Meditations for every Day of the Year
', a book which has passed through numerous editions and been translated into French and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
. Challoner’s goal was to make the classics of Catholic Spirituality accessible to Catholics, in English. To this end he translated '' De Imitatione Christi'' in 1737 (entitled "The Following of Christ"), a translation of St.
Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
’s '' Confessions'' in 1739, and in 1757 ''The Life of the Holy Mother, St. Teresa'', a biography of St.
Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...
drawn from her writings. As one of the Protestant criticisms of Roman Catholics was that many of the practices of the Catholic Church were departures from the practice of the early Church, he sought to demonstrate continuity of Catholicism with the primitive Church. ''Britannia Sancta'' was published in 1745. With this book Challoner hoped to promote among Catholics a pride in their ancestry, and to show them that their present sufferings were not as hard as those endured by the martyrs and saints of the past.Reynolds, E. E., "Bishop Richard Challoner", Catholic Pamphlets
/ref> Besides the works mentioned above, and a good number of
tract Tract may refer to: Geography and real estate * Housing tract, an area of land that is subdivided into smaller individual lots * Land lot or tract, a section of land * Census tract, a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census W ...
s, other writings, whose titles convey the atmosphere of an era, include: * '' Think Well On't, or, Reflections on the great truths of the Christian Religion : for every day in the month : and The thirty days' prayer'' (1801) *
Grounds of Catholic Doctrine
' (1732); * ''Unerring Authority of the Catholic Church'' (1732); ''Short History of the Protestant Religion'' (1733); * ''A Roman Catholick's Reasons why He cannot Conform'' (1734); ''The Touchstone of the New Religion'' (1734); * ''The Young Gentleman Instructed in the Grounds of the Christian Religion'' (1735); * ''A Specimen of the Spirit of the Dissenting Teachers'' (1736); ''The Catholic Christian Instructed'' (1737); * ''The Ground of the Old Religion'' (1742); * ''A Letter to a Friend concerning the Infallibility of the Church'' (1743); * ''A Papist Misrepresented and Represented'', abridged from Gother; ''Remarks on Two Letters against Popery'' (1751); * ''Instructions for the Jubilee'' (1751); *
The Wonders of God in the Wilderness: Lives of the Fathers of the Desert
' (1755); * ''The Life of St Teresa'', abridged from Woodhead (1757); * ''Manual of Prayers'' (1758); * ''A Caveat against the
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
s'' (1760); * ''The City of God of the New Testament'' (1760); * ''The Morality of the Bible'' (1762); * ''Devotion of Catholics to the Blessed Virgin'' (1764); * ''Rules of Life for a Christian'' (1766), *
The Lord's prayer and the Angelic salutation
''


Later career

In 1753 Pope
Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Be ...
put an end to the long disputes that had been carried on between the
secular clergy In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...
and the
regular clergy Regular clergy, or just regulars, are clerics in the Catholic Church who follow a rule () of life, and are therefore also members of religious institutes. Secular clergy are clerics who are not bound by a rule of life. Terminology and history T ...
, in the last stages of which Challoner took a leading part. There were several points at issue, but the matter was brought to a head over the contention put forward by the regulars, that they did not need the approbation of the vicars apostolic to hear
confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...
s. The bishops opposed this and, after a struggle lasting for several years, obtained a final settlement of this and other questions, a settlement, in the main, satisfactory to the bishops. In 1758 Bishop Petre died, and Challoner, as his coadjutor, succeeded him at once as
Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dis ...
. He was, however, nearly seventy years old, and was so ill that he was forced immediately to apply for a coadjutor in his turn. The
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
appointed James Talbot to this office, and with the help of the younger prelate, whose assistance considerably reduced his labour, Challoner's health somewhat recovered. From this time, however, he lived almost entirely in London, the visitations being carried out by Talbot. Challoner continued to write, and almost every year published a new book, but they were more usually translations or abstracts, such as ''The Historical Part of the Old and New Testament''. One more work of original value remained, and that was his little ''British Martyrology'' published in 1761.


Final years

As a bishop, Challoner usually resided in London, though on occasion, as during the "No Popery" riots of 1780, he was obliged to retire into the country. Challoner's extensive activity is the more remarkable because his life was spent in hiding, owing to the state of the law, and often he had hurriedly to change his lodgings to escape the Protestant and/or Anglican informers, who were anxious to earn the government reward of £100 for the conviction of a priest. One of these, John Payne, known as the "Protestant Carpenter", indicted Challoner, but was compelled to drop the proceedings, owing to some documents, which he had forged, falling into the hands of the bishop's lawyers. For some years Challoner and the London Catholic priests were continually harassed in this way. Finally the harassment was remedied by the Catholic Relief Act of 1778, by which priests were no longer liable to imprisonment for life. This concession speedily aroused religious dispute, and two years later the
Gordon Riots The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British ...
broke out with rioters attacking any London building that was associated with Catholicism or owned by Catholics. From his hiding-place the bishop, now nearly ninety years of age, could hear the mob, who were searching for him with the intention of dragging him through the streets. They failed to find his refuge, and on the following day he escaped to
Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and ...
, where he remained till the London riots came to an end. The aged Challoner never fully recovered from the shock of the riots. Six months later he was seized with paralysis, and died on 12 January 1781, aged 89. He was buried at Milton, Berkshire (present-day
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
) in the family vault of his friend Bryant Barrett in the Church of England parish church. In 1946 the body was reinterred in
Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
.


Legacy

There are a number of schools named after Challoner; in Shortlands near
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, cha ...
, at
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
and Richard Challoner School in New Malden Kingston, among others. In addition, the oldest post-Reformation Catholic school in England,
St Edmund's College, Ware St Edmund's College is a coeducational independent day and boarding school in the British public school tradition, set in in Ware, Hertfordshire. Founded in 1568 as a seminary, then a boys' school, it is the oldest continuously operating and ...
, a former seminary, in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gover ...
(which Challoner himself helped to re-establish from Douay, France to its present site), named one of their five houses after him. The colour associated with the house is Royal Blue. The house is one of the original houses in the school when the house system was established in 1922."Challoner", St. Edmund's College & Prep School
Th
''Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate School''
in
Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...
was founded by the
Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic Church, Catholic Woman, women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a num ...
for him. Challoner Choir of Westminster Cathedral is named after him."About us", Challoner Choir
/ref>


Sources


Footnotes


References

* Anstruther, Godfrey (1977). ''Seminary Priests, 1716–1800'', Vol. IV. OP.: Great Wakering: Mayhew McCrimmon, pp. 59–61 * Aveling, J. C. H. (1976). ''The Handle and the Axe: The Catholic Recusants in England from Reformation to Emancipation.'' London: Blond & Briggs * Bossy, John (1975). ''The English Catholic Community 1570–1850.'' London: Darton, Longman & Todd * Burton, Edwin H. (1909)
''The Life and Times of Bishop Challoner,''Vol. II
New York: Longmans, Green & Co. * Duffy, Eamon (1981). "Richard Challoner 1691–1781: A Memoir." In: Eamon Duffy (ed.), ''Challoner and his Church: A Catholic Bishop in Georgian England.'' London: Darton, Longman & Todd, pp. 1–26, (along with the other essays of the volume) * Gillow, Joseph (1999). ''Bibliographical Dictionary of the English Catholics'', Vol. I, pp. 452–458, Ganesha Publishing facsimile edition (for a complete list of Challoner's writings) * Newman, John Henry Cardinal (1859)
"The Text of the Rheims and Douay Version of Holy Scripture,"
''The Rambler'', Vol. I, pp. 145–169. * Ward, Bernard (1909)
''The Dawn of the Catholic Revival in England,''Vol. II
London: Longmans, Green & Co.


External links

* *
Complete Online Douay-Rheims Challoner Bible with Haydock Commentary and Latin Vulgate Bible



Online edition of the Douay-Rheims-Challoner version of the Bible
at
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libra ...

Online edition of the ''Garden of the Soul''

Challoner's Douay Bible Revisions


{{DEFAULTSORT:Challoner, Richard 1691 births 1781 deaths Converts to Roman Catholicism 18th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Apostolic vicars of England and Wales English College, Douai alumni 18th-century English Roman Catholic priests History of Catholicism in the United Kingdom People from Lewes Translators of the Bible into English Burials at Westminster Cathedral 18th-century translators People from Firle