William Dodsworth (1798–1861) was an English cleric 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 ...

, a

Tractarian 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 ...

who became a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

lay writer.

Life

Dodsworth received his education at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was admitted in October 1815. He graduated B.A. in 1820, and M.A. in 1823. He took orders in the Church of England, and at first held

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 ...

views. Dodsworth became in 1829 minister of Margaret Street Chapel,

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much lar ...

, London, where he was a popular preacher. By about 1835 he identified with the Tractarians. In 1837 he was appointed perpetual curate of Christ Church, St. Pancras, London. After the judgment in the

Gorham case George Cornelius Gorham (1787–1857) was a vicar in the Church of England. His legal recourse to being denied a certain post, subsequently taken to a secular court, caused great controversy. Early life George Cornelius Gorham was born on 21 Aug ...

, he resigned his preferment, and joined the Roman Catholic church in January 1851. Being married, Dodsworth could not take orders as a Catholic priest. After his conversion he led a quiet life as a layman of that community. He died in York Terrace, Regent's Park, on 10 December 1861, leaving several children by his wife Elizabeth, youngest sister of Lord Churston.

Works

Among Dodsworth's works were: * ''Advent Lectures'', London 1837. * ''A few Comments on Dr. Pusey's Letter to the Bishop of London'', London (three editions), 1851. * ''Further Comments on Dr. Pusey's renewed Explanation'', London 1851. * ''Anglicanism considered in its results'', London 1851. * ''Popular Delusions concerning the Faith and Practice of Catholics'', London 1857. * ''Popular Objections to Catholic Faith and Practice considered'', London 1858.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Dodsworth, William 1798 births 1861 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Tractarians Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism English Anglo-Catholics Anglo-Catholic clergy