William Gowan Todd (1820–1877) was a nineteenth-century author and cleric. In the later years of his life he founded and managed St. Mary's Orphanage,

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, where he died on 24 July 1877.

Early life

The son of

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and president of the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland's first private university. It was established in 1784 ...

(RCSI)

Charles Hawkes Todd Charles Hawkes Todd (6 November 1784 – 19 March 1826) Cameron, Sir Charles A. (1886''History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and of the Irish Schools of Medicine &c''Dublin: Fannin & Co. pp. 375-377. was a medical doctor and the pre ...

(1784–1826) and Elizabeth Bentley (1786–1862), William was born on 1820 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He is the eleventh of fifteen children and the brother of

James Henthorn Todd James Henthorn Todd (23 April 1805 – 28 June 1869) was a biblical scholar, educator, and Irish historian. He is noted for his efforts to place religious disagreements on a rational historical footing, for his advocacy of a liberal form of Prote ...

Robert Bentley Todd Robert Bentley Todd (9 April 1809 – 30 January 1860) was an Irish-born physician who is best known for describing the condition postictal paralysis in his Lumleian Lectures in 1849 now known as Todd's palsy. Early life The son of physicia ...

, and

Armstrong Todd Armstrong Todd (1826–1873) was a nineteenth-century London surgeon credited with researching new medical conditions and procedures, including anesthetics. Early life The son of physician and president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Irel ...

. In 1831, Ireland experienced an epidemic of

Asiatic cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

, which killed 5,632 people in Dublin and over 50,000 in Ireland. It also nearly killed William Todd and his mother, Elizabeth. There is unconfirmed evidence that William married. It is said that after he completed his doctor in theology in Rome, his wife joined a religious order.

Professional life

William Todd took holy orders in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

. With the help of his brother, Rev. James Henthorn Todd, William published two books: * ''The Church of St. Patrick: A Historical Inquiry into the Independence of the Ancient Church of Ireland (1844)'' * ''A History of the Ancient Church of Ireland (1845)'' William earned an A.B. from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in Dublin and was working on his doctorate. About 1845, Todd left the

Anglican Church 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 ...

and joined the

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

. The motivation to change from Anglican to Roman Catholic was influenced by his oldest brother's colleague

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 ...

and 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 ...

. Newman published a document called, "Remarks on Certain Passages in the Thirty-Nine Articles," or

Tract 90 ''Remarks on Certain Passages in the Thirty-Nine Articles'', better known as Tract 90, was a theological pamphlet written by the English theologian and churchman John Henry Newman and published in 1841. It is the most famous and the most controvers ...

. Newman's argument centered on the idea that the identity 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 ...

was more

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 ...

than

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

. While William's departure from the church created discord among Anglo-Irish Protestant family members, his older brother James had leanings in the same direction. Under the guidance of John Henry Newman, William transferred to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to complete his

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

. He subsequently became a

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. His calling took him to the poorest parishes 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 majo ...

and London's Blackheath district.1861 England Census, Greenwich West. District 17. Page 12 of 361871 England Census. Greenwich West. Page 15 of 38 His brothers Dr. Robert Bentley Todd, Dr. Armstrong Todd, and other family members worked nearby. About 1857, and under the direction of the Bishop of Southwark, William Gowan founded St. Mary's Orphanage for Boys at Park House, Cresswell Park, Blackheath, London. Residents arrived between 6 and 12 years old. They remained until they reached 14 or 15 years of age. The Very Reverend William Gowan Todd, D.D. died at St. Mary's Orphanage in his 57th year on 24 July 1877. He was buried on 27 July 1877 at

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

, London, England.UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1574-2014

Partial bibliography

Among Todd's other publications were: *''"The Daily Sacrifice, and Public Devotions of the Church, Four Lectures''." 1865. Dublin. James Duffy * “''Lectures on the Inspiration and Interpretation of Holy Scripture''" London. Richardson & Son * "''The Irish in England''." London. Dolman & Co * "''The Patrons of Erin; Or, Some Account of the Tribes of St. Patrick and St. Brigid''." 1859. London. Dolman & Co * "''Our Catholic Children. A Sermon.''" London. Burns & Lambert * "''Sacred History, from the Creation to the Destruction of Jerusalem.''" London. Richard and Sons

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, William Gowan 1820 births 1877 deaths People from County Dublin 19th-century British Roman Catholic priests Blackheath, London