Francis Davenport,
O.M.R., also known as Francis of Saint Clare, (1598 – 31 May 1680) was an
English Catholic theologian, a
Recollect
The Franciscan Recollects () were a French reform branch of the Friars Minor, a Franciscan order. Denoted by their gray habits and pointed hoods, the Recollects devoted their lives to an extra emphasis on prayer, penance, and spiritual reflecti ...
friar and royal
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
.
Life
He was born Christopher Davenport in
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, England, in 1598, the son of
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
John Davenport and Elizabeth Wolley, and from the grammar school at Coventry went to
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
where he spent fifteen months, leaving it 22 November 1611. In 1613 he and his brother
John Davenport proceeded to
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
, entering as "battelers" and taking Cook's commons; but the warden required them to enter as commoners or to leave the college; whereon in 1614 they transferred to
Magdalen Hall
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...
. Here Christopher received his
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree on 28 May, his Dublin residence being allowed to count. His brother John subsequently became a noted
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
minister and joined the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
in
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
. Leading a band of some 500 colonists from there, he founded the
New Haven Colony
New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 16 ...
in 1638, later a part of the
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...
.
Christopher Davenport, on the other hand, was converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
by a priest living near
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
and in 1615 went to the
English College, Douai
The English College ( French: ''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 suppresse ...
, Flanders (present day northeast France). Attracted by the efforts to restore the English
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
Province, he joined the Flemish Franciscans at
Ypres
Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
, 7 October 1617. When he was
professed
A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual.
Marriage vows
Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding c ...
the following year, under the name of Francis of St. Clare, he joined the English Franciscan Recollects, a reform branch of the
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...
known for their strict practice of poverty, at the newly established
friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
of St. Bonaventure in Douai on 18 October 1618.
Davenport was sent to the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...
in Spain, where he earned his
Doctorate of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...
. Returning to Douai, he became first professor of theology at St. Bonaventure's and filled the office of
guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
. At length he was sent to England and was appointed chaplain to Queen
Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
, in which capacity he attended the Court and became acquainted with King
Charles I of England
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649.
Charles was born ...
,
Archbishop Laud
William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms; he was arrested by Parliament in 164 ...
, Lord
Montague, Bishop of Norwich
Richard Montagu (or Mountague) (1577 – 13 April 1641) was an English cleric and prelate.
Early life
Montagu was born during Christmastide 1577 at Dorney, Buckinghamshire, where his father Laurence Mountague was vicar, and was educated at E ...
, and Lord
Goodman, Bishop of Gloucester.
[Goodrich J.]
Suspicious Moderate: The Life and Writings of Francis à Sancta Clara (1598–1680)
Anne Ashley Davenport. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. xv + 668 pp. $75. Renaissance Quarterly. 2018;71(3):1150-1151. doi:10.1086/700501
On 19 June 1637, Davenport was elected
Minister Provincial
A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial d ...
of the Recollects, an office to which he was subsequently re-elected on 10 July 1650, and 4 June 1665. After the
Restoration of 1660
The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in England, Scotland, and Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 1649 after the execution of Charles I, with his son Charl ...
he was appointed chaplain to Queen
Catharine of Braganza, and returned to London, where he spent most of his remaining years with occasional visits to
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
.
His intellectual ability and attractive manner won him the friendship of many, and aided in reconciling numerous converts to the Catholic Church, among whom was
Anne, Duchess of York.
He died on 31 May 1680.
Works
Inspired with the idea of converting England by means of corporate reunion, Davenport wrote a treatise to show that the
Thirty-nine Articles were susceptible of an interpretation more in accordance with Catholic teaching than was usually supposed. This was the ''Paraphrastica Expositio Articulorum Confessionis Anglicanae'', published as an appendix to his book, ''Deus, Natura, Gratia'' (Lyon, 1634). It offended many Catholics and was put on the Index in Spain, though a condemnation by Rome was averted by
Gregorio Panzani, the pope's unofficial representative in London.
In this work he also was one of the Catholic writers who seized on the 1633 thesis of
Eleazar Duncon
Eleazar Duncon (died 1660) was an English Royalist divine.
Biography
Duncon probably matriculated at Queens' College, Cambridge; but took his B.A. degree as a member of Caius College, and was then elected Fellow of Pembroke Hall in 1618. On 13 ...
, printed in the ''Five Pious and Learned Discourses'' (1635) of
Robert Shelford, as illustrating how close Anglican and Catholic theological views had become.
In 1652, while serving as Provincial of his Order for England, Davenport published his most ambitious philosophical treatise, ''Paralipomena philosophica de mundo peripatetico'', aimed at harmonizing
Scotism
Scotism is the philosophical school and theological system named after John Duns Scotus, a 13th-century Scottish philosopher-theologian. The word comes from the name of its originator, whose ''Opus Oxoniense'' was one of the most important ...
with new astronomical and chemical discoveries.
Davenport's other works are:
* ''Epistolium, continens confutationem duarum proposititionem astrologicarum'' (Douai, 1626);
* ''Apologia Episcoporum'' (Cologne, 1640);
* ''The Practice of the Presence of God'' (Douai, 1642);
* ''Systema Fidei'' (Liège, 1648);
* ''De Definibilitate Controversiae Immaculate Conceptionis Dei Genitricis Opusculum'' (Douai, 1651);
* ''Explanation of the Mundo Peripatetico'' (Antwerp, 1652);
* ''An Echiridion of Faith'' (Douai, 1655);
* ''Explanation of the Catholic Belief'' (1656);
* ''Manuale Missionariorum Regularium praecipue Anglorum Ordinis Sacti Francisci'' (Douai, 1658, 1661);
* ''Fragmenta seu Historia minor Provinciae Angliae FF. Minorum'' (2nd edition, Douai, 1661); 2nd editio
online
* ''Tractatus de Schismate praesertim Anglicano'';
* ''Vindication of Roman Catholics'' (1659);
* ''Liber Dialogorum'' (Douai, 1661);
* ''Problemata Scholastica et controversialia speculativa'';
* ''Corollarium Dialogi de Medio Aninarum Statu'',
* ''Religio Philosophia Peripati discutienda'' (Douai, 1662, 1667);
* ''Opera omnia Francisci a S. Clara'' (Douai, 1665-1667);
* ''Disputatio de antiqua Provinciae Praecedentia'' (1670);
* ''Supplementum Historiae Provinciae Angliae'' (Douai, 1671).
References
*
*
Anthony à Wood
Anthony Wood (17 December 1632 – 28 November 1695), who styled himself Anthony à Wood in his later writings, was an English antiquary. He was responsible for a celebrated ''Hist. and Antiq. of the Universitie of Oxon''.
He meticulously rese ...
, ''Athenae Oxonienese'', ed. Bliss (London, 1817), III, 1221
*
Joseph Gillow
Joseph Gillow (5 October 1850, Preston, Lancashire – 17 March 1921, Westholme, Hale, Cheshire) was an English Roman Catholic antiquary, historian and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics".
Biography
Born in Frenchwood Ho ...
, ''Bibliographical Dictionary of Catholics'', s. v.
* Oxford Historical Society, ''Oxford University Register'' (Oxford, 1887), X. 374
*
*
Joseph Foster Joseph Foster may refer to:
* Joseph Foster (politician) (born 1959), American politician in New Hampshire
*Joseph Foster (genealogist) (1844–1905), English genealogist
* Joey Foster (born 1982), British racing driver
* Joey Foster Ellis (born 19 ...
, ''Alumni Oxonienses'' (Oxford, 1891), I. 376;
*
Thomas J. Shahan, 'Christopher Davenport', ''U. S. Cath. Hist. Magazine'' (Philadelphia, April, 1888), II, 153.
*
Notes
External links
*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Francis
1598 births
1680 deaths
People from Coventry
Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
Recollects
17th-century English Roman Catholic theologians
17th-century English Roman Catholic priests
University of Salamanca alumni