Father Francis Knox (born as Thomas Francis Knox; 24 December 1822 – 20 March 1882,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

Thompson Cooper Thompson Cooper (8 January 1837, Cambridge – 5 March 1904, London) was an English journalist, man of letters, and compiler of reference works. He became a specialist in biographical information, and is noted as the most prolific contributor to t ...

''Knox, Thomas Francis (1822–1882)''
reviewed by

Sheridan Gilley Sheridan Gilley (born 27 April 1945) is an Australian author and historian. Biography He was born on 27 April 1945 in Brisbane, Australia. He is the son of Wayne Grover Gilley, a journalist and his wife Betty Margaret Gilley. He married ...

, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, subscription only, accessed 9 October 2008 Knox, whose profile in th
Dictionary of New Ulster Biography
claims he was born in County Armagh, not Brussels, was an Anglo-Irish

ultramontane Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...

Roman Catholic priest and author, known for his historical writings and translations.

Life

Knox was the eldest son in a family connected to the Protestant Irish peerage: his father John Henry Knox, Tory MP for

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry ...

, was a younger son of

Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician. Background Ranfurly was the ...

. His mother was Mabella Josephine Needham, daughter of

Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (5 April 1748 – 21 November 1832), known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament. Kilmorey was the third son of Joh ...

. He was educated at a Hampshire private school and attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, graduating in 1845.''Concise Dictionary of National Biography'' He became a Roman Catholic convert, in 1845 under the influence of

Frederick William Faber Frederick William Faber (1814–1863) was a noted English hymnwriter and theologian, who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood subsequently in 1847. His best-known work is the hymn ...

. Encouraged to travel for two years by his concerned father, Knox hoped to see Mexico but was lucky to survive a shipwreck off

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

. Continuing to the United States, he decided to prepare for ordination in France. Invited to Rome for papal instruction by

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 ...

in 1847, Knox proceeded as an Oratorian novice, taking Francis as his name in religion, as Father Francis Knox, with half a dozen priests. The rest of his life centred on the Oratorian group in England. The group based at the Birmingham Oratory divided in April 1849. Together with Faber, Knox set up the London Oratory. The splitting up of the original Oratorian group was partly driven by personal difficulties, and in particular Newman’s attitude to Knox, who was proving troublesome. From 1865 to 1868 Knox served a term as superior of the London Oratory. Knox has been called "the most learned of all the fathers of that time".Ralph Kerr, quoted in ''ODNB''. He translated the autobiography of

Henry Suso Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in German; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a German Dominican friar and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth cen ...

in 1865. In 1867 he defended a maximalist interpretation of the doctrine of

Papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...

, though in a "dry and moderate tone". Appointed Westminster diocesan archivist when Cardinal Manning put the Oratorians in charge of the diocesan archives in 1876, he edited several volumes of English Catholic records.

Works

* ''The Life of Blessed Henry Suso by Himself'' (translation, 1865) * ''When Does The Church Speak Infallibly? or, the nature and scope of the church's teaching office'' (1867) * ''The Last Survivor of the Ancient English Hierarchy,

Thomas Goldwell Thomas Goldwell (15013 April 1585) was an English Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Saint Asaph, the last of those Catholic bishops who had refused to accept the English Reformation. Life Thomas Goldwell was the son of William Goldwell of Great ...

, Bishop of St. Asaph'' (1876). Originally appeared in ''

The Month ''The Month'' was a monthly review, published from 1864 to 2001, which, for almost all of its history, was owned by the English Province of the Society of Jesus and was edited by its members. History ''The Month'', founded and edited by Frances ...

'', Jan–Feb 1876. Republished in Thomas Edward Bridgett, ''Queen Elizabeth and the Catholic Hierarchy'' (1889) * (ed. with introduction) ''The First And Second Diaries Of The English College, Douay'' (1878) * (ed. with introduction) ''The Letters and Memorials of William Cardinal Allen'' (1882)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Thomas Francis 1822 births 1882 deaths 19th-century Anglo-Irish people English archivists Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism 19th-century British Roman Catholic priests