Thomas Flanagan (canon)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Flanagan was an English Catholic priest and historian.
. At the age of eighteen he proceeded to Oscott
- that is "Old Oscott
", now known as Maryvale - to study for the priesthood. The president at that time was Henry Weedall
, under whose supervision the new college buildings were about to be erected. The students and professors migrated there in 1838, after the summer vacation, Flanagan being thus one of the original students at the new college. There he was ordained in 1842, Bishop Nicholas Wiseman being then president. Flanagan, who had worked hard as a student, was asked by Wiseman to remain as a professor.
In 1847 Flanagan brought out his first book, a small manual of British
and Irish history
, containing numerous statistical tables. The same year he became prefect of studies and acted successfully in that capacity until 1850, when he was appointed vice-president and then president of Sedgley Park School, and he became one of the first canons of the newly formed Birmingham Diocese in 1851. He resumed his former position at Oscott first in 1853 and again for an 18-month period beginning in 1858. The last years of his life were spent as assistant priest at St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham.
, and his history appeared in two volumes, during his residence there, in 1857. It was at that time the only complete work on the Roman Catholic Church in England, continued down to his times, and, though marred by some inaccuracies, it showed work and research on the part of the author. His style, however, was somewhat concise, and Bishop William Ullathorne
remarked that Canon Flanagan was a compiler of history rather than a vivid historian.
Life
Irish by descent, he was educated at Sedgley Park SchoolSedgley Park School, Wolverhampton
Sedgley Park School was a Roman Catholic Academy located on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, then part of Staffordshire.Originally the home of the Barons and Baronesses Dudley until 1757, Sedgley Park School was founded by William Errington, at the recommendation of Bishop Richard Challoner, on 25...
. At the age of eighteen he proceeded to Oscott
Oscott
Oscott is a ward in the northwest of Birmingham, England, within the formal district of Perry Barr.The Ward is centred on the area known as Old Oscott, and should not be confused with nearby New Oscott. It includes the former Booths Farm sand quarry, Aldridge Road Recreation Ground, Witton Cemetery...
- that is "Old Oscott
Old Oscott
Old Oscott is an area of Great Barr, Birmingham, England . The suburb forms a triangle bounded to the north by Pheasey, to the west by Perry Beeches, and to the east by Kingstanding. The Birmingham City Council ward that covers the area is called simply Oscott.The area has been known locally as...
", now known as Maryvale - to study for the priesthood. The president at that time was Henry Weedall
Henry Weedall
Henry Weedall was a British nineteenth century Roman Catholic preacher, educator and churchman.He was born in London the son of a doctor. Both his parents died during his early childhood. He was educated at Sedgley Park , and at St. Mary's College, Oscott, a seminary near Birmingham, from 1804 to...
, under whose supervision the new college buildings were about to be erected. The students and professors migrated there in 1838, after the summer vacation, Flanagan being thus one of the original students at the new college. There he was ordained in 1842, Bishop Nicholas Wiseman being then president. Flanagan, who had worked hard as a student, was asked by Wiseman to remain as a professor.
In 1847 Flanagan brought out his first book, a small manual of British
History of the British Isles
The history of the British Isles has witnessed intermittent periods of competition and cooperation between the people that occupy the various parts of Great Britain, Ireland, and the smaller adjacent islands, which together make up the British Isles, as well as with France, Germany, the Low...
and Irish history
History of Ireland
The first known settlement in Ireland began around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. Few archaeological traces remain of this group, but their descendants and later Neolithic arrivals, particularly from the Iberian Peninsula, were...
, containing numerous statistical tables. The same year he became prefect of studies and acted successfully in that capacity until 1850, when he was appointed vice-president and then president of Sedgley Park School, and he became one of the first canons of the newly formed Birmingham Diocese in 1851. He resumed his former position at Oscott first in 1853 and again for an 18-month period beginning in 1858. The last years of his life were spent as assistant priest at St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham.
Works
His chief work was a History of the Church in England. In order to allow him more leisure for this, he was appointed chaplain to the Hornyold family at Blackmore Park in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, and his history appeared in two volumes, during his residence there, in 1857. It was at that time the only complete work on the Roman Catholic Church in England, continued down to his times, and, though marred by some inaccuracies, it showed work and research on the part of the author. His style, however, was somewhat concise, and Bishop William Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne was an English Roman Catholic bishop and a missionary in Australia.-Early life:William Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, Yorkshire, the eldest of ten children of William Ullathorne, a prosperous grocer, draper and spirit merchant, and his wife Hannah, née Longstaff...
remarked that Canon Flanagan was a compiler of history rather than a vivid historian.