William Bernard Ullathorne (7 May 180621 March 1889) was an English

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

who held high offices in the

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during the nineteenth century.

Early life

Ullathorne was born in

Pocklington Pocklington is a market town and civil parish situated at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded its population as 8,337. It is east of York and northwest of Hull. The town's sk ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, the eldest of ten children of William Ullathorne, a prosperous businessman with interests in groceries, draperies and spirits, and Hannah (née Longstaff), who converted to Roman Catholicism when she married. When he was nine years of age, Ullathorne's family relocated to

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, where he began his schooling. He was a descendant of Saint

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

through his great-grandmother, Mary More. At 12 he was taken from school and placed in his father's office to learn the management of accounts. The intention was to send him to school again, but Ullathorne wished to go to sea, and at the age of 15, with his parents' permission, he made the first of several voyages to the

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and

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. While attending Mass in Memel he experienced something in the nature of a conversion, and on his return asked the mate if he had any religious books. Ullathorne was given a translation of Marsollier's ''Life of St Jane Frances de Chantal'', which deepened his religious devotion. At the end of this voyage he returned home. In February 1823, aged 16, he was sent to

Downside School Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for pupils aged 11 to 18. It is located between Bath, Frome, Wells and Bruton, and is attached to Downside Abbey. Original ...

, near Bath, where he was mentored by

John Bede Polding John Bede Polding, OSB (18 November 1794 in 16 March 1877 ) was the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. Early life Polding was born in Liverpool, England on 18 November 1794. His father was of Dutch descent and his mothe ...

, afterwards the first Archbishop of Sydney, who influenced him greatly., ''The English Vicars Apostolic'', p. 242.

Priesthood

In 1823 Ullathorne entered the monastery of

Downside Abbey Downside Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Until 2019, the community had close links with Downside School, for the education of children aged eleven to eighteen. Both ...

, taking the vows in 1825, taking the additional name "Bernard", after

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order throug ...

. He was ordained priest in 1831, and in 1832 went to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

as vicar-general to Bishop William Placid Morris (1794–1872), whose jurisdiction extended over the Australian missions. It was mainly Ullathorne who caused

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

to establish the hierarchy in Australia. In 1836, Bede Polding sent Ullathorne back to Britain, to recruit more Benedictines. While in England, he visited

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, where he met Mary Aikenhead. He returned to Australia in 1838 with five

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. Ullathorne returned to England in 1841, suffering what Judith F Champ says would in modern terminology be described as "burnout". He then took charge of the Roman Catholic mission at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, where he recovered his health and spirits. Ullathorne had turned down bishoprics in Hobart, Adelaide, and Perth as he did not wish to return to Australia, but in 1847 he was consecrated bishop as Vicar Apostolic of the Western District, in succession to Bishop C.M. Baggs (1806–1845), but was transferred to the Central District in the following year. Ullathorne helped found St Osburg's Church in Coventry.

Bishop of Birmingham

On the re-establishment of the hierarchy in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

, he became the first Roman Catholic

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Birmingham. During his nearly four decades of tenure at the

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67 new churches, 32 convents and nearly 200 mission schools were built. In 1888 he retired and received from

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

the

honorary title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of Archbishop of

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. He died at

Oscott College St Mary's College in New Oscott, Birmingham, often called Oscott College, is the Roman Catholic seminary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham in England and one of the three seminaries of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Purpose Oscott Coll ...

and his monument is in the crypt of St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, although he was buried in the sanctuary of the Church of St Dominic and the Immaculate Conception at

Stone, Staffordshire Stone is a canal town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, north of Stafford, south of Stoke-on-Trent and north of Rugeley. It was an urban district council and a rural district council before becoming part of the Borough of Staffor ...

. There is

Bishop Ullathorne RC School Bishop Ullathorne RC School was established in Coventry, England, in 1953 and in 2006 it was awarded specialist status as a Humanities College. The school is named after William Bernard Ullathorne (1806-1889), the first Roman Catholic Bishop o ...

which is named after him. Of Ullathorne's theological and philosophical works the best known are ''The Endowments of Man'' (1882); ''The Groundwork of the Christian Virtues'' (1883); ''Christian Patience'' (1886). For an account of his life see his ''Autobiography'', edited by A. T. Drane (London).

Notes

References

* * * T. L. Suttor,
Ullathorne, William Bernard (1806–1889)
, '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Vol. 2, MUP, 1967, pp 544–546; retrieved 15 October 2009 * *
"The autobiography of Archbishop Ullathorne : with selections from his letters"
at Archive.org * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ullathorne, William Bernard 1806 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United Kingdom Australian Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Roman Catholic archbishops of Birmingham English Benedictines Benedictine bishops People educated at Downside School Our Lady of La Salette People from Pocklington Apostolic vicars of England and Wales People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire