Charles Thomas Ovenden (11 September 1846 – 9 July 1924) was an Irish Anglican priest, author, and Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

Early life and education

Born in

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

he was educated at the Portora Royal School, Enniskillen and

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

Career

Ordained in 1870, his first position was as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at Magdalene Church, Belfast. Later he was

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Dunluce, County Antrim and then

Succentor The succentor ("under-singer") is the assistant to the precentor, typically in an ancient cathedral foundation, helping with the preparation and conduct of the liturgy including psalms, preces and responses. In English cathedrals today, the pri ...

St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Saint Patrick's Cathedral () in Dublin, Ireland is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland cathedral in Dublin, is designated as the local cathedral of ...

. He was Rector of

Portrush Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart in County Londonderry. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station, railway stati ...

from 1884 to 1886 when he became

Precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

Clogher Clogher (; , ) is a village and civil parish in the border area of south County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Blackwater, 5.8 miles from the border crossing to County Monaghan. It stands on the townlands of Clogher Demesne ...

. In 1903 he became

Dean of Clogher The Dean of Clogher is a dignitary of the Diocese of Clogher within the Church of Ireland. The title may be held by any licensed incumbent in the diocese, not necessarily the rector of one of the cathedral parishes of Clogher. The Dean, with the ...

before moving to Dublin in 1911. During World War I he protested the German submarine actions and while the Dean of St. Patrick's Church was quoted by ''The Telegraph'' as saying that he prays with all heart "that he Germanknavish tricks might be confounded".

Personal life

He married Isabella Mary Ovenden (née Robinson) in 1871. Their daughters were paediatrician Isabella (‘Ella’) Gertrude Amy Webb (16 October 1877–1946) and Florence Irene Harriet Wynne-Finch (née Ovenden). They raised Charles Ovenden's niece, confusingly also named Isabella Gertrude Webb but born 28 October 1877. The later child's parents, William Henry (Charles' brother) and Edith Ovenden née Lamb, fought contentious divorce and custody proceedings in New Zealand, as a result of which a judge placed Webb's cousin in the custody of Charles and Isabella in Ireland.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ovenden, Charles Thomas 1846 births People from Enniskillen People educated at Portora Royal School Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Deans of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin 1924 deaths Deans of Clogher People from Howth Christian clergy from County Fermanagh 19th-century Irish Anglican priests 20th-century Irish Anglican priests