Francis Kerril Amherst T.O.S.D., (21 March 1819,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

– 21 August 1883) was an English

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton in England.

Life

Francis Amherst was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London 21 March 1819. He was the eldest son of William Kerril Amherst, of Little Parndon,

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, and of Mary Louisa Turville-Fortescue, of Bosworth Hall,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. One or both of his parents hailed from

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

families. One of his sisters became a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

nun, another joined the order of Providence. His brother William joined the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

.Roskell O.S.B., Mary Francis. ''Memoirs of Francis Kerril Amherst, D.D., Lord Bishop of Northhampton'', (Henry F.J. Vaughn, ed.) New York. Benziger Bros., 1903, Amherst was sent to study at Oscott College in 1830 with the intention of preparing for the Catholic priesthood, but after completing his studies, he left St. Mary's to study engineering in Belgium. He returned to Oscott, however, in 1841, to do theological studies.

Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was an English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1 ...

was the president of the college, and the following year Amherst accompanied Bishop Wiseman on a trip to Rome. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest by Wiseman on 6 June 1846. In 1853, he joined the

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

Woodchester Woodchester is a Gloucestershire village in the Nailsworth (or Woodchester) Valley, a valley in the South Cotswolds in England, running southwards from Stroud along the A46 road to Nailsworth. The parish population taken at the 2011 census w ...

, but left the following year due to poor health. He returned to Oscott as a professor. After eleven months, Amherst was appointed to the mission of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

. After the resignation of Bishop William Wareing of Northampton, he was named by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

to head that diocese. Despite his protest, he was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

4 July 1858. At Northampton, Amherst found himself fairly isolated, except when making visitations. In 1862 he was honored with an appointment as an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne. In 1869 he attended the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

with Dr. Errington and William Clifford, Bishop of Clifton. The intense heat in Rome caused him to leave early. On his way north he stopped to view the

Oberammergau Passion Play The Oberammergau Passion Play () is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. It was wr ...

. He resigned his see in 1879, owing to ill health, and the following year was given the Titular See of Sozusa. In September 1878, Amherst resigned the see due to failing health, and was succeeded by Arthur Riddell. Toward the end of 1882, he lost his sight, which was a great trial as he loved reading and observing nature. Amherst died at his residence, Fieldgate,

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, on 21 August 1883, aged 64, and was buried in The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas.Larsen, Chris. ''Catholic Bishops of Great Britain'', Sacristy Press, 2016, p. 139
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amherst, Francis Kerril 1819 births 1883 deaths Clergy from London People from Marylebone 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Alumni of St Mary's College, Oscott Lay Dominicans Dominican tertiaries Participants in the First Vatican Council Roman Catholic bishops of Northampton British expatriates in Belgium