The Rev James Endell Tyler B.D. (30 Jan. 1789–5 Oct. 1851) was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

minister,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

residentiary canon Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

of St Pauls Cathedral and Rector of St Giles in the Fields church.

Early life and education

Tyler was born in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

in the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

on 30 Jan. 1789, was the son of a solicitor named James Tyler. Educated at

Monmouth Grammar School Monmouth School was a public school (independent boarding and day school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The school is run as a trust, the Willia ...

he later attended Oriel College Oxford where he was elected Michel scholar at Queen's College while an undergraduate. In 1812, he obtained a fellowship at Oriel and graduated M.A. on 9 Jan. 1813 and B.D. on 17 Dec. 1823 while from 1818 to 1826 he filled the office of tutor at the college. During his time as a tutor at Oriel he held the perpetual curacy of

Moreton Pinkney Moreton Pinkney is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 371. The villages name means 'Moor fa ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

Career

While at Oriel, Tyler appears to have come into conflict with the followers of

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

in their efforts to reorder college life. As Vice-Provost he was perceived by some as protecting and even favouring 'young men of family' and defending the tradition of the

Gentleman-Commoner A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and commons, typically contrasted with scholars and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees. Cambridge ...

in opposition to the efforts of Newman and Thomas Mozeley who were pushing for their model of a 'catholic ethos' for the college. It was said at the time, by Newman's ally Mozeley, that Tyler 'had cared for gold tufts and silk gowns more than for the college generally' and that his 'especial fondness was reserved for the Gentlemen Commoners'. Newman, for his part, was accused by some of attempting to turn Oriel 'into a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

'. Despite this disagreement, Tyler would go on to be remembered at Oriel College with great popularity and fondness. In 1826, his preaching attracted the attention of the Prime Minister,

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. Before becoming Prime Minister he had been Foreign Secretary, H ...

, who presented him to the living of

St. Giles-in-the-Fields St Giles in the Fields is the Anglican parish church of the St Giles district of London. The parish stands within the London Borough of Camden and forms part of the Diocese of London. The church, named for St Giles the Hermit, began as the c ...

, a position then held in the gift of the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. In 1827 he married Elizabeth Ann, daughter of George Griffin of Newton House, Monmouth. St Giles in the Fields 15 June 2016

When Tyler took on the rectory of St Giles in the mid-1820s the parish of St Giles was the scene of scandalous poverty and squalour. It was home to the most notorious slum in England and was described by one writer as being emblematic of 'the lowest conditions under which human life is possible'. Despite these less than promising conditions, Tyler appears to have been immensely popular in the parish. Tyler has been described by E. I. Carlyle as 'a man who inspired strong esteem' and during the remodelling of the southern end of the Parish in 1846 by

James Pennethorne Sir James Pennethorne (4 June 1801 – 1 September 1871) was a British architect and planner, particularly associated with buildings and parks in central London. Life Early years Pennethorne was born in Worcester, and travelled to London i ...

Endell Street Endell Street, originally known as Belton Street, is a street in London's West End that runs from High Holborn in the north to Long Acre and Bow Street, Covent Garden, in the south. A long tall narrow building on the west side is an 1840s-built ...

was named in his honour at the insistence of his parishioners although, out of modesty, he refused to consent to it being called Tyler Street. Tyler was widowed young by the death of his wife Eizabeth Ann in 1830 and left with the care of his three children. He later took a second wife, Jane, daughter of Divie Robertson of

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

, by whom he had a son and two daughters. On the 15th of March 1845,

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

appointed Tyler as a

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, an office which he held alongside his rectorship until his death at home in

on the 5th of October 1851. Perhaps stimulated by his encounters with Newman at Oriel College, Tyler went on to publish a number of books engaged in the tractarian controversy, upholding the reformed Protestant view of the Church of England. These would focus on the rejection of

ritualist A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

innovations such as the

intercession of saints The intercession of saints is a Catholic doctrine that maintains that saints can intercession, intercede for others. To intercede is to go or come between two parties, to plead before one of them on behalf of the other. In ecclesiastical usage bo ...

mariolatry Protestant views on Mary include the theological positions of major Protestant representatives such as Martin Luther and John Calvin as well as some modern representatives. While it is difficult to generalize about the place of Mary, mother of Je ...

, the worship of images as well as a study and synthesis of Early Fathers of the Christian Church with the Book of Common Prayer.

Selected works

Besides single sermons, Tyler was the author of: * 'Oaths: their Origin, Nature, and History,' London, 1834, 8vo; 2nd edit. London, 1835, 8vo. * 'Henry of Monmouth: Memoirs of the Life and Character of Henry V,' London, 1838, 8vo. * 'Primitive Christian Worship,' London, 1840, 8vo. * 'A Father's Letters to his Son on the Apostolic Rite of Confirmation,' London, 1843, 8vo. * 'The Worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary contrary to Holy Scripture and to the Faith and Practice of the Church of Christ during the first five Centuries,' London, 1844, 8vo. * 'The Image Worship of the Church of Rome proved to be contrary to Holy Scripture and to the Faith and Discipline of the Primitive Church,' London, 1847, 8vo. * 'Meditations from the Fathers of the first five centuries arranged as devotional exercises on the Book of Common Prayer, and intended to promote soundnesss in the faith, and holiness of life', London, 1849, 16mo. * 'The Christian's Hope in Death,' London, 1852, 8vo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, James Endell 1789 births 1851 deaths Anglican clergy from London