Mark Hildesley
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mark Hiddesley or Hildesley (9 December 1698 – 7 December 1772) 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 ...
churchman. He served as vicar of
Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...
in
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
and later as
Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where ...
between 1755 and 1772, where he encouraged
Bible translations into Manx The Bible was translated into the Manx language, a Gaelic language related to Irish and Scots Gaelic, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Early translations The first extant translation of any part of the Bible into the Manx language was by John Phil ...
and collected from the local
oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
lays in the
Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...
from the
Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle () is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his Kóryos, warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the ...
of
Celtic Mythology Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed ...
.


Early life

Born at
Murston Murston is a suburb of Sittingbourne, in the Borough of Swale, Swale district, in the county of Kent, England. It is about 1 mile north-east of central Sittingbourne, on the east bank of the Milton Creek. History According to Edward Hasted in 179 ...
in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, on 9 December 1698, he was the eldest surviving son of Mark Hildesley, rector of Murston and also vicar of Sittingbourne from 1705. In 1710 the father became rector of Houghton, which he held with the chapel of Witton or Wyton All Saints,
Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...
. About then Mark Hildesley the son was sent to
Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...
, London, where
John Jortin John Jortin (23 October 1698 – 5 September 1770) was an English church historian. Life Jortin was the son of Renatus Jordain, a Breton Huguenot refugee and government official, and Martha Rogers, daughter of Daniel Rogers. He was educated ...
was a schoolfellow. At the age of nineteen he was moved to
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, and graduated B.A. in 1720, and M.A. in 1724. He was elected a Fellow of his college in October 1723, and about the same time was appointed steward.


Parish priest

Hildesley had been ordained deacon in 1722, and on 29 March 1723 Lord Cobham appointed him one of his domestic chaplains. In February 1725 he was nominated a preacher at Whitehall by
Edmund Gibson Edmund Gibson (16696 September 1748) was a British divine who served as Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop of London, jurist, and antiquary. Early life and career He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's ...
,
bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...
. From 1725 till the end of 1729 he was curate of
Yelling A scream is a loud/hard vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream i ...
, Huntingdonshire. In February 1731 he was presented to the college vicarage of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, and married in the same year. He improved the vicarage house, and took six pupils as boarders. On 18 January 1734 he was appointed chaplain to
Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically d ...
; in October 1735 rector of Holwell in
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
, and on 10 May 1742 chaplain to
John St John, 2nd Viscount St John John St John (3 May 1702 – 1748) of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1734. St John was the second surviving son of Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John MP, and his second wife An ...
. In 1733 Hildesley became an honorary member of the
Spalding Gentlemen's Society The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by ...
. On 20 February 1754 he was collated to the prebend of Marston St. Lawrence in
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
.


Bishop

Hildesley's tenure of the rectory of Holwell extended over thirty-two years (1735–67), and his work there recommended him to the notice of
James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl, (28 September 16908 January 1764), styled Marquess of Tullibardine between 1715 and 1746, was the Lord of Mann, a Scottish peer, and Lord Privy Seal. Life Atholl was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and was the ...
, the
Lord of Mann The Lord of Mann () is the lord proprietor and head of state of the Isle of Man, currently King Charles III. Before 1504, the title was King of Mann. Relationship with the Crown Since 1399, the King of Mann, kings and lords of Mann were ...
, who nominated him to the see of Sodor and Man. After being created D.D. at Lambeth by Archbishop
Thomas Herring Thomas Herring (baptised 10 October 169323 March 1757) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757. Early life and education He was the son of John Herring, rector of Walsoken in Norfolk, who had previously been vicar of Foxton, near Camb ...
on 7 April 1755 he was consecrated in Whitehall Chapel on the 27th, and on 6 August following was installed in the
cathedral of St. German The Cathedral Church of Saint German or Peel Cathedral, renamed Cathedral Isle of Man, is located in Peel, Isle of Man. The cathedral is also one of the parish churches in the parish of the West Coast, which includes the town of Peel. Built in 187 ...
,
Peel Castle Peel Castle (''Cashtal Phurt ny h-Inshey'' in Manx Gaelic) is a castle in Peel, Isle of Man, Peel in the Isle of Man, originally constructed by Norwegians. The castle stands on St Patrick's Isle, which is connected to the town by a causeway. It ...
, Isle of Man. He retained the rectory of Holwell ''
in commendam In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastica ...
'' until 1767, when he was presented by Bishop Richard Trevor to the mastership of
Christ's Hospital at Sherburn Sherburn Hospital (also known as Christ's Hospital in Sherburn) is a medieval hospital located in the Hamlet (place), hamlet of Sherburn House to the southeast of Durham, England, Durham, England. History The hospital was founded in 1181 by Hugh ...
, near Durham. Hildesley concentrated on providing his Manx flock with a complete version of the Bible in the
Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...
. On 28 November 1772 he received the last portion of the work. He died of
apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...
on 7 December 1772. His wife, Elizabeth Hoker, whom he married in 1731, died without issue 27 February 1763.


Works

Of 20,000 people in the Isle of Man, few in Hildesley's day knew English. A Manx translation of the New Testament had been begun by his predecessor Thomas Wilson. Hildesley himself learned Manx well enough to conduct the church services in it, but not perfectly. John Kelly made for him a grammar and dictionary. At first, with the support of the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) is a United Kingdom, UK-based Christians, Christian charity. Founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray, it has worked for over 300 years to increase awareness of the Christians, Christian faith in the Un ...
, Hildesley printed the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
and the
Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the title given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christianity, Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer (1549), fi ...
, translated, under his direction, by the clergy of the diocese, as well as the ''Christian Monitor'',
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
's ''Exposition of the Catechism'', and Bishop Wilson's ''Form of Prayer'' for the use of the herring fishermen. Regarding negative attitudes towards the Manx language, Hildesley complained to fellow Manx Bible translator Rev. Philip Moore that "this I believe, is the only country in the world, that is ashamed of, and even inclined to extirpate, if it could, its own native tongue". With further assistance, about 1766 Hildesley' made arrangements for the translation of the Old Testament, dividing it into 24 parts. The names of the translators are in
Weeden Butler Weeden Butler the elder (1742–1823) was an English cleric and writer. Life Butler was born at Margate on 22 September 1742. Orphaned as a young child, he was later articled to the attorney Benjamin Rosewell (attorney), Benjamin Rosewell in Lond ...
's ''Life of Bishop Hildesley'' (pp. 252–6). The work was given for final revision to Philip Moore and John Kelly. The first volume of the translation was completed on 2 July 1771; the second volume was ready for the press on 6 April 1772; and all was finished and transcribed in December of the same year, at the time of the bishop's death. The work was printed at
Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...
under the title of: ''Yn Vible Cashcrick: ny, yn Chenn Chonaant. Veih ny chied ghlaraghyn, dy kiaralagh chyndaït ayns Gailck; ta shen dy ghra, chengey ny mayrey Ellan Vannin''. It was published in 1773. The second edition of the Manx scriptures was published at Whitehaven in 1775, and the last edition at London in 1819. In 1825 George Murray, bishop of Sodor and Man, informed the SPCK that the displacement of Manx by English in the Island removed the necessity of providing further copies of the Manx bible. Hildesley was also author of an anonymous tract, ''Plain Instructions for Young Persons in the Principles of the Christian Religion; in six Conferences between a Minister and his Disciple; designed for the use of the Isle and Diocese of Mann. By a resident Clergyman'', 2 parts, London, 1762, 1767.


See also

*
List of the Bishops of the Diocese of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where t ...
*
List of Old Carthusians The following are notable Old Carthusians, who are former pupils of Charterhouse (founded in 1611). Politicians * Thomas Chataway (1864–1925), Senator for Queensland (1907–1913) * John Colville, 1st Baron Clydesmuir (1894–1954), polit ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hiddesley, Mark People educated at Charterhouse School 18th-century Church of England bishops Bishops of Sodor and Man 1698 births 1773 deaths People from the Borough of Swale