Peter Frederick (Charles) Anson (22 August 1889 – 10 July 1975) was an English non-fiction writer on religious matters and architectural and maritime subjects. He spent time as an
Anglican Benedictine monk before converting to
Catholicism.
Biography
Peter Anson was born Frederick Charles Anson in
Southsea on 22 August 1889, the son of
Charles Eustace Anson (1858–1940), later a rear-admiral (son of
Frederick Anson
Frederick Anson (1811-1885) was a British clergyman from the Anson family, who served as Canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Early life and education
Anson was the son of Dean of Chester Frederick Anson (son of George Anson and Mary V ...
,
Canon of Windsor
The Dean and Canons of Windsor are the ecclesiastical body of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Foundation
The college of canons was established in 1348 by Letters Patent of King Edward III. It was formally constituted on the feast of ...
and Caroline Maria, daughter of
George Venables-Vernon, 5th Baron Vernon), and his wife, (Maria) Evelyn, née Ross (1863–1904). His brother was the electrical engineer
Horatio St George Anson. He was educated at
Wixenford School until the age of almost 15. His father's
family had a history of prominence in the Anglican Church.
Michael Yelton
Michael Yelton is an English lay authority of the history of the Church of England, particularly the Anglo-Catholic movement. He is secretary of the Anglo-Catholic History Society and a retired as a county court judge on 22 April 2020.
Works
*' ...
: "Anson, Peter Frederick", '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2007) Retrieved 17 May 2018.]
Anson converted to Roman Catholicism on 5 March 1913. In doing so, he followed the example of the members of the
Anglican Benedictine monastery on
Caldey Island (Ynys Bŷr),
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
, Wales, under
Aelred Carlyle, of which he had been one since 1910. He was received into the Third Order of the
Franciscans in 1922, adopting the name Peter.
Anson was the author of some 40 books, many of them on religious subjects, and one of them a biography of
Aelred Carlyle, who founded the first regular Anglican Community of Benedictines. He was also an accomplished artist.
The Peter Anson Collections. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
/ref>
In 1936, Anson moved to the north-east of Scotland, his mother's country of origin, living at Macduff, Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...
from 1937 to 1952, and becoming involved in the early activities of Scottish nationalism. His acquaintance there included Neil M. Gunn
Neil Miller Gunn (8 November 1891 – 15 January 1973) was a prolific novelist, critic, and dramatist who emerged as one of the leading lights of the Scottish Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. With over twenty novels to his credit, Gunn was ...
and Compton Mackenzie.
Selected bibliography
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References
External links
General information on Peter Anson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anson, Peter
1889 births
1975 deaths
English Roman Catholics
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
People educated at Wixenford School
English Anglicans
Anglican monks