Richard Chenevix Trench (9 September 1807 – 28 March 1886) 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 ...

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and poet.

Life

He was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland, the son of Richard Trench (1774–1860), barrister-at-law, and the Dublin writer Melesina Chenevix (1768–1827). His elder brother was

Francis Chenevix Trench Francis Chenevix Trench (1805–1886) was an English divine and author. Francis, born in 1805, was the eldest son of Richard Trench (1774–1860), barrister-at-law, by his wife Melesina Trench, Richard Chenevix Trench was his younger brother. Fr ...

. He went to school at

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England * Harrow, London, a town in London * Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) * ...

, went up 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 in 1829. In 1830 he visited Spain. While incumbent of Curdridge Chapel near

Bishop's Waltham Bishop's Waltham (or Bishops Waltham) is a medieval market town situated at the source of the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It has a foot in the South Downs National Park and is located at the midpoint of a long-established route between ...

in Hampshire, he published (1835) ''The Story of Justin Martyr and Other Poems'', which was favourably received, and was followed in 1838 by ''Sabbation, Honor Neale, and other Poems'', and in 1842 by ''Poems from Eastern Sources''. These volumes revealed the author as the most gifted of the immediate disciples of

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...

, with a warmer colouring and more pronounced ecclesiastical sympathies than the master, and strong affinities to

Alfred Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

John Keble John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, is named after him. Early life Keble was born on 25 April 1792 in Fairford, Glouces ...

and

Richard Monckton Milnes Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, FRS (19 June 1809 – 11 August 1885) was an English poet, patron of literature and a politician who strongly supported social justice. Background and education Milnes was born in London, the son ...

. In 1841 he resigned his living to become curate to

Samuel Wilberforce Samuel Wilberforce, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (7 September 1805 – 19 July 1873) was an English bishop in the Church of England, and the third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public sp ...

, then rector of

Alverstoke Alverstoke is a village in the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It stretches east–west from Fort Blockhouse, Haslar to Browndown Battery, and is centred east of the shore of Stokes Bay and near the head of a cree ...

, and upon Wilberforce's promotion to the deanery of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

in 1845 he was presented to the rectory of Itchenstoke. In 1845 and 1846 he preached the Hulsean lecture, and in the former year was made examining chaplain to Wilberforce, now Bishop of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He was shortly afterwards appointed to a theological chair at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. Trench joined the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of parliament, Peerage of the United Kingdom, peers, and Anglicanism, Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The se ...

on 27 March 1848, on the same day as Samuel Wilberforce and Wilberforce's brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

. In 1851 he established his fame as a

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

by ''The Study of Words'', originally delivered as lectures to the pupils of the Diocesan Training School, Winchester. His stated purpose was to demonstrate that in words, even taken singly, "there are boundless stores of moral and historic truth, and no less of passion and imagination laid up"—an argument which he supported by a number of apposite illustrations. It was followed by two little volumes of similar character—''English Past and Present'' (1855) and ''A Select Glossary of English Words'' (1859). All have gone through numerous editions and have contributed much to promote the historical study of the English tongue. Another great service to English philology was rendered by his paper, read before the

Philological Society The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language as well as a registered charity. The current Society was established in 1842 to "investigate and promote ...

, ''On some Deficiencies in our English Dictionaries'' (1857), which gave the first impulse to the great ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

''. Trench envisaged a totally new dictionary that was a "''lexicon totius Anglicitatis''". As one of the three founders of the dictionary, he expressed his vision thus: it would be 'an entirely new Dictionary; no patch upon old garments, but a new garment throughout'. His advocacy of a revised translation of 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 ...

(1858) helped promote another great national project. In 1856 he published a valuable essay on

Calderón Calderón () is a Spanish and occupational surname. It is derived from the Vulgar Latin "''caldaria''" ("cauldron") and refers to the occupation of tinker. "Calderón" without any further specifics usually refers to Pedro Calderón de la Barca, t ...

, with a translation of a portion of ''Life is a Dream'' in the original metre. In 1841 he published his ''Notes on the Parables of our Lord'', and in 1846 his ''Notes on the Miracles'', popular works which are treasuries of erudite and acute illustration. In 1856 Trench became Dean of

, a position which suited him. Here he introduced evening

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

services.

Later career and death

In January 1864 he was advanced to the post of

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881) known as Dean Stanley, was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian. He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he wa ...

had been the first choice, but was rejected by the Irish Church, and, according to Bishop Wilberforce's correspondence, Trench's appointment was favoured by neither the prime minister nor the lord-lieutenant. It was, moreover, unpopular in Ireland, and a blow to

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

; yet it turned out to be fortunate. Trench could not prevent the

disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular s ...

of the Irish Church, though he resisted with dignity. But, when the disestablished communion had to be reconstituted under the greatest difficulties, it was important that the occupant of his position should be a man of a liberal and genial spirit. This was the work of the remainder of Trench's life; it exposed him at times to considerable abuse, but he came to be appreciated, and, when in November 1884 he resigned his archbishopric because of poor health, clergy and laity unanimously recorded their sense of his "wisdom, learning, diligence, and munificence." He had found time for ''Lectures on Medieval Church History'' (1878); his poetical works were rearranged and collected in two volumes (last edition, 1885). From 1872 and during his successor's incumbency the post of Dean of Christ Church, Dublin was held with the archbishopric. He died on 28 March 1886 at

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest Squares in London, square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main ...

, London after a lingering illness, and was buried at

. George W. E. Russell described Trench as "a man of singularly vague and dreamy habits" and recounted the following anecdote of his old age:

He once went back to pay a visit to his successor,
Lord Plunket Baron Plunket, of Newtown in the County of Cork, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1827 for the prominent Irish lawyer and Whig politician William Plunket. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1830 an ...
. Finding himself back again in his old palace, sitting at his old dinner table, and gazing across it at his wife, he lapsed in memory to the days when he was master of the house, and gently remarked to Mrs Trench, "I am afraid, my love, that we must put this cook down among our failures."Russell, George W.E. (1898)
''Collections & Recollections''
London: Smith, Elder & Co, p. 403.

Trench's ''Letters and Memorial''

''Richard Chenevix Trench, Archbishop: Letters and Memorials, Edited by the Author of “Charles Lowder” (Maria Trench)'', Volume 1 (1888).

''Richard Chenevix Trench, Archbishop: Letters and Memorials, Edited by the Author of “Charles Lowder” (Maria Trench),'' Volume 2 (1888).

Family

Richard Chenevix Trench married his cousin, Hon. Frances Mary Trench, daughter of Francis Trench and Mary Mason, and sister of the 2nd Lord Ashtown, on 1 June 1832. They had 14 children; 8 sons and 6 daughters: * Francis William Trench (1833–1841) * Melesina Mary Chenevix Trench (1834–1918) * Richard Trench (1836–1861) * Frederic Chenevix Trench (1837–1894) (Major General Trench) * Charles Chenevix Trench (1839–1933) * Arthur Julius Trench (1840–1860) * Emily Elizabeth Trench (1842–1842) * Philip Chenevix Trench (1843–1848) * Edith Chenevix Trench (1844–1942), married in 1889

Reginald Stephen Copleston Reginald Stephen Copleston (26 December 1845 – 19 April 1925) was an Anglican priest and author who served as a bishop in India for more than 30 years. Biography Copleston was born in Barnes, London, the son of Rev. R. E. Copleston, Fellow of ...

(1845–1925), Bishop of Colombo and later Bishop of Calcutta * Helen Emily Chenevix Trench (1846–1935) * Frances Harriet Chenevix Trench (1847–1941) * Rose Julia Chenevix Trench (1848–1902) * Alfred Chenevix Trench (1849–1938) * Herbert Francis Chenevix Trench (1850–1900)

Works

''The Story of Justin Martyr and other Poems'' (1835).

''The Story of Justin Martyr and other Poems'' (2nd Edition, 1835).

''Sabbation; Honor Neale, and other Poems'' (1838).

''Poems'' (1841).

''Poems from Eastern Sources: the Steadfast Prince, and other Poems'' (1842).

''Genoveva: a Poem,'' (1842).

''The Story of Justin Martyr: Sabbation and Other Poems'' (1844).

''The Fitness of Holy Scripture for Unfolding the Spiritual Life of Man'' (1845 & 1856).

''Christ the Desire of all Nations: Being The Hulsean Lectures '' (1846).

''The Hulsean Lectures: Christ the Desire of all Nations for 1845 and 1846: 2nd ed., rev.'' (1847).

''Notes on the Parables of Our Lord'' (1847).

''Sacred Latin Poetry'' (1849).

''Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord'' (1850).

''The Star of the Wise Men'' (1850).

''Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount: Second Edition Revised and Improved'' (1851).

''Poems from Eastern Sources, Genoveva, and other Poems'' (1851).

''On the Lessons in Proverbs: Five Lectures (1853).''

''On the Study of Words: Five Lectures, Fourth Edition Revised'' (1853).

''The Fitness of the Holy Scripture'' (1854).

''Alma: and Other Poems'' (1855).

''Calderon, his Life and Genius, with Specimens of his Plays'' (1856).

''Life's a Dream: The Great Theatre of the World'' trans from the Spanish of Calderon, with an Essay on His Life and Genius (1856 & 1860).

''Poems'' (1856).

''On Some Deficiencies in our English Dictionaries'' (1857).

''Sermons Preached Before the University of Cambridge'' (1857).

''On the Authorized Version of the New Testament'' (1858).

''Brands Plucked Out of the Fire: A Sermon'' (1858).

''On the English Language, Past and Present: Five Lectures'' (1858).

''A Select Glossary of English Words'' (1860).

''Sermons Preached in Westminster Abbey'' (1860).

''Synonyms of the New Testament: Fifth Edition Revised'' (1860).

''Proverbs and their Lessons'' (1861).

* ttps://archive.org/details/everygoodgiftfro00treniala ''Every Good Gift from Above'' (1864).
''Poems: Collected and Arranged Anew'' (1865).

''Studies in the Gospels'' (1867).

''A Household Book of English Poetry'' (1868).

''Plutarch, his life, and his Lives and his Morals'' (1873).

''Sermons Preached for the Most Part in Ireland'' (1873).

''Synonyms of the New Testament: 9th ed., improved'' (1880).

''Brief Thoughts and Meditations on some Passages in Holy Scripture'' (1884).

''Lectures on Medieval Church History'' (1886).

''Sermons New and Old'' (1886).

''Shipwrecks of Faith: Three Sermons'' (1886).

''Sonnets and Elegiacs'' (1910).

''The Study of Words: Condensed by Grenville Kleiser '' (1911).

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* * *
New Testament Synonyms

on Trench’s tomb in Westminster Abbey.

Chenevix Trench: Poems.

biography and poems used as hymns.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trench, Richard Chenevix 1807 births 1886 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Academics of King's College London Deans of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Anglican archbishops of Dublin British poets Presidents of the Cambridge Union Deans of Westminster Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

Members of the Canterbury Association British male poets 19th-century poets 19th-century British male writers Irish Anglican archbishops Christian clergy from County Dublin Writers from County Dublin