Alban Butler
Encyclopedia
Alban Butler English
Roman Catholic priest
and hagiographer
, was born at Appletree, Northamptonshire
.
He was educated at the English College, Douai
, where on his ordination to the priesthood in 1735 he held successively the chairs of philosophy and divinity. He laboured for some time as a missionary priest in Staffordshire
, held several positions as tutor to young Roman Catholic noblemen, and was finally appointed president of the English seminary at Saint Omer in France (see Colleges of St Omer, Bruges and Liège
), where he remained till his death.
Butler's great work, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints ("Butler's Lives"), the result of thirty years study (first published in four volumes, London, 1756–1759), has passed through many editions and translations (best edition, including valuable notes, Dublin, 12 vols. 1779-1780). It is a popular and compendious reproduction of the Acta Sanctorum
, exhibiting great industry and research, and is in all respects the best compendium of Acta in English.
In 1745 Butler was commissioned to act as tutor and guide to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury
and his two brothers, James and Thomas Talbot, both afterwards Catholic bishops, on the Grand Tour
. On his return he acted as Catholic mission priest in his native Midlands. He acted as chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk, whose nephew and heir, the Hon. Edward Howard, Butler accompanied to Paris as tutor. While he was in Paris, Butler completed his Lives.
See An Account of the Life of A. B. by C. B., i.e. by his nephew Charles Butler
(London, 1799); and Joseph Gillow
's Bibliographical Dictionary of English Catholics, vol. i.
There were actually 6 title pages since Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 both have a "part II" issued thus: vol. I, vol. II, vol. III, vol. III part II, vol. IV, and vol. IV part II. Each "volume" contained three months of the liturgical calendar's Saints' lives.
Vol. I also had a copperplate engraving with figures of the Roman devices of torture
used, and a 2 page explanation of their use. (only found in the first edition.)
Charles Butler's assertion that "all the notes" were left out of the first edition at the suggestion of Bishop Challoner
is exaggerated. There are many useful, and even extended notes in the first edition, but not to the extent that they appear in the second, and succeeding editions.
Lowndes
suggests that there was a 1745 quarto first edition, but this is incorrect. It can be surmised that he was thinking of Challoner's Britannia Sancta which was printed that year in two Quarto volumes, and deals with all of the Saints' lives from the British Isles.
Since Fr. Butler published his original edition of his Lives, there have been many revisions of it by others. A "Revised Edition," in 12 volumes, was published by Father Herbert Thurston
, SJ, between 1926 and 1938. This was a significant rewrite of Butler's original. The "Second Edition" was published in 1956 by Donald Attwater, an English layman. This edition made further significant changes. Recently, several one-volume books have been published under the title "Butler's Lives of the Saints," even though they really have little or nothing in common with Fr. Butler's original work.
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England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Roman Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and hagiographer
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, was born at Appletree, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
He was educated at the English College, Douai
English College, Douai
The English College, Douai was a Catholic seminary associated with the University of Douai . It was established in about 1561, and was suppressed in 1793...
, where on his ordination to the priesthood in 1735 he held successively the chairs of philosophy and divinity. He laboured for some time as a missionary priest in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, held several positions as tutor to young Roman Catholic noblemen, and was finally appointed president of the English seminary at Saint Omer in France (see Colleges of St Omer, Bruges and Liège
Colleges of St Omer, Bruges and Liège
The Colleges of St Omer, Bruges and Liège were successive expatriate institutions for the Catholic education of English students and were run by the Jesuits....
), where he remained till his death.
Butler's great work, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints ("Butler's Lives"), the result of thirty years study (first published in four volumes, London, 1756–1759), has passed through many editions and translations (best edition, including valuable notes, Dublin, 12 vols. 1779-1780). It is a popular and compendious reproduction of the Acta Sanctorum
Acta Sanctorum
Acta Sanctorum is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saint's feast day. It begins with two January volumes, published in 1643, and ended with the Propylaeum to...
, exhibiting great industry and research, and is in all respects the best compendium of Acta in English.
In 1745 Butler was commissioned to act as tutor and guide to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
and his two brothers, James and Thomas Talbot, both afterwards Catholic bishops, on the Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
. On his return he acted as Catholic mission priest in his native Midlands. He acted as chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk, whose nephew and heir, the Hon. Edward Howard, Butler accompanied to Paris as tutor. While he was in Paris, Butler completed his Lives.
See An Account of the Life of A. B. by C. B., i.e. by his nephew Charles Butler
Charles Butler
Charles Butler KC was an English Roman Catholic lawyer and miscellaneous writer.-Biography:Charles Butler was born in London, the son of James Butler, a nephew of Alban Butler. He was educated at Douai. In 1769 he became apprenticed to the conveyancer John Maire, and subsequently to Matthew Duane...
(London, 1799); and Joseph Gillow
Joseph Gillow
Joseph Gillow was an English Roman Catholic antiquary and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics"....
's Bibliographical Dictionary of English Catholics, vol. i.
The first edition (1756-1759)
This edition was printed initially in 4 octavo volumes, with no stated publisher or author's name. However they were so thick that they were usually bound in more volumes than that.There were actually 6 title pages since Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 both have a "part II" issued thus: vol. I, vol. II, vol. III, vol. III part II, vol. IV, and vol. IV part II. Each "volume" contained three months of the liturgical calendar's Saints' lives.
Vol. I also had a copperplate engraving with figures of the Roman devices of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
used, and a 2 page explanation of their use. (only found in the first edition.)
Charles Butler's assertion that "all the notes" were left out of the first edition at the suggestion of Bishop Challoner
Richard Challoner
Richard Challoner was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. He is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay Rheims translation of the Bible.-Early life:Challoner was born in the Protestant town of Lewes,...
is exaggerated. There are many useful, and even extended notes in the first edition, but not to the extent that they appear in the second, and succeeding editions.
Lowndes
Lowndes
Lowndes is a surname, and may refer to:* Christopher Lowndes , early settler and merchant at Bladensburg, Maryland* Craig Lowndes, racing driver* Jessica Lowndes* Lloyd Lowndes, Jr. , U.S. politician and Governor of Maryland...
suggests that there was a 1745 quarto first edition, but this is incorrect. It can be surmised that he was thinking of Challoner's Britannia Sancta which was printed that year in two Quarto volumes, and deals with all of the Saints' lives from the British Isles.
Modern Editions
- One modern abridged Concise Edition is: ISBN 0-06-069299-5
- A modern complete edition (1995–2000) is also available in 12 volumes, organized by month and feast day:
- The January volume is ISBN 0-8146-2377-8.
- February ISBN 0-8146-2378-6
- March ISBN 0-8146-2379-4
- April ISBN 0-8146-2380-8
- May ISBN 0-8146-2381-6
- June ISBN 0-8146-2382-4
- July ISBN 0-8146-2383-2
- August ISBN 0-8146-2384-0
- September ISBN 0-8146-2385-9
- October ISBN 0-8146-2386-7
- November ISBN 0-8146-2387-5
- December ISBN 0-8146-2388-3
Since Fr. Butler published his original edition of his Lives, there have been many revisions of it by others. A "Revised Edition," in 12 volumes, was published by Father Herbert Thurston
Herbert Thurston
Fr. Herbert Henry Charles Thurston, S.J. was an English priest of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the Jesuit order, and a prolific scholar on liturgical, literary, historical, and spiritual matters....
, SJ, between 1926 and 1938. This was a significant rewrite of Butler's original. The "Second Edition" was published in 1956 by Donald Attwater, an English layman. This edition made further significant changes. Recently, several one-volume books have been published under the title "Butler's Lives of the Saints," even though they really have little or nothing in common with Fr. Butler's original work.
External links
- "The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints", Complete text of the 12 vol. ed. of 1866 at Bartleby.com
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Alban Butler
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