John Hungerford Pollen (senior)
Encyclopedia
John Hungerford Pollen (1820-1902) was an English artist and writer on crafts and furniture.
and Christ Church, Oxford
. He was ordained as an Anglican
priest in 1845, with a parish in Leeds
from 1847, writing of his experiences.
He became a Catholic convert and left the Church of England in 1852. He worked on numerous decorative projects in the 1850s, starting with the hall ceiling at Merton College, Oxford
, where he was a Fellow from 1842; his conversion entailed his giving up that fellowship. Other works, mainly in collaboration, were on the University Museum in Oxford, and the Arthurian murals at the Oxford Union
, in a group led by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
and including William Morris
, Edward Burne-Jones
, Val Prinsep
, and Roddam Spencer Stanhope.
He worked with John Henry Newman on church architecture and decoration. He was responsible for the design of the Catholic University Church in Dublin. He also worked on the Brompton Oratory. Newman invited him to take up a position at the Catholic University of Ireland
, and Pollen was Professor of Fine Arts there, from 1855 to 1857.
He returned to England in 1857, settling in Hampstead
, London. He worked for The Tablet
, and through John Everett Millais
expanded his contacts with the Pre-Raphaelite
circle.
Later he worked for the South Kensington Museum
, where he was appointed assistant keeper in 1863, and was made editor to its science and art department, producing catalogues. He compiled with Henry Cole
a Universal Catalogue of Books on Art. This was a multi-volume project, beginning publication in 1870, its aim being to furnish a complete bibliographical record of art books in libraries of the West.
was his uncle. He married Maria Margaret La Primaudaye in 1855. As Maria Pollen, she was known as an author on lace
.
Of ten children, John Hungerford Pollen
, Jesuit and writer, was his third child, inventor Arthur Pollen
was his sixth son.
Life
He was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He was ordained as an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
priest in 1845, with a parish in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
from 1847, writing of his experiences.
He became a Catholic convert and left the Church of England in 1852. He worked on numerous decorative projects in the 1850s, starting with the hall ceiling at Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he was a Fellow from 1842; his conversion entailed his giving up that fellowship. Other works, mainly in collaboration, were on the University Museum in Oxford, and the Arthurian murals at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
, in a group led by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, and was later to be the main inspiration for a second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement,...
and including William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
, Val Prinsep
Valentine Cameron Prinsep
Valentine Cameron Prinsep, often known as Val Princep, was a British painter of the Pre-Raphaelite school.-Early life:...
, and Roddam Spencer Stanhope.
He worked with John Henry Newman on church architecture and decoration. He was responsible for the design of the Catholic University Church in Dublin. He also worked on the Brompton Oratory. Newman invited him to take up a position at the Catholic University of Ireland
Catholic University of Ireland
The Catholic University of Ireland was a Catholic university in Dublin, Ireland and was founded in 1851 following the Synod of Thurles in 1850, and in response to the Queen's University of Ireland and its associated colleges which were nondenominational...
, and Pollen was Professor of Fine Arts there, from 1855 to 1857.
He returned to England in 1857, settling in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London. He worked for The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
, and through John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
expanded his contacts with the Pre-Raphaelite
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
circle.
Later he worked for the South Kensington Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, where he was appointed assistant keeper in 1863, and was made editor to its science and art department, producing catalogues. He compiled with Henry Cole
Henry Cole
Sir Henry Cole was an English civil servant and inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in 19th century Britain...
a Universal Catalogue of Books on Art. This was a multi-volume project, beginning publication in 1870, its aim being to furnish a complete bibliographical record of art books in libraries of the West.
Works
- Letter to the Parishioners of St. Saviour’s, Leeds (1851)
- Narrative of Five Years at St. Saviour’s, Leeds (1851)
- A Description of the Trajan Column (1874) online text
- Ancient and modern Furniture and Woodwork (1876)
- Gold and Silver Smiths' Work
Family
The architect C. R. CockerellCharles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer.-Life:Charles Robert Cockerell was educated at Westminster School from 1802. From the age of sixteen, he trained in the architectural practice of his father, Samuel Pepys Cockerell...
was his uncle. He married Maria Margaret La Primaudaye in 1855. As Maria Pollen, she was known as an author on lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
.
Of ten children, John Hungerford Pollen
John Hungerford Pollen (Jesuit)
John Hungerford Pollen was an English Jesuit, known as a historian of the Protestant Reformation.-Life:He was one of the group of Jesuit historians restoring the reputation of Robert Persons...
, Jesuit and writer, was his third child, inventor Arthur Pollen
Arthur Pollen
Arthur Joseph Hungerford Pollen was a writer on naval affairs in the early 1900s who recognised the need for a computer-based fire-control system...
was his sixth son.
Further reading
- Anne Pollen (1920) John Hungerford Pollen, 1820-1902