John Laurence Rentoul
Encyclopedia
John Laurence Rentoul was a member of the Presbyterian clergy and a poet.
, County Londonderry
, Ireland
, fourth son of the Reverend James Buchan Rentoul, D.D. and his wife Sarah, née Wilson. He was educated at Queen's College, Belfast, where he graduated B.A. in 1867 and M.A. in 1868, with first-class honours and the gold medal for English literature, history and economic science. He also did post-graduate work at Leipzig
, Germany
.
, Lancashire
. While at Southport, Rentoul married Annie Isobel, daughter of D. T. Rattray on 30 October 1878. The wealthy congregation of St George's Church, St Kilda, Victoria
, Australia
had been seeking a minister from the British Isles and Rentoul was nominated by London preacher Oswald Dykes. Rentoul and his wife arrived in Australia in 1879. Five years later Rentoul was appointed professor in the theological hall, Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
, his subjects being Hebrew and Old Testament Criticism, New Testament Greek, and Christian Philosophy. In 1884 Rentoul was given the degree of Doctor of Divinity
by the Theological Faculty of Ireland.
At Ormond College, Rentoul had a great influence over many generations of candidates for the Presbyterian ministry, and was a conspicuous figure in all the counsels of his church. He showed great ability in conducting religious controversies, for which he was equipped with wide reading and knowledge of the languages of the original texts. He stated once that he never entered on a fight willingly, but once the contest had started he fought with great vigor and, many of his friends thought, with a full appreciation of the joy of combat. It was not for nothing that he was popularly known as "Fighting Larry"; but he had no ill-will to his opponents and never bore rancor. He was made moderator-general of his church for 1912-14, and when the World War I
broke out was appointed chaplain-general of the Australian Imperial Force
.
Rentoul's last years were clouded by the long illness of his wife following an accident, and the nervous breakdown of his younger son Ormond, a youth of extraordinary promise, while studying for his examinations. Rentoul died suddenly on 15 April 1926 leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters and was buried in St Kilda cemetery.
Rentoul was somewhat frail-looking but was in reality strong and active, showing much endurance during his yearly trout-fishing holidays in New Zealand
. He was interested in the Australian Aborigines
and all oppressed people, and incurred some odium by taking up the cause of the Boer
s at the time of the Second Boer War
.
Rentoul was a fine scholar, learning all his life, and his erudition, keen wit, versatility, strength of conviction, and scorn of compromise, made him a remarkable preacher and lecturer. As a debater he had great readiness in retort, and in developing his argument his words flowed with an almost volcanic passion.
In private life he was courteous, kindly and generous. His elder daughter, Annie Rattray Rentoul, wrote verse with some ability. A list of volumes of her songs which were set to music will be found in Percival Serle
's A Bibliography of Australasian Poetry and Verse. The younger daughter, Ida Sherbourne, afterwards Mrs Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
, became well-known as an illustrator of fairy tales.
Early life
John Laurence Rentoul was born in GarvaghGarvagh
Garvagh is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the banks of the Agivey River, south of Coleraine on the A29 route. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288.-History:...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, fourth son of the Reverend James Buchan Rentoul, D.D. and his wife Sarah, née Wilson. He was educated at Queen's College, Belfast, where he graduated B.A. in 1867 and M.A. in 1868, with first-class honours and the gold medal for English literature, history and economic science. He also did post-graduate work at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Career
Rentoul was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church of England in 1872 and became incumbent of St George's Church, SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. While at Southport, Rentoul married Annie Isobel, daughter of D. T. Rattray on 30 October 1878. The wealthy congregation of St George's Church, St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
had been seeking a minister from the British Isles and Rentoul was nominated by London preacher Oswald Dykes. Rentoul and his wife arrived in Australia in 1879. Five years later Rentoul was appointed professor in the theological hall, Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
, his subjects being Hebrew and Old Testament Criticism, New Testament Greek, and Christian Philosophy. In 1884 Rentoul was given the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
by the Theological Faculty of Ireland.
At Ormond College, Rentoul had a great influence over many generations of candidates for the Presbyterian ministry, and was a conspicuous figure in all the counsels of his church. He showed great ability in conducting religious controversies, for which he was equipped with wide reading and knowledge of the languages of the original texts. He stated once that he never entered on a fight willingly, but once the contest had started he fought with great vigor and, many of his friends thought, with a full appreciation of the joy of combat. It was not for nothing that he was popularly known as "Fighting Larry"; but he had no ill-will to his opponents and never bore rancor. He was made moderator-general of his church for 1912-14, and when the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out was appointed chaplain-general of the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
.
Rentoul's last years were clouded by the long illness of his wife following an accident, and the nervous breakdown of his younger son Ormond, a youth of extraordinary promise, while studying for his examinations. Rentoul died suddenly on 15 April 1926 leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters and was buried in St Kilda cemetery.
Legacy
Rentoul was the author of From Far Lands; Poems of North and South (1914) and At Vancouver's Well and Other Poems of South and North (1917). His poetry has been praised, a good example of it is "Australia" which was included in The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse. In prose Rentoul published in 1896, The Early Church and the Roman Claims, which ran into six editions. He also wrote The Church at Home; Prayers for Australian Households, and several pamphlets.Rentoul was somewhat frail-looking but was in reality strong and active, showing much endurance during his yearly trout-fishing holidays in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He was interested in the Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
and all oppressed people, and incurred some odium by taking up the cause of the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s at the time of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
Rentoul was a fine scholar, learning all his life, and his erudition, keen wit, versatility, strength of conviction, and scorn of compromise, made him a remarkable preacher and lecturer. As a debater he had great readiness in retort, and in developing his argument his words flowed with an almost volcanic passion.
In private life he was courteous, kindly and generous. His elder daughter, Annie Rattray Rentoul, wrote verse with some ability. A list of volumes of her songs which were set to music will be found in Percival Serle
Percival Serle
Percival Serle was an Australian biographer and bibliographer.Serle was born in Victoria and for many years worked in a life assurance office before becoming chief clerk and accountant at the University of Melbourne...
's A Bibliography of Australasian Poetry and Verse. The younger daughter, Ida Sherbourne, afterwards Mrs Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
Ida Rentoul Outhwaite was an Australian illustrator of children's books. Her work mostly depicted fairies....
, became well-known as an illustrator of fairy tales.