Mark Elvins
Encyclopedia
Mark Turnham Elvins, OFMCap
, was Warden
of Greyfriars, Oxford
until its closure in 2008.
, the son of an Anglican clergyman who had been Rector of St Mary in the Castle, Dover.
He was educated at Dover College
, St Stephen's House, Oxford
, The Pontifical Beda College at Rome, the Pontifical Gregorian University
, and Heythrop College
, where he received a Master of Arts
from the University of London
. He also was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Spirituality
at Milltown Institute, Dublin, Ireland
.
At the beginning of his career, Elvins passed into Sandhurst
but opted for the Territorial Army serving with the Honourable Artillery Company
eventually reaching the rank of Captain in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department
. In civilian life he began by working as a gallery manager at St James's Gallery in Jermyn Street
, central London
, and as Assistant Editor of Debrett's Peerage
.
Following his theological studies at St. Stephen's House, Oxford he was ordained an Anglican deacon.On Christmas Eve 1968 he was received into the Catholic Church. He was ordained a priest at Arundel on Easter Sunday 1973 and was Assistant Curate
at Arundel Cathedral
and Chantry Priest
to His Grace the Duke of Norfolk
from 1973 to 1979. From 1980 until 1990 he served at St Mary Magdalene's parish church in Brighton
, holding additionally the post of Chaplain to the Master of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners of the City of London
. From 1990 until 1993 he was parish priest of Henfield
.
In 1999, he was professed in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
and was a Provincial Definitor from 2006 to 2011.
During the academic year 2005-2007, he was the Roman Catholic Chaplain to the University of Central Lancashire
.
Following the retirement of Dr Nicholas James Richardson
in 2007, Elvins was appointed Warden of Greyfriars, Oxford
and upon the dissolution of the permanent private hall was appointed Guardian of the friary (Greyfriars) from 2008 t0 2011.
Throughout his life he has been particularly concerned for the homeless and is the founder of Simon House in Oxford
(1967), St Thomas Fund for the Homeless in Brighton
(1980), and Becket Homes in Canterbury
(1997), as well as being a co-founder of the Thomas More Legal Centre. In 2011 he founde Regina Palestinae (Our Lady of Palestine) a charity for the support of poor families in Palestine.
In 1982, Elvins was appointed an Ecclesiastical Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
and Chaplain and Council Member of the British and Irish Delegation of the Order. In 2003, the Order awarded him the Gold Benemerenti Medal. He is also a Chaplain of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.
In 2007, he led a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Henry Benedict Stuart
at the Royal Hospital Chelsea
in London.
He writes as both Mark Turnham Elvins and Mark of Whitstable.
The Heraldry Society
holds an annual Mark Elvins Lecture. On 16 April 2008, The Rt Revd Dom Geoffrey Scott, OSB
, MA
, PhD
, FSA
, FRHistS
, Abbot of Douai
, spoke on The heraldry of James II and his cult.
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
, was Warden
Warden (college)
A warden is the head of some colleges and other educational institutions. This applies especially at some colleges and institutions at the University of Oxford:* All Souls College* Greyfriars* Keble College* Merton College* New College* Nuffield College...
of Greyfriars, Oxford
Greyfriars, Oxford
Greyfriars, situated on the Iffley Road in East Oxford, was one of the smallest constituent Halls of the University of Oxford in England. Its previous status as a Permanent Private Hall referred to the fact that it was governed by an outside institution , rather than by its fellows as is a...
until its closure in 2008.
Biography
Mark Turnham Elvins was born in 1939 at WhitstableWhitstable
Whitstable is a seaside town in Northeast Kent, Southeast England. It is approximately north of the city of Canterbury and approximately west of the seaside town of Herne Bay. It is part of the City of Canterbury district and has a population of about 30,000.Whitstable is famous for its oysters,...
, the son of an Anglican clergyman who had been Rector of St Mary in the Castle, Dover.
He was educated at Dover College
Dover College
Dover College is a co-educational independent school in Dover in southeast England. It was founded in 1871, and takes both day pupils and boarders....
, St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen’s House, Oxford , is an Anglican theological college and one of six religious Permanent Private Halls of the University of Oxford, England...
, The Pontifical Beda College at Rome, the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
, and Heythrop College
Heythrop College
Heythrop College is the specialist philosophy and theology constituent college of the University of London situated in Kensington Square, Kensington, London. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in philosophy, theology and psychology, as well as research in related fields.It was founded...
, where he received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He also was awarded a Graduate Diploma in Spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
at Milltown Institute, Dublin, 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...
.
At the beginning of his career, Elvins passed into Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
but opted for the Territorial Army serving with the Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
eventually reaching the rank of Captain in the Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Royal Army Chaplains' Department
The Royal Army Chaplains' Department is an all-officer corps that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army.As of 2007, there are about 280 serving regular chaplains in the British Army; these can belong to either one of several Christian churches, or to the Jewish faith, although...
. In civilian life he began by working as a gallery manager at St James's Gallery in Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a street in the City of Westminster, central London, to the south, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly.It is well known as a street where the shops are almost exclusively aimed at the Gentleman's market and is famous for its resident shirtmakers Jermyn Street is a street in the...
, central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and as Assistant Editor of Debrett's Peerage
Debrett's
Debrett’s is a specialist publisher, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of The New Peerage. The name "Debrett's" honours John Debrett...
.
Following his theological studies at St. Stephen's House, Oxford he was ordained an Anglican deacon.On Christmas Eve 1968 he was received into the Catholic Church. He was ordained a priest at Arundel on Easter Sunday 1973 and was Assistant Curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Arundel Cathedral
Arundel Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it was not designated a cathedral until the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965...
and Chantry Priest
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
to His Grace the Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
from 1973 to 1979. From 1980 until 1990 he served at St Mary Magdalene's parish church in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, holding additionally the post of Chaplain to the Master of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners of the City of London
Worshipful Company of Scriveners
The Worshipful Company of Scriveners of the City of London is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It is also known as the Mysterie of Writers of the Court Letter. The Company had been responsible for setting qualifications and regulations for scrivener notaries since its foundation...
. From 1990 until 1993 he was parish priest of Henfield
Henfield
Henfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. The parish has a land area of . In the 2001 census 5,012...
.
In 1999, he was professed in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
and was a Provincial Definitor from 2006 to 2011.
During the academic year 2005-2007, he was the Roman Catholic Chaplain to the University of Central Lancashire
University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...
.
Following the retirement of Dr Nicholas James Richardson
Nicholas Richardson
Nicholas James Richardson was Warden of Greyfriars, Oxford from 2004 until 2007.Nicholas Richardson was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford . From 1960 until 1961 he was a pupil of G.E.M...
in 2007, Elvins was appointed Warden of Greyfriars, Oxford
Greyfriars, Oxford
Greyfriars, situated on the Iffley Road in East Oxford, was one of the smallest constituent Halls of the University of Oxford in England. Its previous status as a Permanent Private Hall referred to the fact that it was governed by an outside institution , rather than by its fellows as is a...
and upon the dissolution of the permanent private hall was appointed Guardian of the friary (Greyfriars) from 2008 t0 2011.
Throughout his life he has been particularly concerned for the homeless and is the founder of Simon House in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(1967), St Thomas Fund for the Homeless in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
(1980), and Becket Homes in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(1997), as well as being a co-founder of the Thomas More Legal Centre. In 2011 he founde Regina Palestinae (Our Lady of Palestine) a charity for the support of poor families in Palestine.
In 1982, Elvins was appointed an Ecclesiastical Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
and Chaplain and Council Member of the British and Irish Delegation of the Order. In 2003, the Order awarded him the Gold Benemerenti Medal. He is also a Chaplain of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta.
In 2007, he led a wreath-laying ceremony in honour of Henry Benedict Stuart
Henry Benedict Stuart
Henry Benedict Stuart was a Roman Catholic Cardinal, as well as the fourth and final Jacobite heir to publicly claim the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Unlike his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, and brother, Charles Edward Stuart, Henry made no effort to seize the throne...
at the Royal Hospital Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
in London.
He writes as both Mark Turnham Elvins and Mark of Whitstable.
The Heraldry Society
The Heraldry Society
The Heraldry Society is one of the leading organizations in the world devoted to studying heraldry. In 1947, a twenty year old John Brooke-Little founded the Society of Heraldic Antiquaries. This title was changed to The Heraldry Society in 1950. It was incorporated in 1956 and is now a registered...
holds an annual Mark Elvins Lecture. On 16 April 2008, The Rt Revd Dom Geoffrey Scott, OSB
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
, MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
, PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, FSA
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, FRHistS
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
, Abbot of Douai
Douai Abbey
Douai Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey at Woolhampton, near Thatcham, in the English county of Berkshire, situated within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Monks from the monastery of St. Edmund's, in Douai, France, came to Woolhampton in 1903 when the community left France as a result of...
, spoke on The heraldry of James II and his cult.
Publications
- Mark Turnham Elvins (Mark of Whitstable), A Eucharistic vision and the spirituality of St Francis of Assisi (Leominster: Gracewing, 2007)
- Mark Turnham Elvins (Mark of Whitstable), Gospel chivalry: Franciscan Romanticism (Leominster: Gracewing, 2006)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Catholic trivia: our forgotten heritage, illustrated by John Ryan (Leominster: Gracewing, 2002; previously published London: HarperCollins Religious, 1992)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Our Lady and the Ecumenical movement in the light of her maternal patronage: a paper given to members of the Canterbury branch of the Society on 27 September 1997 (Wallington: Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2000)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, St. Thomas Becket and the homeless (London: Buckland, 1994)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, "St." Thomas of Dover: monk and martyr (London: Buckland, 1994)
- Mark Twinham [i.e. Turnham] Elvins, Towards a people's liturgy: the importance of language (Leominster: Gracewing, 1994)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Cardinals and heraldry, illustrated by Anselm Baker, foreword by the Archbishop of BirminghamArchbishop of BirminghamThe Archbishop of Birmingham heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Birmingham....
(Maurice Noël Léon Couve de MurvilleMaurice Noël Léon Couve de MurvilleMaurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville was the seventh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham from 25 March 1982 until his retirement on 12 June 1999, having formerly been a priest of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and chaplain of Fisher House, Cambridge.-Early career and priesthood:Maurice...
), preface by John Brooke-LittleJohn Brooke-LittleJohn Philip Rudolph Dominic Derek Aloysius Mary Brooke-Little, CVO, KStJ, FSA, FSG, FHS, FHG , FRHSC , FHSNZ, KM, GCGCO was an influential and popular British writer on heraldic subjects and a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London...
(Norroy and Ulster King of ArmsNorroy and Ulster King of ArmsNorroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. The current office is the combination of two former appointments...
) (London: Buckland Publications, 1988) - Mark Turnham Elvins and Teresa Searle, Drugs: how the Church can help (Great Wakering: McCrimmons, 1987)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, The Church's response to the homeless (Great Wakering: Mayhew McCrimmon, 1985)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Arundel Priory, 1380-1980: the College of the Holy Trinity (London: Phillimore, 1981)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Bayham Abbey 1182-1982: its founder and his family (Hove: Chichester Diocesan Fund and Board of Finance, 1981)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, 'Oxford University Heraldry Society', The Coat of Arms NS 4.119 (1981)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, Old Catholic England (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1978)
External links
- The Revd Fr Ray Blake, writing in the On-line Magazine for the Catholic parish of St Mary Magdalen, Brighton, which includes a substantial biography of Mark Turnham Elvins
- Biographies of Council Members of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
- 'Oration by the Vice-Chancellor', Oxford University Gazette supplement (3) to no. 4818 Wednesday, 3 October 2007, p. 100
- Mark Turnham Elvins, 'St Francis, Creation and Original Innocence', The Ark 187 (Spring 2001)
- Mark Turnham Elvins, 'England - The Dowry of Mary: The Origin of the Title "Dowry of Mary" and The Shrines of our Lady at Westminster', Papers on Proposed 5th Marian Dogma
- Mark Turnham Elvins, 'Some Reflections on Our Lady and The Ecumenical Movement in the Light of Her Maternal Patronage', Papers on Proposed 5th Marian Dogma
- Heraldry Society Annual Programme 2007/2008
- Scuola di Spiritualita
- Royal Hospital Chelsea Commemoration of the Bicententary of the death of Henry Benedict Stuart (includes several photographs of Mark Turnham Elvins)