Richard Simpson (writer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Simpson was a British
Roman Catholic
writer and literary scholar. He was born at Beddington
, Surrey
, into an Anglican
family, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and at Oriel College, Oxford
. He obtained a BA
degree on 9 February 1843. He was ordained in the Church of England, and became the vicar of Mitcham in Surrey, in 1844, the same year that he married his cousin, Elizabeth Mary Cranmer. He resigned his position some time before being received into the Catholic Church on 1 August 1846. He then spent more than a year on the continent
, becoming very proficient as a linguist.
Simpson returned to England in 1847, and settled in Clapham
, Surrey. In 1850, he began to write for The Rambler, a Catholic periodical founded by converts. In 1856, he became its assistant editor, and in 1858, was made editor. When the magazine was discontinued in 1862 Simpson, with Sir John Acton
, began the Home and Foreign Review. This met with resistance from the Catholic hierarchy, and was discontinued in 1864.
Afterwards Simpson devoted himself to the study of Shakespeare, to music, and to writing. He was one of the first to advance the theory that Shakespeare had been a Catholic. Also, he was elected a member of the committee of the New Shakspere Society in 1874. He is probably best remembered for his biography of the English martyr
, Edmund Campion
; this book was praised by Evelyn Waugh
in his own Campion book from seven decades later.
Simpson died of cancer in Rome on 5 April 1876.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
writer and literary scholar. He was born at Beddington
Beddington
Beddington is a settlement between the London Boroughs of Sutton and Croydon. The BedZED low energy housing scheme is located here. In Beddington was a static inverter plant of HVDC Kingsnorth....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, into an Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
family, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and at Oriel College, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He obtained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree on 9 February 1843. He was ordained in the Church of England, and became the vicar of Mitcham in Surrey, in 1844, the same year that he married his cousin, Elizabeth Mary Cranmer. He resigned his position some time before being received into the Catholic Church on 1 August 1846. He then spent more than a year on the continent
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, becoming very proficient as a linguist.
Simpson returned to England in 1847, and settled in Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, Surrey. In 1850, he began to write for The Rambler, a Catholic periodical founded by converts. In 1856, he became its assistant editor, and in 1858, was made editor. When the magazine was discontinued in 1862 Simpson, with Sir John Acton
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, KCVO, DL , known as Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Bt from 1837 to 1869 and usually referred to simply as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer...
, began the Home and Foreign Review. This met with resistance from the Catholic hierarchy, and was discontinued in 1864.
Afterwards Simpson devoted himself to the study of Shakespeare, to music, and to writing. He was one of the first to advance the theory that Shakespeare had been a Catholic. Also, he was elected a member of the committee of the New Shakspere Society in 1874. He is probably best remembered for his biography of the English martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, Edmund Campion
Edmund Campion
Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. was an English Roman Catholic martyr and Jesuit priest. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Protestant England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason by a kangaroo court, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn...
; this book was praised by Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
in his own Campion book from seven decades later.
Simpson died of cancer in Rome on 5 April 1876.
Works
- Invocation of Saints proved from the Bible alone (1849)
- The Lady Falkland: Her Life (1861)
- Edmund Campion (1867)
- Introduction to the Philosophy of Shakespeare's Sonnets (1868)
- The School of Shakespeare (1872)
- Sonnets of Shakespeare selected from a complete setting, and miscellaneous songs (1878)