Charles Petre Eyre
Encyclopedia
Charles Petre Eyre was a Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Glasgow
from 1878 to 1902.
Born at Askham Bryan Hall, Askham Bryan
, near York
, England on November 7, 1817, he was the fifth of nine children of John Lewis Eyre (died 1880) and Sara Eyre, née Parker (died 1825). His father later became a director at the South Western Railway Company. His family was the recusant Eyre family of Derbyshire
, a family which had retained their Roman Catholic beliefs since the English Reformation
and suffered land loss as a result.
On March 28, 1826, Charles was received into St Cuthbert's College
, near Durham
. He rose to become a deacon
by May 1828, and in the following year, December 1839, entered the Venerable English College, Rome
, and was ordained
a priest
there on March 19, 1842. He returned to England and took charge of Newcastle in 1843, taking positions at Wooler
, Illness and Haggerstone between 1849 and 1856, before returning to Newcastle. He became Vicar-General of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in 1868.
Although previously considered for other bishoprics, it was not until November 29, 1868 that he was officially nominated for a prelacy. He was appointed Titular Archbishop of Anazarbus
and Apostolic Delegate for Scotland on December 3, 1868 . He was consecrated
to the Episcopate
in Rome
on January 31, 1869. The principal consecrator
was Cardinal Karl-August von Reisach
, Archbishop Emeritus of Munich and Freising, and the principal co-consecrators were Henry Edward Manning, Archbishop of Westminster and Frédéric-François-Xavier Ghislain de Mérode
, Titular Archbishop of Melitene.
Following the resignation of Bishop John Gray
on 4 March 1869, Archbishop Eyre was appointed the Apostolic Administrator
of the Western District of Scotland on 16 April 1869. He travelled to Glasgow
in March 1869, charged with organising the re-establishment of Roman Catholic hierarchy in Scotland. After attending the First Vatican Council
(1869–70), he returned to Scotland in a mission to build schools and to unite the Scottish catholic community, bitterly divided between Scottish and Irish Catholics. In 1874, he opened a seminary
, St Peter's College, Bearsden
(now at Cardross).
Despite some resistance among Scottish Catholics, the Scottish hierarchy was restored
by Pope Leo XIII
on 15 March 1878. The Western District was elevated to the Archdiocese of Glasgow
, with Charles Petre Eyre appointed as its first Roman Catholic archbishop since the Scottish Reformation
.
Six years later he established a cathedral chapter
. Archbishop Eyre was successful to a large extent in integrating the new establishment into Scottish society. The University of Glasgow
awarded him an Honorary
Doctor of Laws in 1892. He was one of the early patrons of Celtic FC, founded in 1888 with a name designed to inspire unity between Scottish and Irish Catholics in the Glasgow area.
He died on March 27, 1902, aged 84, at his home in Glasgow. He was buried in his seminary at Bearsden; now the site of the new Bearsden Academy building. His body was later moved to St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow. Archbishop Eyre left a number of religious and historical works, including works on Scottish saints, the medieval church of Glasgow, and St Cuthbert.
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Bishop of Glasgow, from 1492 Archbishop of Glasgow, was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Glasgow and then, as Archbishop of Glasgow, the Archdiocese of Glasgow...
from 1878 to 1902.
Born at Askham Bryan Hall, Askham Bryan
Askham Bryan
Askham Bryan is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York in the north of England, 6 miles south west of York, west of Bishopthorpe, and close to Askham Richard and Copmanthorpe. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 582. Prior to 1996 it formed...
, near York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England on November 7, 1817, he was the fifth of nine children of John Lewis Eyre (died 1880) and Sara Eyre, née Parker (died 1825). His father later became a director at the South Western Railway Company. His family was the recusant Eyre family of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, a family which had retained their Roman Catholic beliefs since the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and suffered land loss as a result.
On March 28, 1826, Charles was received into St Cuthbert's College
St Cuthbert's College
St Cuthbert's College can refet to different educational institutions who are named after St Cuthbert. These include:*St Cuthbert's Society, a college-level body in the University of Durham...
, near Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. He rose to become a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
by May 1828, and in the following year, December 1839, entered the Venerable English College, Rome
Venerable English College, Rome
The Venerable English College, commonly referred to as the English College, is a Roman Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales...
, and was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
there on March 19, 1842. He returned to England and took charge of Newcastle in 1843, taking positions at Wooler
Wooler
Wooler is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, by the Cheviot Hills and so is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots"...
, Illness and Haggerstone between 1849 and 1856, before returning to Newcastle. He became Vicar-General of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in 1868.
Although previously considered for other bishoprics, it was not until November 29, 1868 that he was officially nominated for a prelacy. He was appointed Titular Archbishop of Anazarbus
Anazarbus
Anazarbus in Ancient Cilicia was an ancient Cilician city, situated in Anatolia in modern Turkey, in the present Çukurova about 15 km west of the main stream of the present Ceyhan River and near its tributary the Sempas Su.A lofty isolated ridge formed its acropolis...
and Apostolic Delegate for Scotland on December 3, 1868 . He was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
to the Episcopate
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on January 31, 1869. The principal consecrator
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
was Cardinal Karl-August von Reisach
Karl-August von Reisach
Karl-August von Reisach was a German Catholic theologian and Cardinal .-Education:...
, Archbishop Emeritus of Munich and Freising, and the principal co-consecrators were Henry Edward Manning, Archbishop of Westminster and Frédéric-François-Xavier Ghislain de Mérode
Frédéric-François-Xavier Ghislain de Mérode
Xavier de Mérode was a Belgian prelate, archbishop and statesman of the Papal states.-Biography:...
, Titular Archbishop of Melitene.
Following the resignation of Bishop John Gray
John Gray (bishop)
John Gray was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of Scotland.Born in Buckie, Moray on 16 June 1817, he was the son of William Gray and Joanna Gray . He entered the Scots College in Rome on 30 September 1838, and took the oath on 25 March 1839...
on 4 March 1869, Archbishop Eyre was appointed the Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of the Western District of Scotland on 16 April 1869. He travelled to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in March 1869, charged with organising the re-establishment of Roman Catholic hierarchy in Scotland. After attending the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
(1869–70), he returned to Scotland in a mission to build schools and to unite the Scottish catholic community, bitterly divided between Scottish and Irish Catholics. In 1874, he opened a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, St Peter's College, Bearsden
Bearsden
Bearsden ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the City Centre, and is effectively a suburb, with housing development coinciding with the introduction of a railway line in 1863, and from where the town gets its name...
(now at Cardross).
Despite some resistance among Scottish Catholics, the Scottish hierarchy was restored
Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy
The Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy refers to the re-establishment of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland on 15 March 1878...
by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
on 15 March 1878. The Western District was elevated to the Archdiocese of Glasgow
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Glasgow first became an archbishopric in 1492, eventually securing the dioceses of Galloway, Argyll and the Isles as suffragans....
, with Charles Petre Eyre appointed as its first Roman Catholic archbishop since the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
.
Six years later he established a cathedral chapter
Cathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
. Archbishop Eyre was successful to a large extent in integrating the new establishment into Scottish society. The University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
awarded him an Honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Laws in 1892. He was one of the early patrons of Celtic FC, founded in 1888 with a name designed to inspire unity between Scottish and Irish Catholics in the Glasgow area.
He died on March 27, 1902, aged 84, at his home in Glasgow. He was buried in his seminary at Bearsden; now the site of the new Bearsden Academy building. His body was later moved to St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow. Archbishop Eyre left a number of religious and historical works, including works on Scottish saints, the medieval church of Glasgow, and St Cuthbert.