Page:The Dictionary of Australasian Biography.djvu/493

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
Ull]
DICTIONARY OF AUSTRALASIAN BIOGRAPHY.
[Ull

bellion, the Archbishop's grandfather and his brother being placed in charge of Dr. Lawrence, of York. At his residence they were frightened by discovering a skeleton in their bedroom cupboard, and ran away, the former becoming apprentice to a shoemaker, and the latter a chemist in London. The Archbishop's mother was a native of Spilsby,in Lincolnshire, of which county her father was Chief Constable. Mrs. Ullathorne was also a cousin of Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer and Governor of Tasmania. His parents were both engaged prior to their marriage at Townsend's great drapery establishment in Holborn, London. Mr. Ullathorne having converted his future wife to the Catholic faith, married her, and they then started in business on their own account at Pocklington. The Archbishop was educated at Protestant schools at Burnby and Scarborough, to which town his father removed in 1815. When twelve years of age he was employed in his father's business for twelve months, and then went to sea on the brig Leghorn, of Scarborough. After being several years a sailor he went back to his father's business, but in Feb. 1823 was sent to be educated at the Benedictine Priory at Downside, Bath. Here Father Polding, afterwards Archbishop of Sydney, was prefect and director. After completing his course at Downside, Dr. Ullathorne was for a time an assistant master at Ampleforth College, in Yorkshire, and in Sept. 1831 was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. He then returned to Downside, where he found that Dr. Polding had just been offered the appointment of Visitor-Apostolic to the Mauritius, with jurisdiction over Australia. Dr. Polding, however, declined the preferment, but subsequently recommended Father Ullathorne to Dr. Morris, who now undertook the duties. After much hesitancy Father Ullathorne decided to accept Dr. Morris's proposal that he should go out to Australia as a missionary priest. Having got together a good library, he was all ready to start, when a despatch was received at the Colonial Office from Sir Richard Bourke, then Governor of New South Wales, urging the desirability of a Roman Catholic ecclesiastic being sent out to Sydney invested with greater authority to transact the affairs of the Church in regard to the acquirement of land, etc., than was possessed by the then senior priest (Father Therry), with whom disputes had arisen. The Church authorities having been applied to in respect to this suggestion, Father Ullathorne was appointed Vicar-General for Australia, Van Diemen's Land being alone excepted from his jurisdiction, whilst the Government gave him the title of "His Majesty's Catholic Chaplain in New South Wales," with a stipend of £200 a year and an allowance for voyage, outfit, and travelling expenses when on duty. In this more dignified capacity, Dr. Ullathorne sailed for Sydney in the Sir Thomas Munro on Sept. 16th, 1832, arriving in the New South Wales capital in Feb. of the next year. Here he found a divided state of affairs, but he very soon enforced unity by the exercise of his ecclesiastical authority. Father Therry and two others were the only priests in the colony at the time of his arrival. He was very cordially assisted by the Governor of the colony, Sir R. Bourke, who in Sept. 1833 sent a despatch to the Home Government making recommendations for the sustentation of the Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian Churches and clergy in Australia, which were ultimately adopted (1836). Dr. Ullathorne also wrote to the Colonial Office asking for four more chaplains, and to the Roman Catholic authorities in England urging them to appoint an independent bishop for Australia. In pursuance of this, in May 1834 Dr. Polding (Archbishop Ullathorne's old Novice Master) was appointed first Bishop of Sydney by Pope Gregory XVI., and brought out with him three other priests, whose outfit and passages were paid for by the Imperial Government. Lord Stanley, in his letter informing the Governor of the appointment of Dr. Polding, expressed regret, at Vicar-General Ullathorne's supersession and offered him a similar position in Van Diemen's Land, if he wished to quit Sydney. But the latter preferred to remain in New South Wales, and loyally prepared the way for Dr. Polding, who arrived on Sept. 13th, 1835, and who was greatly assisted by Dr. Ullathorne in the organisation of the diocese. In the meantime the latter had visited Norfolk Island, with the view of preparing for death a large number of

477