Francis Close

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Francis Close (11 July 1797 – 18 December 1882) was the Anglican rector of Cheltenham (1826–1856) and Dean of Carlisle (1856–1881).[1]

Biography[]

Close was born on 11 July 1797 in Frome, Somerset, the youngest son of the Rev. , who was at one time Rector of Bentworth, near Alton, in Hampshire.[2] Enrolling at St. John's College, Cambridge in 1816 he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1820, and was elevated to MA in 1825.[3] During the same time period, he was ordained a deacon in 1820, and as a priest the following year. In 1822 he was assigned as curate of Willesden and Kingsbury in the London area.[4] Two years later, in 1824, he was assigned to Cheltenham and the parish church of St Mary's, and when the rector died in 1826, he was elevated to that office.[5]

Close served as rector for thirty years, where he was a popular preacher and a noted evangelical. He was a vociferous opponent of the Oxford Movement. He advocated for the creation of a training college for schoolteachers and opposed alcohol, tobacco, horse racing and theatrical amusements.[4] He was involved in the provision of new churches in Cheltenham.[6] On 24 November 1856, he was nominated to be Dean of Carlisle Cathedral by the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, and the appointment was approved by the Queen.[5][7] That same year, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity upon Close. He remained as Dean of Carlisle until 1881, when failing health forced him to resign.[5] At the time of his resignation, he was the oldest of all deans in the Church of England[2] He died in Penzance the following year, on 12 December 1882, and was buried in Carlisle Cathedral.[2]

Personal life[]

Close married twice; in 1820 he married Anne Diana Arden, and in 1880 Mary Antrim.[5]

Legacy[]

Close was the author of around seventy books and pamphlets, though by 1887 few were considered "of any permanent value."[5] In 1885 a marble statue of Close was installed in Carlisle Cathedral, after a public collection of funds for the purpose.[5] Dean Close School and Francis Close Hall, both in Cheltenham, were named in his honour.

References[]

  1. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory 1881
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The death list of a day; a venerable English clergyman dead". The New York Times. 19 December 1882. p. 5. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Close, Francis (CLS816F)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Late Dean of Carlisle". Marlborough Express. XVII (297). New Zealand. 20 December 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Boase, George Clement (1887). "Close, Francis" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 11. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 123–124.
  6. ^ "No. 20521". The London Gazette. 28 October 1845. p. 3227.
  7. ^ "No. 21944". The London Gazette. 25 November 1856. p. 3919.

Sources[]

External links[]

Church of England titles
Preceded by
Archibald Campbell Tait 		Dean of Carlisle
1856–1881 		Succeeded by
John Oakley
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