# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Maguire, Robert

​MAGUIRE, ROBERT (1826–1890), controversialist, born in Dublin 3 March 1826, was son of William Maguire of Dublin, inspector of taxes there, and was educated at Trinity College, where he graduated B.A. 1847, M.A. 1855, and B.D. and D.D. 1877. On Trinity Sunday 1849 he was ordained to the curacy of St. Nicholas' parish, Cork. In 1852 he became clerical secretary to the Islington Protestant Institute, which had for its object ‘the awakening of Protestant Christians to the progress of Popery.’ Maguire's efforts increased the number of members from six hundred to fourteen hundred. In a controversy with Frederick Oakeley, Roman catholic priest of Islington, and his schoolmaster, Mr. Weale, Maguire published in 1853 a pamphlet entitled ‘The Early Irish Church independent of Rome till A.D. 1172,’ which had a large sale. In July 1856 he was elected Sunday afternoon lecturer at St. Luke's, Old Street, and in the following October perpetual curate of St. James's, Clerkenwell, one of the few livings to which the parishioners themselves have the right to present. His election led to legal proceedings, and he was not inducted till 3 May 1857. While at Clerkenwell he soon became popular as a preacher and lecturer, and distinguished himself in a controversy with the National Sunday League. He was appointed morning lecturer at St. Swithin, Cannon Street, in 1864, and rector of St. Olave, Southwark, in 1875. He died at Eastbourne on 3 Sept. 1890. His first wife, Effie, died on 13 June 1864, and he married secondly, 5 Aug. 1869, Margaret Mary, daughter of Edward Erastus Deacon, barrister-at-law. Besides numerous addresses, introductory prefaces, lectures, tracts, and single sermons, Maguire wrote: 1. ‘Notes and Queries on the Keystone of Popery, the Creed of Pope Pius IV,’ 1854. 2. ‘Perversion and Conversion, or Cause and Effect,’ 1854. 3. ‘Transubstantiation, a Tractarian Doctrine, suggested by Archdeacon Wilberforce on the Holy Eucharist,’ 1854. 4. ‘Twenty Contrasts between the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Lord's Supper,’ 1854. 5. ‘What does Popery want here?’ 1855. 6. ‘The “Oxford Movement” Strictures on the “Personal Reminiscences” of Dr. Newman, Mr. Oakeley, and others,’ 1855. 7. ‘The Immaculate Conception of the B. V. Mary historically reviewed,’ 1855. 8. ‘A Chapter for the Living, a Memoir of a Student of King's College [T. A. S. Clack],’ 1856. 9. ‘The Discussion at Exeter Hall on the Sunday Question between R. Maguire and J. B. Langley,’ 1858. 10. ‘Man, his Likeness and his Greatness,’ 1860. 11. ‘Things Present and Things to Come: a Series of Lectures,’ 1860. 12. ‘The Miracles of Christ: Expositions, Critical, Doctrinal, and Experimental,’ 1863. 13. ‘Self, its Dangers, Doubts, and Duties,’ 1863. 14. ‘Mottoes for the Million,’ twelve numbers, 1866. 15. ‘St. Peter Non-Roman in his Mission, Ministry, and Martyrdom,’ 1871. 16. ‘Lyra Evangelica: Hymns Original and Selected,’ 1872. 17. ‘Sighs and Songs of Earth, and other Poems,’ 1873. 18. ‘Temperance Landmarks; a Narrative of the Work and the Workers,’ 1880. 19. ‘Melodies of the Fatherland,’ translated from the German, 1883. He also edited ‘Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, with Expository Lectures,’ 1859, which went to six editions, and was translated into German; and ‘A True Relation of the Holy War by J. Bunyan, with Annotations,’ 1863; two editions.
[Drawing Room Portrait Gallery, 1859, portrait 14; C. M. Davies's Orthodox London, 1874, pp. 108–22; Times, 6 Sept. 1890, p. 7.]
G. C. B.