The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-26 00:00:00

FATHER IGNATIUS AND THE
LLANTHONY MONASTERY.

TODD v. TODD

Last Friday a petition was presented before Vice-
Chancellor lir R Means., which prayed for an injunc
tion to restrain the Rev. Joseph Leyce-ter Lyne
(Rather iglu-) from imposing on the petitioner, or
inducing or encouraging him to take any vows, oath,,
or engagement of a nsonastic character, and in particu-
lar of obedien.:e to Mr. Lyne, for the purpose of bind-
ing or inducing him to remain under the orders con-
trol, or direction of Mr. Lys e, or of inducing him not
to return to the Care and custody of John Todd his
father and natural guardian, and to obtain an order
that Mr. Lyne should deliver np the care and custody
of the petitioner to his father and natural guardian,
and if necessary ehould attend with the petitioner be-
fore the Judge in Coamhers
It appeared from the statements in the petition,
which was presented by Richard Alfred Todd, an in.
flint of the age of seventeen years, by his father and
next friend, that his father had ronoved bias from
school in the month of April last, and bad placed him
In his counting-house, In order that he might learn the
business of a merchaut. Ott thy evening of the 4th of
June last the 3 num, mat., who was then trilling with
his father, stated to him that he wished to become a
:monk. The father could not at first realize his son's
meaning. and•said that he could not approve such •
step. However, on the following morning the eon left
his father's house nod did not return home in the even-
ing, or make any communication to either of his
parents. A search was thm made among his p,l,ers,
and the following letter was foun !

"deems only.-38, Hart-street, PI .00nanury, E C.—My
dear s,—l aili ate you bore to-morrow (Sunday) at 4low.
at my L ndon a- oratory's rooms, it you call. May MU pro-
doom Lord ble,s you. In him, I am yours afroctlooately,
:ON 0 S. 8., Sup.)

The petition then stated that the writer of this
letter wss Lyne, who had been ordained a deign-
man of the Church of England, lint held no benefice,
and who wore a monsstic dress awl called
Father Ignatius," and resided partl3 at Feltbam,
in Mi idlesex, where he presided over "An establish-
ment for women railed A convent," and p trtly
at Llantliony, near Abtrgavenny, where there
was a similar establishment for men. Relieving
fr im what his son had told him, and from the letter
so found, that his son had left his home under the in
tiuence of Father Ignatius, Mr. Todd theu wrote Father
Ignatius a letter begging hint to persuade his son to
return hi ime ; but, receiving no reply, again write
through his managing clerk requesting Father Ignatius
to telegraph an ssy whethei his s 0 was witti him.
In reply to that letter FAtber Ignatius sent the follows
ing telegram :
"Fr“rn Father Ignatius, Priory, Feltham, to J.,bn (1.
Carlos, 13, king Edward-street, Neagare.— rile person 7. ri
wrote stoat IR oil. and well, and he wIU be made to write
to his friend at ones."

Accordingly on Saturday, the 7th of June, the young
man wrote to hie father an follows :-
"Jenne only.- Siturd ,y, June 7.-My dear Father,-I told
you on Wednesday night that it was my purpose to leave the
world, and I have n ow to that end left uudon, and am living
at the C mvent at Feltham at present sin guest te eve if the
life Is what I thought to lie, and II I an, fitted for it. lii feel
I am fitted for it I shall take the Novice's vows, but not till
sit weeks time, end lien! shall only be bound for a year. I
mdo not think thin any sudden Impulse. I have
thought it over for a long time, and an perfectly persuaded
that I ant right The Rev. Father wished me to write and
let you know tint lam hoe, lest you should "eat all uneasy
about me. I remain, your affectionate eon, R. C. Tony."
The young man's brother and uncle then went to Felt-
ham, but discovered that he nail been removed to Llan
thony ; there they followed him, and after elm.,
trouble obtained an interview with him, finding him
clad inn monastic garb. They then gave him lettere
from his parents, and from Mr. West, the vicar of St.
Mary's, Paddington; but they could not prevail upon
him to return with them, and he exprraned his deter-
mination to remain where he was, telling them that
he had been inuirined the law WAS powerless, and had
often been tried in vain. Ti-ey then delivered to Mr.
Lyne • letter from the father's solicitor, urging him
not to abet the son in violating his filial cloty, and
warning him that he would be held responsible. In
answer to that letter Mr. Lyne wrote an follows :-
"Jesus onir.-Llanthony Abbey, Atwrgevanny, June 13,
1573.-Dear Richard Todd came to my h. usi end
solicited perndeslnn to become a member of our society. I
know nothing of him ;he sought me out. At nre,ent, I
bell.ve him to he sincere In Ids request for rlle pvrn,ia in
to vernal.. I shall most certainly not use C. roe to expel
him unleash. misbehaves himself arid refuses to go. I be-
lieve, in a roll:Ions sense, he b.. acted rightly, end I
should not t. !I him the contrary to please any 0110. lie Is
free to go or stay, as he ple.ses ; and our house is open to
sty magistrate cr bishop who may wish to ascertain tiPs
fact. I am ilea. Sr. • little aeonehed at 3our let Cr.
k ou m 1,,,, fr ten" the ma ter If Mr. 3 lig Todd
declinis to thy for ho son's maintenance in e ati.r h
he,,,.,, t., .0 Ito., provi.led Ico mixt,r nun to be n a for
it, he must den oh os have done lab re hin.-t k a nie-
,r toll among as. I have not Asked, hot shell I AA.
Mr. J. h.. To.id not any m ,nt.y for his cm's *unison., hut if
in a nronth's time he appears unfitted for this sevvre life, I
sin' I .end him In ek to his trientio.-1 remain, emir Si,, y
f,d h oily in Christ, IGNATIUS, O.S 8., Supr "
Alter this, four letteru written by the young man'a
family were returned by him unopened enclosed in a
letter da'eti June 20, in which he ntated that for the
next three weeks be wished to be kept entirely free
from worldly considerations, that he might form his
determination, and concaniing, "When you write
again, please remember that the rev. Father is not
known here by his secular name-only aa the Rev.
Fr, Ignatine." Mr. Todd being unable to get any
further communication from his eon, constituted him-
self trnetee of £lOO Coneols for the benefit of his eon,
and filed a bill in Chancery eons to make him a ward
of Court. After thin his solicitors again wrote to
Father Ignatine, requiring him to restore the young
man to hie father. No answer was returned by Mr.
Lyne to thin letter ; but Mr. Torld'a molicitors, Messrs.
Merriman and Pace, received the following letter from
the young mail: -

_
" Jesus only. Fax —Llanlhory Abbey, JuITB,IS73 —Dear
jute newe to me that lam 'a ward In (Thane r).',
Dir-etly the Lord I•bayeellor moo tr“ my I resenew In Court I
have no doubt the Rev Father •,upertor will allow me to come
up for the OCC•81011 —Your. truly, R. A. TODD

A petition was then presented in the cult on behalf
of the young man, which, after stating the foregoing
facto, charged that although it misfit be that no phy-
sical restraint wan placed upon him, a strong moral
influence was teing exercised over him, acting under
which, anti under • misdirected entlinkiasm, he had been
induced to reiume to return to his father's control. The
petition then further charged that, acting under the
influence of Mr. Lyne, the petitioner was about to
take certain vows which would ha dictated to him
among others of obedience to Mr. Lyne, which wonel
have the tient of inducing haul to remain under Mr.
Lyne'a control, who proposed and intended to clothe
bina in a fantastic and ridiculotni dyes and to employ
him in menial services about the household of which
he (Sir. Lyn.) was the heal; Oust it wan pot for the
petitioner benefit that be should remain in Mr. Lyne'e
ctuitsdy, but that it would ruin his prospects in life
for him to do no; and the petition finally prayed an
above stated.
_ _

Mr. Cotton, Q.C., and Mr. Horace Davey appeared
In support nf the p-tition, and read AU afR lavit of the
solicitor's clerk who bad attended at the Momatery at
Llm thony to serve the petition on Mr. Dyne, by
which it appeared that he only encceedtd in seeing a
person named Webber drained In a monsetic gerh, who
delivered to him the following letter from Mr. Lite :

are oomearning a
young issa who has sought admlsslow Into my house
have granted his regent. I shall not turn him out Mlle..
be wl•hes to no Or misbehaves himself. If his friends Oink
that I am .detainhog' him they had better apply to the
magistrates, wh, can see the young man and aro. resin the
truth for themeelves. I shall be mo 4 happy in welcome
Into the moo...tory any representative of the leer ol the
laud, hut no one else I am quite astonished that any 000
should dare, even by Implication, to mouse me of detuinlisg
any one here: Ills an Insult whlch they would unt dare to
rffer to any one hut • person In what they eel-alder to be
my heltless coodll tn. I decline to receive any papern Cr
persons unless u,a.i.ktrates or wiirrants from them, and MI
there Is nit the least shadow of a cause tv molesting me
lii
this war, I income that I here. right to the some 11.,ery as
Mir other British citizen, who pays his taxes—l am, dear Mr,
youre very truly, " /ON•Trus, P. S. IL "
On the following day the clerk made another am-
mo:ol4ld attempt ta serve Mr. Lyne personally, and
finally left the petition at the monastery. Mr. Lyne
did not now appear.
The Vice Chancellor made an order in the terms of
the prayer of the petition' and directed that Mr. Lyne
ehould produce the infant petitioner before the Court
the following Tuesday.

hi the
.Viee-Chancellor's Court, before Vice•Cham
cellor Sir R. Malin., this petition was, in pursuance
of the order made by his Honour on Friday hat, a led
on at eleven o'dock on Tuesday morning, and appeared
to excite considerable interest.
Upon the petition being called on his Honour asked
whether the respondent, Mr Lyne, was in attendance
with the infant. There being no reply,
Mr. Cotton, Q.C., (Mr. Horace Davey with him)
proceeded to read an affidavit of Mr. Frances, a
solicitor's clerk, to the effect that he had gone to
Llanthony Abbey, near Abergavenny, where Mr.
Lytle and the petiticuer were, and had endeavoured
to serve the order upon Mr. Lyne, but that
he had only succeeded in seeing • female in the dress
of a Sister of Mercy, and a male person in monastic
garb, to whom he explained the nature of the order
made, teldng them that if Mr. Lyne refused compli-
ance he would be liable to be comtuitte I for contempt
of court. these persons were absent for a short time.
and then returned, my ing that Mr. Lyne retmed to
me the clerk or to have anything to do with the
matter. The deck then pla:ed the order upon the
shoulder of one of them persons and left the Abbey.
Upon the conclusion of the reading of the affidavit,
The Vice-Chancellor said it appeared from that affi-
davit that Mr. Lyne had received distinct notice of the
proceedings, and that he imagined he could set the
Court at defian..r.
Mr. Cotton then asked that as Mr. Lyne would not
accept Ger vice of the proceedings personally, service at
the house might be held to be sufficient.
The Vice-Chancelor said there was not the slightest
doubt in the world that Mr. Lyne had bail notice of
the order, and that he intended contumaciously to
set the order of the Court at defiance. Elia Honour
then, on Mr. Cotton's application, made an order
continuing the injunction until further order,
and directed that the tipetaff of the Court of Chan-
cery should go down to Llauthony, and bring up the
infant to the bar of the Court on Friday next. Also
that the service at the house should be deemed good
service on Mr. Lyne. His Honour further stated
that he should allow the infant in the meantime, on
being urought up to London, to reside with his father.
He Honour subsequently stated that he had been in-
formed by the Registrar that the order he had just
made was not without precedent, for in July, 1831, an
order will made in the suit of " Wellesley v. the Duke
of Beaufort" for the infant to be brought up by the
"Sergeant-at•Atme." The present order would there-
fore be in the same firm.