14 Facts About Adrian Fortescue

Adrian Henry Timothy Knottesford Fortescue was an English Catholic priest and polymath.

Adrian Fortescue, a direct descendant of the martyr Adrian Fortescue, was born on 14 January 1874 in Hampstead, London, into a Midland county family of high position.

Adrian Fortescue's father was Edward Fortescue, a renowned high church Anglican clergyman who was "highly regarded as a preacher and retreat master" and an active participant in the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, before he was received into the Catholic Church.

In 1891 Fortescue entered the Scots' College in Rome, where, due to his exceptional musical talent, he was appointed organist.

Adrian Fortescue was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1892 and his PhD in 1894, when he entered the theological faculty at Innsbruck University.

Adrian Fortescue was ordained to the priesthood on 27 March 1898 by Simon Aichner, Bishop of Brixen.

Adrian Fortescue was a well-known adventurer, travelling to the Middle East, Asia Minor, and Greece, among other places.

At the time of his death, Adrian Fortescue was professor of church history at St Edmund's College, Ware, the oldest Catholic school in England.

Adrian Fortescue would give the last penny in his pocket to help a needy parishioner, and frequently found himself in financial difficulties as a result of his generosity.

Adrian Fortescue never refused to see a caller, however inconvenient it might be for him to interrupt his work.

In 1913 Adrian Fortescue compiled a book of Latin Hymns which he originally gathered for the use of his parishioners, providing his own English prose translations.

Adrian Fortescue contributed many articles to the Catholic Encyclopedia, and it is in this context that his work has the most public familiarity today.

Adrian Fortescue was an artist of considerable talent, especially in the media of watercolour, drawing and calligraphy.

Adrian Fortescue was a recognised authority on heraldry, and his own designs were widely admired in his day.