Background
He was born on 9 October 1810 in Ireland and died on 7 February 1881 in York, England. Singleton was the second son of Francis Corbet of County Adare, Meath. He followed his father in taking the name Corbet Singleton.
He was born on 9 October 1810 in Ireland and died on 7 February 1881 in York, England. Singleton was the second son of Francis Corbet of County Adare, Meath. He followed his father in taking the name Corbet Singleton.
Roman Catholic Singleton was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a Bachelor in 1830, and awarded his Master of Arts in 1833.
Singleton, with William Sewell, was instrumental in setting up Street Columba’s College, Stackallan, near Dublin, and became its first Warden when the college opened in 1843. Also on the staff, soon afterwards, at Street Columba’s, was music master Edwin Monk with whom Singleton was subsequently to work also at Radley. The two of them still later collaborating in the making of a hymnal at York more than two decades later.
Singleton’s resignation from Street Columba’s in 1846 followed a controversy after he insisted on a rigorous regime of fasting for the boys.
Singleton moved to Oxford where he was admitted in 1847 to Trinity College. There was in consequence no lasting memorial to Singleton at Radley prior to the naming of the Singleton Library at the centenary in 1947.
Singleton had been the second most significant benefactor of Street Columba’s, and he was as generous in the founding of Radley. Between Street Columba’s and Radley it was estimated that his gifts amounted to £30,000.
At Radley, he gave the first organ, which was lent for the International Exhibition in Dublin in 1853.
While at Radley Singleton published The Psalter Arranged for Chanting (1847), and discourses entitled Uncleanness, the Ruin of Body and Soul (1850). Following his resignation from Radley, Singleton returned to Kingstown in Ireland, where he lived with his mother. Following her death, he moved to York, purchasing Minster Court.
In 1868 he and Monk published their jointly-edited book, The Anglican Hymn-Book.
The collection included nearly thirty original hymns by Singleton, notable amongst them being his With gladsome feet we press Singleton also translated a number of hymns from Latin and German.
As classicist, Singleton published a complete verse translation of the works of Virgil. Robert Singleton died at Petergate, York, on 7 February 1881.
The choir of Street Columba’s College sang at the funeral service: he was buried on 12 February in the Corbet vault at Street Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.