Background
His father was a wealthy master-cutler.
His father was a wealthy master-cutler.
He was educated at Sedgley Park School, Street Mary"s College, Oscott, and Ushaw College, where he became a priest in 1834.
He was resident priest at Doncaster for five years, but his health having given way he travelled during eight years through Europe and the East. After his return home, 1847, he spent some time at Islington, London, working for the welfare of street children. These missions lasted sometimes three weeks, and were given not only to school-children, but to working boys and girls.
His maxim was that "nothing so disgusted children as monotony", and therefore he had the prayers at Mass and the Rosary sung to simple airs, and his sermons seldom lasted more than twenty minutes.
Preaching quietly but with great dramatic power from a platform, he held their attention. He was a story-teller, seldom moving to laughter but often to tears.