The Revd Dr Martin Joseph Routh

A brief chronology of his life:

• 1755 - born on 18 September in Suffolk - the eldest of 14 children of the Revd Peter Routh (Rector of South Elmham) and his wife Mary Reynolds.
• 1770 - matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford on 31 May.
• 1771 - Elected to a 'demyship' (scholarship) at Magdalen College, Oxford on 24 July.
• 1774 - Graduated B.A. at Magdalen College on 5 February.
• 1775 - Elected as Fellow of Magdalen College on 25 July.
• 1776 - Gained an M.A. at Magdalen College on 23 October.
• 1777 - Received the Order of Deacon from the Bishop of Norwich on 21 December.
• 1781 - Became a Tutor and served as Librarian at Magdalen College.
• 1784-5 - Served as Junior Dean of Arts at Magdalen College.
• 1785 - Served as Junior Proctor of Oxford University.
  
• 1786 - Gained a B.D. (Bachelor of Divinity) at Magdalen College and served as Bursar.
• 1790 - Gained a D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) at Magdalen College on 6 July.
• 1791 - Appointed President of Magdalen College on 28 April - a post which he held for 63 years until his death.
• 1799 - Was offered the living of the Parish of Tilehurst (by the Patron, Dr Thomas Sheppard, who was his brother-in-law) on condition of making a donation to a particular charity.  He declined the offer.
• 1810 - When the living next became available, the Patron again offered the living to him, this time with no conditions, and he accepted.
  
• 1810 - Received the Order of Priesthood on 26 August in the Chapel at the Bishop's Palace in Salisbury and, at the same time, was instituted as Rector & Vicar of Tilehurst - a post which he held for 44 years until his death.
• 1814 - He was held in such esteem by the Patron, Dr Thomas Sheppard, that the Patronage of Tilehurst was left to the President and Fellows of Magdalen College Oxford, in Dr Sheppard's will.
  
• 1820 - Married Eliza Agnes Blagrave (b. 1790, d. 1869), daughter of John & Frances Blagrave of Calcot Park.
• Even in his advanced years, he used to walk from Tilehurst Rectory to Theale (and back) where his sister, Mrs Sophia Sheppard, had built a church following her husband's death in 1814.
• He commissioned the extensive rebuilding of St Michael's Church in 1854-55 which, sadly, he did not live to see completed.
  
• 1854 - Died on 22 December at Magdalen College, aged 99. Was succeeded as Rector of Tilehurst by his nephew John William Routh (formerly his Curate at Tilehurst).

In addition to his great scholarship, Martin Routh was a devout High Churchman, who claimed kinship with Archbishop Laud, and who supported the Oxford Movement.

Martin Routh wrote a number of books over the course of several decades.  As a classical scholar, his works included two volumes of Plato (published 1784), and extended editions of Bishop Burnet's History Of My Own Time (published 1823, 1833 and 1852). His interest in the ante-Nicene fathers - minor ecclesiastics of the 2nd/3rd centuries - resulted in a total of five volumes (two published in 1814, the third in 1815, the fourth in 1818, and a fifth in 1848 together with revised editions of the first four volumes).

Samuel Parr, a noted literary figure of the time, said in 1814 that "Martin Routh is of the right stamp;  orthodox but not intolerant;  profound, not obscure;  wary, not sceptical;  very, very, very learned;  not pedantic at all."

When asked for advice in his later years, Martin Routh replied, "I think, Sir, since you come for the advice of an old man, Sir, you will find it a very good practice always to verify your references, Sir!"

Martin Routh is thought to be the earliest-born British person ever photographed - see the Daguerrotype image at the foot of this webpage.  This was taken on his 99th birthday in September 1854, about three months before his death.  The print is stored in Magdalen College archives in a small (10x12.5cm) red box stamped with the name of Mr Kilburn, 234 Regent Street who may have taken the picture. (William Edward Kilburn had a photographic studio there from 1845-55, and was regularly commissioned to photograph Queen Victoria.)  Refer also to the following YouTube video on the subject of the earliest-born persons to be photographed ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9DmugEWlLE

For further information about Martin Routh, please refer to the following Wikipedia article ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Routh

Many of Martin Routh's works and papers are now held in the Magdalen College archives.  Refer to the website ... https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/library-and-archives/archive/ and to the introduction to his archived papers ... https://archive-cat.magd.ox.ac.uk/records/PR30

A late 18th century portrait (possibly around 1791)


A portrait from 1850, aged 94 or 95

Another portrait from late 1850, aged 95

A Daguerrotype image from 18th September 1854, his 99th birthday
Martin Routh is thought to be the earliest-born British person ever to be photographed.  (This image is in the public domain.)