William Darrell

Theologian, b. 1651, in Buckinghamshire, England; d. 28 Feb., 1721, at St. Omer's, France. He was a member of the ancient Catholic family of Darrell of Scotney Castle, Sussex, being the only son of Thomas Darrell and his wife, Thomassine Marcham. He joined the Society of Jesus on 7 Sept., 1671, was professed 25 March, 1689. He wrote: "A Vindication of St. Ignatius from Phanaticism and of the Jesuits from the calumnies laid to their charge in a late book (by Henry Wharton) entitled The Enthusiasm of the Church of Rome" (London, 1688); "Moral Reflections on the Epistles and Gospels of every Sunday throughout the Year" (London, 1711, and frequently reprinted); "The Gentleman Instructed in the conduct of a virtuous and happy life" (10th ed., London, 1732; frequently reprinted and translated into Italian and Hungarian); "Theses Theologicæ" (Liège, 1702); "The Case Reviewed" in answer to Leslie's "Case Stated" (2nd ed., London, 1717); "A Treatise of the Real Presence" (London,1721). He translated "Discourses of Cleander and Eudoxus upon the Provincial Letters from the French" (1701). Jones in his edition of Peck's "Popery Tracts" (1859), also attributes to Father Darrell: "A Letter on King James the Second's most gracious Letter of Indulgence" (1687); "The Layman's Opinion sent . . . to a considerable Divine in the Church of England" (1687); "A Letter to a Lady" (1688); "The Vanity of Human Respects" (1688).

FOLEY, Records Eng. Prov. S. J. (London, 1878), III, 477, VII, i, 196; PECK, Catalogue of Popery Tracts (1735),ed. JONES (Chetham Society, 1859); GILLOW, Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath. (London, 1886), II; COOPER in Dict. Nat. Biog. (London, 1888), XIV.

EDWIN BURTON