Record

RepositoryJesuits in Britain Archives
Ref NoABSI/SJ/80
TitleFr Cyril Martindale SJ (1879-1963)
Date1880-1963
LevelSub fonds
DescriptionThis subfonds contains the personal papers of Fr Cyril Martindale SJ and includes a large number of his correspondence, writing and sermons, including those produced during his stay in Denmark during World War II. The collection also includes diary extracts, photographs, certificates, drawings and items from his childhood.
Admin_HistoryCyril Charles Martindale was born on May 25th 1879, in Bayswater, London as the only child of Arthur Martindale and Marion McKenzie. Cyril attended school at Amesbury House, Temple Grove and Harrow. Cyril was received into the Catholic Church in 1897 and entered the noviceship at Manresa House, Roehampton on 7 September 1897. Owing to poor health Cyril was transferred to Aix-en-Provence on 25th May 1898, completing his noviceship there and took his first vows as a Jesuit back in Roehampton in September 1899.

Following this he moved onto St Mary's Hall, Stonyhurst to study Philosophy (1899) and then to Pope's Hall (later Campion Hall) in Oxford (1901) where he studied the Classics and attained multiple academic awards for his work; including the Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse and the Chancellor's Prize for Latin verse.

After leaving Oxford in 1905 he went onto teach for a year at Stonyhurst and for 2 years at Roehampton.

In October 1908 Cyril started his theological course at St Beuno's but was sent, at the end of his second year of theology to the house of the exiled French Jesuits at Ore Place, Hastings, where he was ordained in 1911.

Following his ordination Cyril was given work in the sub-faculty of Litterae Humaniores at Oxford. In connection with his university work he made his first foreign excursion as priest during an extensive visit to Europe in 1923. One year later on February 2nd 1924 he Cyril took his final vows as a Jesuit at Stonyhurst.

1927 saw Cyril leave his work at Campion Hall for Farm Street Church, London, which was to be the centre of his activity until April 1940. During these years Cyril travelled often, including a fateful trip to New Zealand and Australia to attend the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney. Soon after landing in New Zealand Cyril was very seriously injured in a car accident and the injuries, in particular to his skull, sustained during this experience would affect him for the rest of his life.

During a visit to Denmark in April 1940 Cyril was detained by the German forces and had to spend the entirety of WWII in Copenhagen.

Acting upon an invitation from the Duke and Duchess of Palmella Cyril spent the summer of 1947 in Portugal leading Retreats and researching the miracle of Fatima. He published his experiences in 1948 in a work titled 'Portuguese Pilgrimage'.

In the spring of 1950 he suffered from double pneumonia and never fully recovered.

Later, in 1953, he would retire to Burton Hill, Petworth due to ill health. This is where he lived until his death on March 18th, 1963.
Related MaterialLibrary:
For obituary see: L&N 68, 158-169

Archive:
52/5/2/5 File of letters sent to Fr Philip Caraman concerning Fr Cyril Martindale for biography
52/2/6/6 File of correspondence between Fr Cyril Martindale and Thomas Trappes-Lomax, sent to Fr Philip Caraman
52/5/2/3 File of Fr Cyril Martindale correspondence and writing [used for biography by Fr Philip Caraman]
52/2/6/22 Letters to D[avid] V[ictor] Kelly from Fr Martindale, sent to Fr P. Caraman and a letter from Helen Martindale to Fr Philip Caraman
52/5/2/4 Correspondence between Fr Cyril Martindale, Fr Philip Caraman and Fr James Walsh
52/5/3/4 Varia; Letters to Fr Philip Caraman
52/5/3/5 Letters sent to Fr Philip Caraman about Fr Cyril Martindale, marked 'return'
MN/4 Letter to Fr Murphy from Fr Philip Caraman
MN/9 Letter from Helen Martindale to Fr Philip Caraman and a rough Martindale family tree produced by Fr Caraman
52/2/5/19 Photographs used by Fr Philip Caraman in biography of Fr Cyril Martindale
52/2/5/20 Letters sent to Philip Caraman about Fr Cyril Martindale
52/2/5/12 Draft article on St Ignatius sent to Fr Philip Caraman
52/2/5/1 Fr Philip Caraman registration card
52/2/5/4 Bibliography of Fr Cyril Martindale work
MP/1 Letter from Gerald Flood to Fr Philip Caraman about Fr Cyril Martindale
52/2/5/10 Material relating to Fr Cyril Martindale from Fr Edward Duff
50/6/2/8 Poems by Martindale in scrap-book of poems
10/4 References to personal finances and estate, see : Blackett book of Letters vol.7 f.103; vol.11 f.36-7; vol.13 f237; vol.2 f161, 166, 204, 229
ABSI/SJ/21/6/13/94 Letters to and from Fr Philip Caraman SJ and Fr Martin Cyril D'Arcy SJ about Martindale
FormatTypescript
Manuscript
Drawing
Publication
Printed document
Photograph
Photocopy
Artefact
Painting
AccessConditionsThe papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to archive material in the Jesuits in Britain Archives.
LanguageEnglish
Latin
Italian
French
Danish
Greek
Portuguese
Spanish
PublnNoteFor a full bibliography see : f BY1. S

Among his publications are:
'The Goddess of Ghosts' 1915
'Charles Dominic Plater S.J.' [1922]
'Bernard Vaughan S.J. ' 1923
'Catholics in Oxford' 1925
'Albert Alfred P.C.' 1925
'The Creative words of Christ' 1929
'The Risen Sun: impressions in New Zealand and Australia' 1929
'The Cup of Christ' 1930
'Bill' 1931
'African Angelus. Episodes and Impressions' 1932
'Athens, Argentine, Australia' 1935
'Does God matter for me?' 1937
'Julen under Is og Ild' [1941]
'Barnet af Evighed' 1942
'Pier Giorgio Frassati 1901-1925' 1944
'Portuguese Pilgrimage, July 1st - September 4th, 1947' 1949
'The Castle and the Ring' 1950
'The Message of Fatima' 1950
'The Spirit of God' 1950
'The Queen's daughters: a study of women-saints' 1951
'The Life of Mere Ann-Marie Jahouvey' 1953
'Jesus Christ and his Gospel' 1958
Persons
CodePersonNameDates
DS/UK/557Martindale; Cyril (1879-1963); Jesuit Priest1879-1963

    Showcase items

    A list of our latest and most exciting new items.

    Copyright © catholic-heritage.net