Person DS/UK/122 Lawn; Anthony (1926-1994); Jesuit Priest Lawn Anthony 1926-1994 Jesuit Priest Male Born 30 January 1926, Baltinglass, Ireland. Entered the English Province of the Society of Jesus 7 September 1948. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest 30 July 1961. Final vows in the Society of Jesus 2 February 1965. Died 2 April 1994, Chinnor, Oxfordshire.

Anthony (Tony) Lawn was born in Ballinglass, Co Wicklow, Ireland on 30 January 1926. His mother was Irish Catholic, and his father was English, from East Anglia, and converted to Catholicism. Lawn was educated at Stonyhurst. He went to Oxford as a cadet in the War office ‘short course’ scheme. After Oxford he served in the army for three years in India and Malaysia. He entered the noviceship at Manresa, Roehampton in 1948 and remained there for his juniorate in 1950-1951. Philosophy was at Heythrop in Oxfordshire, then back to Roehampton in 1953 for teacher training, followed by two years teaching at Beaumont College. Lawn returned to Heythrop for theology, but went to Chantilly, France for his fourth year of theology, after which he returned to teach at Beaumont for another year. In 1963 he did his tertianship at St Beuno’s and in 1964 was appointed to Claver House, London where he was bursar and assistant editor of Christian Order. Lawn was dogged for most of his life by ill-health, including a duodenal ulcer while he was a theologian, a slipped disk, asthma and shingles. Despite this he was energetic, practical and enjoyed a physical challenge, revelling in walking in the Welsh hills at the Barmouth Villa holidays. From 1967-1987 Lawn worked as a prison chaplain, at Brixton 1967-1978, Armley Prison, Leeds 1978-1984 and Wandsworth 1984-1987. In 1985 he was involved in making the film The Mission in Colombia, both advising and acting. When he reached compulsory retirement age he left the prison service and became parish priest at Hook in Hampshire 1987-1989, then spent some time in Spain exploring the possibility of chaplaincy work among British tourists, at the request of the local bishop. He returned to England in 1990 and for a short time was chaplain at the convent of Jesus and Mary, Thornton, Milton Keynes. He then moved to Chinnor, Oxfordshire where he became a part-time chaplain to a new prison at Bullingdon, Bicester. Lawn had frequent health problems and in 1993 underwent an operation for cancer of the oesophagus. In March 1994 he needed further hospital treatment and although he returned to Chinnor his health deteriorated rapidly and he died peacefully on 2 April 1994. His Requiem Mass was celebrated at Farm Street Church, with Fr Provincial as principal celebrant. The readers in the liturgy were Lawn’s brother and the actor Jeremy Irons, who had played the lead role in The Mission. Member of the English Province of the Society of Jesus Letters & Notices vol. 92, pp. 97-105 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes MAllen 10/11/2016 CURIA\mallen 04/06/2021 4c193cd9-7cd7-4b67-86ba-70eddcd5f9b1