[SAMMELBAND OF EIGHT PAMPHLETS RELATED TO THE TRIAL OF BISHOP BENJAMIN T. ONDERDONK OF NEW YORK]
1845 · New York
by [Onderdonk, Benjamin T.]
New York, 1845. Eight pamphlets, detailed below. Modern half calf and boards. Text clean and very good. Volume of collected pamphlets concerning the trial of Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk of New York. Onderdonk led a movement to reawaken the Catholic and Anglican heritage of the Episcopal Church, known as the Oxford Movement. "Onderdonk failed to perceive, however, that other Episcopalians preferred their Protestant heritage and, moreover, were uneasy about a drift toward Catholicism at a time when many Catholics were immigrating to the United States from Ireland and Germany. The seeds of Onderdonk's eventual downfall, however, lay not so much in what he believed as how he chose to promote those beliefs. Whereas Hobart charmed most of his hearers, Onderdonk seemed to bludgeon them into compliance. ... The year before, Onderdonk had stirred controversy by ordaining Arthur Carey, a youth suspected of Roman Catholic tendencies. At the same time, an eccentric priest, James Richmond, began to collect stories of the bishop's alleged misbehavior - tales about Onderdonk's supposed drunkenness and familiarity with women - that had been circulating in the church for some time. Supported by four women who said they would testify against the bishop, Richmond went to the general convention in Philadelphia in September 1844. There, several evangelical bishops, opponents of Onderdonk's Catholic tendencies, engineered a trial against him on charges of 'immorality and impurity.' The trial began in November 1844 at St. John's Chapel in lower Manhattan. Onderdonk's position was jeopardized by the fact that his brother, Bishop Henry Ustick Onderdonk of Pennsylvania, had recently been accused of drunkenness and had confessed to stave off deposition. Benjamin Onderdonk's supporters among the bishops agreed to a suspension penalty in order to save him deposition. In so doing, however, they unwittingly sprang a trap on their friend, for there then existed no machinery for lifting that penalty. As a result, Onderdonk - who never ceased to maintain his innocence - was doomed to live the rest of his life in inactivity and virtual disgrace. The verdict was announced on 2 January 1845" - ANB.
The pamphlets are as follows:
1) THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COURT CONVENED UNDER THE THIRD CANON OF 1844, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1844, FOR THE TRIAL OF THE RIGHT REV. BENJAMIN T. ONDERDONK, D.D. BISHOP OF NEW YORK; ON A PRESENTMENT MADE BY THE BISHOPS OF VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE, AND GEORGIA. By Authority of the Court. New York: D. Appleton, 1845. 333pp.
2) FACTS CONNECTED WITH THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP ONDERDONK: A REPLY TO PARTS OF THE BISHOP'S STATEMENT. By John Jay.... New York: Stanford and Swords, 1845. 23pp.
3) BISHOP ONDERDONK'S STATEMENT. A STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED WITH THE RECENT TRIAL OF THE BISHOP OF NEW-YORK. New York: Henry M. Onderdonk, 1845. 31pp.
4) STATEMENT OF BISHOP MEADE, IN REPLY TO SOME PARTS OF BISHOP ONDERDONK'S STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED WITH HIS TRIAL. New York: Stanford and Swords, 1845. 21pp.
5) MR. RICHMOND'S REPLY, ETC. [caption title]. [Providence? 1845]. 16pp.
6) THE TRIAL TRIED; OR, THE BISHOP AND THE COURT AT THE BAR OF PUBLIC OPINION. By Laicus. New York: D. Appleton, 1845. 24pp.
7) A NARRATIVE OF FACTS WHICH LED TO THE PRESENTMENT OF THE RT. REV. BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, BISHOP OF NEW-YORK. By Paul Trapier.... New York: Stanford & Swords, 1845. 22pp.
8) WHAT OUGHT THE DIOCESE TO DO? CONSIDERATIONS ADDRESSED TO CHURCHMEN OF THE DIOCESE OF NEW-YORK. By a Layman. [New York]: Printed for the author, 1845. 15pp. (Inventory #: WRCAM47895)
The pamphlets are as follows:
1) THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COURT CONVENED UNDER THE THIRD CANON OF 1844, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1844, FOR THE TRIAL OF THE RIGHT REV. BENJAMIN T. ONDERDONK, D.D. BISHOP OF NEW YORK; ON A PRESENTMENT MADE BY THE BISHOPS OF VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE, AND GEORGIA. By Authority of the Court. New York: D. Appleton, 1845. 333pp.
2) FACTS CONNECTED WITH THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP ONDERDONK: A REPLY TO PARTS OF THE BISHOP'S STATEMENT. By John Jay.... New York: Stanford and Swords, 1845. 23pp.
3) BISHOP ONDERDONK'S STATEMENT. A STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED WITH THE RECENT TRIAL OF THE BISHOP OF NEW-YORK. New York: Henry M. Onderdonk, 1845. 31pp.
4) STATEMENT OF BISHOP MEADE, IN REPLY TO SOME PARTS OF BISHOP ONDERDONK'S STATEMENT OF FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED WITH HIS TRIAL. New York: Stanford and Swords, 1845. 21pp.
5) MR. RICHMOND'S REPLY, ETC. [caption title]. [Providence? 1845]. 16pp.
6) THE TRIAL TRIED; OR, THE BISHOP AND THE COURT AT THE BAR OF PUBLIC OPINION. By Laicus. New York: D. Appleton, 1845. 24pp.
7) A NARRATIVE OF FACTS WHICH LED TO THE PRESENTMENT OF THE RT. REV. BENJ. T. ONDERDONK, BISHOP OF NEW-YORK. By Paul Trapier.... New York: Stanford & Swords, 1845. 22pp.
8) WHAT OUGHT THE DIOCESE TO DO? CONSIDERATIONS ADDRESSED TO CHURCHMEN OF THE DIOCESE OF NEW-YORK. By a Layman. [New York]: Printed for the author, 1845. 15pp. (Inventory #: WRCAM47895)