Reverend Canon John Quine

Title: Reverend Canon

Epithet: Clergyman, scholar and author (1857-1940)

Record type: Biographies

Biography: From ‘New Manx Worthies’ (2006):

John Quine was the third son in the quite remarkable family of William Quine and his wife Christian, of Glenmoar Mill. He was his mother's favourite child and she arranged with the St Johns schoolmaster, Mr Faragher, that John and his brother Richard should have Latin lessons preparatory to possible entry into King William's College. These not only gave the boys a head start but also fostered in John, particularly, a love and understanding of the classics. From his earliest years it was evident that John possessed an outstanding brain, and after taking several school prizes at KWC, he won an open scholarship in 1877 to read mathematics at Merton College, Oxford. There he was a postmaster (a term for scholar, unique to Merton). In a letter from his mother, he was told to curb his tongue because, she warned, his apt but withering comments would make him enemies. However, his ready wit and eloquence ensured that he was very popular with his contemporaries, and his room was always full of friends. Nevertheless, things were not easy for him. In later life he wrote to his son John that he had been ungenerously treated by his father, and sometimes his enjoyment of university life was lessened by a desperate shortage of funds and frequent chest trouble.

Even though his main subject was maths, his real interests lay in the classics and philosophy, so he pursued courses in Greek and Latin literature and divinity, gaining his BA in 1881, and later his MA, as well as taking Holy Orders. It was a matter of some concern to a number of colleagues and professors that he was determined to return to the Isle of Man; they saw him at the very least as an influential figure at the British Museum. However, the family had moved to Cregg Mill at Ballasalla when John was twelve, and walking past Rushen Abbey each day on his way to school must have contributed towards his strong patriotic views.

On leaving Oxford in 1881 he became curate of Kirk Michael, and early in 1883 was appointed Domestic Chaplain to Bishop Rowley Hill. A friend and colleague was John Kewley, who was later to become Archdeacon.

In the July of 1883 he turned to teaching, being appointed headmaster of Douglas Grammar School. In the following year he married Mary Lindsay of Annan, sister of the Bishop's Chaplain and described at the time as a lady of great beauty and dignity. They lived for a time at the School House, 2 Dalton Street, Douglas, but as their family grew they moved into 52 Derby Square. It was a happy coincidence that the art teacher at the school was Archibald Knox; it was John who first excited Knox's interest in Celtic Art which was to become the basis of much of his later work at Liberty's. They were lifelong friends and Knox later designed several items for John, including a beautiful war memorial and silverware for his church. He also bought, designed and partly carved a huge slate headstone for John Quine's grave. Though Knox died in 1933 before its completion [and before Quine's death] it now stands as an imposing and unique marker in Lonan Churchyard.

Although Quine stayed at Douglas Grammar School for some twelve years, the church was still his first love, and in 1895 he was offered and accepted the living at Lonan, which included the Chaplaincy of Laxey. Despite his ill-health at Oxford, he was a man of sturdy appearance and a committed churchman, outspoken, well-respected and popular, though he retained to the end the sharp and sarcastic tongue of his youth. As chairman of the Board of Guardians, he worked tirelessly to improve the lot of the poor and unemployed. Church events were well supported and Lonan parish prospered. With the help of friends he restored St Adamnan's, Lonan's old church, from overgrown ruins to the popular and attractive edifice it is today. It became a listed building in 1983. In 1906 he was elected Chaplain to the House of Keys (where his father, William, was still an MHK) a post he held until 1924, and in 1909 he became Canon of St German's.

Again, there were those who deplored what they saw as his self-imposed confinement to a country parsonage. However this may be, there is no doubt about the continuation of his scholarship, the width of his interests and the prodigious output of his writings, quite apart from his parish work.

He kept diaries, written entirely in French, which are now in the Manx Museum. From these we learn much about daily life at the vicarage in the days of oil lamps and cookers, the shooting of rabbits and fishing expeditions to feed his 'horde' of children. All the family, including the girls, were good shots and, as he had no car, Quine himself had to be a great walker. The diaries also record each day's weather in detail.

He was chairman of the Lonan School Board and on several occasions he interposed on behalf of the parish with the Governor, Lord Raglan. In 1916 he was elected Worshipful Master of the Maughold Freemasons' Lodge. As a skilled archaeologist, he undertook much research work for the Manx Museum, sometimes coming up with unusual but intriguing hypotheses such as the colonisation of the Island by the Romans and the Isle of Man as the birthplace of St Patrick! He was twice president of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society, and he was a trustee of the Manx Museum, which has records of his many lectures and field expeditions.

Apart from his worldwide correspondence with fellow Manxmen and academics, he wrote several guide books, poems and plays, having much of his work published. Perhaps his crowning glory was his novel The Captain of the Parish, published in 1897. Some reviewers in the British Press hailed it as arguably the best book ever written about the Isle of Man, especially with regard to the lifelike depiction of the characters, customs and scenery.

Canon Quine made his final contribution to the Manx Church Magazine for the edition of March, 1940. It confirmed the date of his retirement, 31st March, together with a review of affairs in his parish. It proved to be one of many obituaries. He died just one month before the end of his 45-year incumbency.

His published works include The Captain of the Parish (Heinemann, 1897); Isle of Man Illustrated (Mates of Bournemouth Illustrated Guides 1899 & 1900 editions); Memorials of Manxland (Baume and Son, 1906); Handbook en Route - 'Isle of Man'. A Souvenir of Coast and Mountain Electric Railway (Joseph Causton, London, 1906); Kitty's Affair (play) and special Peel performance programme (Broadbent Ltd., Isle of Man, 1909); Geography of the Isle of Man (Cambridge County Geography, 1911); Scenes of Manx History - 12th Century (Clucas and Fargher, Isle of Man, 1920); Early Scribed Rocks of the Isle of Man with Notes on the Early Pottery, (text, published in 1923, of Cambridge lecture given on 22nd February 1922).

Biography written by Marjorie Quine (granddaughter-in-law).

(With thanks to Culture Vannin as publishers of the book: Kelly, Dollin (general editor), ‘New Manx Worthies’, Manx Heritage Foundation/Culture Vannin, 2006, pp.385-7.)

Culture Vannin

#NMW

Gender: Male

Date of birth: 5 May 1857

Date of death: 29 February 1940

Name Variant: Revd Canon John Quine

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