William Bernard ullathorne

About

English bishop in the Roman Catholic Church and missionary to Australia the 1800s. He was the first Bishop of Birmingham, England and played an key role in the 1857 abolition of the British system of transporting convicts to Australia.

Before Fame

He entered the Downside Abbey monastery in 1823, and was ordained as a priest in 1831.

Trivia

He left school at age 12 and went to sea as a cabin boy apprentice; his time at sea spanned four years.  While attending mass in Memel (in present-day Lithuania), he experienced a sudden religious conversion and began studying religious texts while on his way back to England. 

Family Life

He was the eldest of ten children of William and Hannah Ullathorne. He was a descendant of Saint Thomas More through his great-grandmother.

Associated With

He retired from priesthood in 1888 and received the honorary title of Archbishop of Cabasa from Pope Leo XIII.