Oliver, George, 1781-1861

George Oliver was born February 9, 1781 at Newington, Surrey, England. He began his education at Sedgley Park School in Staffordshire and in 1796 attended Stonyhurst College. While at Stonyhurst Oliver made the acquaintance of John Milner, later bishop of Castabala, with whom he shared a love of antiquities. After completing his course of study at Stonyhurst he remained there for five years to teach humanities. Oliver was ordained as a priest in 1806 and placed in the former Jesuit mission of St. Nicholas, Exeter in 1807. He was not, however, a Jesuit. Due to the ban on the Catholic hierarchy in England the members of the Stonyhurst community functioned as secular priests. With the restoration of the Society in 1852, Oliver declined to join the order and remained a secular priest until his death.He served the mission of St. Nicholas for forty-four years and retired from active service on October 6, 1851, though he remained at the mission until his death. He was created D.D. on September 15, 1884 by Pope Gregory XVI. He was a noted authority on the antiquities and history of Devonshire. George Oliver died on March 23, 1861 at St. Nicholas Priory, Exeter.

His published works include "The Monasteries of Devon" (1820), "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Devon" (1828, with a much revised edition in 1839), "Collection S.J." (1846), "Lives of the Bishops of Exeter" (1861), and "History of the City of Exeter" (1861).