Meynell, Wilfrid, 1852-1948

Wilfrid Meynell was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Yorkshire on November 17, 1852. Birth registry and census records indicate that he was probably born Wilfrid Isaac Mennell, to George and Hannah (Tuke) Mennell, but documentation of his name change to "Meynell" is lacking. His family was Quaker, but at the age of eighteen Wilfrid converted to Catholicism and moved to London to pursue a career in journalism. He also wrote poetry, contributing verses to Emily Priestman's Simple Tales (1873), and he began working in publishing under William Lockhart. Wilfrid used the pseudonym John Oldcastle for many of his writings, including later monographs.

Wilfrid Meynell married the Catholic poet Alice C. Thompson in 1877. They had eight children, one of whom died infancy. In 1880, the Meynells undertook their first, short-lived, publishing enterprise, The Pen, to which both contributed. Not long after, Cardinal Manning named Wilfrid editor of the Catholic Weekly Register (edited 1881-1899). It was also during this period that the couple launched Merry England (1883-1895), the liberal Catholic literary magazine that placed them at the center of a prominent, mainly Catholic, literary circle that included George Meredith, Coventry Patmore, and Francis Thompson. Wilfrid also directed the publishing house Burns & Oates, and authored biographies of Cardinals Manning (c. 1885) and John Hentry Newman (1890) and of Brittish Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1903).

The Meynells sponsored Catholic poet Francis Thompson, offering friendship, financial support, and publishing his works. After Thompson’s death in 1907, Wilfrid managed his literary estate and dedicated himself to promoting Thompson’s legacy.

In his later years, Wilfrid resided at the family estate at Greatham, Sussex, continued to promote the works of Alice Meynell and Francis Thompson, and contributed regularly to the Dublin Review and The Tablet. In 1943 King George VI of teh United Kingdom honored Wilfrid with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Wilfrid Meynell died in Pullborough, Sussex, on October 22, 1948, at 95 years of age.