Hugh Tootell facts for kids
Hugh Tootell (born 1671 or 1672 – died 1743) was an English historian who wrote about the Catholic Church. He is commonly known by his pen name, Charles Dodd.
Hugh Tootell's Life Story
Hugh Tootell was born in Lancashire, England. His uncle, Christopher Tootle, taught him at home. Later, he studied at the English College in Douay from 1688 to 1693. He then went to St Gregory's Seminary in Paris, where he earned a special degree in divinity in 1697.
Hugh used the name "Charles Dodd" to protect his family. At that time, there were laws in England called the Penal Laws. These laws could fine families for sending their children abroad for Catholic education. By using a different name, he kept his family safe.
He traveled a lot in Europe. After becoming a priest, he returned to England in 1698. He worked for a time helping Catholics in England. Then, he became a chaplain for the Molyneux family at Mosborough Hall in Lancashire. A chaplain is a priest or minister who serves a specific group or institution, like a family or a military unit.
In 1711, he went back to Europe. He was a chaplain to an English army group during the siege of Douay in 1712. He wrote a short book called History of the English College at Douay in 1713. He pretended it was written by a Protestant chaplain. This book criticized the Jesuits, who are a group of Catholic priests. Another priest, Father Thomas Hunter, wrote a reply. Dodd then wrote another book in 1715 called The Secret Policy of the English Society of Jesus.
From 1716 to 1718, he was back at Mosborough. Then, he returned to Douay to gather information for his most important work. This big project was called The Church History of England from 1500 to 1688. He spent twenty years working on it.
He lived at Harvington Hall in Worcestershire from 1722 until he died. He first worked there as an assistant chaplain. From 1726, he became the main chaplain to Robert Throckmorton.
While living abroad, he published a book called Pax Vobis: An Epistle to the Three Churches in 1721. At Harvington, he wrote many other books and papers. Most of these were never published. Many of his handwritten papers are kept at St Mary's College, Oscott. Some of his published works include Certamen Utriusque Ecclesiae (1724) and An Abridgment of Christian Doctrine.
After many years of hard work, his Church History was finished. It was published in three large books in 1737, 1739, and 1742. They were printed in Wolverhampton, England. However, to be safe, the title page said "Brussels" as the publishing city.
Father John Constable, a Jesuit, said that Dodd's work was unfair to the Jesuits. Dodd replied with a book called An Apology for the Church History of English in 1742. Before he died, Hugh Tootell said he wanted to be at peace with the Jesuits.
His Church History offered a different way of looking at history. It also included many important original documents. These documents were very helpful for historians who came after him. A famous historian named John Lingard even bought one of the later copies of the book.
