author

F. R. (Francis Richard) Wegg-Prosser

b. 1824

A Victorian convert, parliamentarian, and country gentleman, he is remembered both for his writing and for helping found the Benedictine community that became Belmont Abbey. His life moved from Oxford and politics into a deep commitment to Catholic revival in England.

1 Audiobook

Galileo and His Judges

Galileo and His Judges

by F. R. (Francis Richard) Wegg-Prosser

About the author

Born Francis Richard Haggitt on June 19, 1824, in Oxfordshire, he was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a first class in mathematics in 1845. In 1849 he inherited the Belmont estate in Herefordshire from a great-uncle and took the surname Wegg-Prosser.

He served as a Member of Parliament from 1847 to 1852. In 1852 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church, a turning point that reshaped the rest of his life. Sources agree that he went on to support Catholic worship and education in his area and played a central role in establishing the Benedictine community that grew into Belmont Abbey, making him an important figure in the English Catholic revival.

As an author, he is best known today for Galileo and His Judges, a historical study first published in 1889. He died near Hereford on August 16, 1911. No suitable verified portrait image was found from the pages checked, so a profile image is omitted here.