author
J. Spencer (James Spencer) Northcote
1821–1907
A Victorian Catholic priest and writer, he combined pastoral work with a strong interest in history, archaeology, and the early church. His books often grew out of that mix, bringing scholarship to a wider audience in a clear, practical way.
1 Audiobook
A visit to the Roman catacombs
by J. Spencer (James Spencer) Northcote
About the author
Born in Devon in 1821, James Spencer Northcote studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he came under the influence of John Henry Newman. After a period in the Church of England, he became a Roman Catholic and was later ordained as a Catholic priest.
Northcote is especially remembered for his years as president of St Mary's College, Oscott, a role he held for seventeen years. Alongside his church work, he wrote widely on Catholic history and devotion, and he developed a lasting interest in Christian archaeology, especially the Roman catacombs.
His writing reflects the energy of nineteenth-century English Catholic life: learned, earnest, and meant to be useful to ordinary readers as well as specialists. He died in 1907 at Stoke-upon-Trent.