Matthias Sydnor
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| Portrayed by Patrick McGoohan | |
| Full Name | Mathias Sydnor |
|---|---|
| Title | Reverend |
| Associated Noble House(s) | None |
| Date of Birth | 22nd November 1776 |
| Father | Andrew Sydnor |
| Father's Rank | Gentleman |
| Mother | Thomasina Sydnor, née Angove |
| Mother's Rank | Gentleman's daughter |
| Town Residence | Quaker Street, Spitalfields |
| Income | |
| School | Lyme |
| University | Oxford |
Matthias Sydnor is a cleric in the Church of England, vicar of a church in Spitalfields and a philanthropist and is played by Anthony.
Family
- Father: Andrew Sydnor, b. 1745
- Mother: Thomasina Sydnor, née Angove, b. 1748, d. 1808
- Sisters: Cecilia Hammett, née Sydnor, b. 1770, Phoebe Dyer, née Sydnor, b. 1774, Maria Vingoe, née Sydnor, b. 1778
- Brother: Barnabas Sydnor, b. 1781
Background
Matthias Sydnor was born on the 22nd of November, 1776, in the parish of Lanivet, in Cornwall. Here he had as happy a childhood as the reduced circumstances of a formerly gentry family would allow. A bright lad, Matthias was sent away to be tutored in Lyme Regis, where he learned French, Latin, and the rudiments of Classical Greek. He also acquired a taste for fossil collecting at Lyme, and his logical, methodical mind turned even at this early age to the possible implications of these finds. After his education at Lyme, he attended Magdalen College, Oxford, by means of a small but adequate bequest from a maternal great-uncle. Here he improved his Greek and acquired Hebrew. He stayed on after achieving his degree and quickly rose to be a professor and fellow at Magdalen, teaching theology and preaching at the Magdalen chapel. His life for several years was that of a typical Oxford don. During holidays, he would travel to Lyme to visit his old tutor and collect fossils, or return to Cornwall to visit his parents and siblings. He also contributed occasional essays to various scientific and philosophical publications, which resulted in a small but steady correspondence with various interested parties. He made one brief visit, during the Peace of Amiens, to Paris to consult with French intellectuals. Rev. Sydnor’s incisive mind began to chip away at the favoured position of the Established Church, and soon his intellectual activities began to include articles criticizing the virtual exclusion of non-Anglicans from public life, especially Catholics.
The death of his mother, followed shortly by the death of his old tutor, led Rev. Sydnor to withdraw from College life in Michaelmas Term 1808. Several months of depression and inactivity were followed by his resignation and departure from Oxford in the summer of 1809. Rev. Sydnor had become convinced that the comfortable university life was not his calling, and that the true Christian life was to be lived among the poor and vulnerable. Despite the sneers of many former colleagues, some at Oxford still wished him well, and their influence, combined with the clout of some of his correspondents, enabled his placement in the impoverished London parish of Spitalfields. Rev. Sydnor’s new home in Quaker Street has now for two years been the centre of reinvigorated intellectual and reforming efforts.