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Lawrence Durdin-Robertson
Baron Ruadh/Robertson of Strathloch
May 6, 1920 - August 4, 1994
© Do not reproduce.
Lawrence Alexander Durdin-Robertson was born on May 6, 1920, the 3rd of 4 children born to Manning and Nora Durdin-Robertson. He studied at St. Columba's College in Co. Dublin and then served in the Irish Army. During the war, Lawrence worked at the Admiralty Research Lab in Teddington, Middlesex.
With the death of his father in 1945, Lawrence inherited Clonegal Castle. From 1946-8, he attended Wells Theological College in Somerset and was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1948. He also married Pamela (Barclay) that year. Over the years, they had three daughters and one son. Lawrence was rector of two churches: Aghold, Co. Wicklow from 1951-1952 and East Bilney, Norfolk from 1952-1957.
In 1957, he decided to leave parish life and returned to live at his ancestral home of Clonegal Castle. When Lawrence discovered the feminine face of God, through researching the original Hebrew text of the Bible, this revelation changed the direction of his life forever. (Read the lecture given by Lawrence Durdin Robertson, called The Religion of the Goddess.)
In 1963, along with his sister, Olivia, and wife, Pamela, Lawrence formed the Huntington Castle Centre for Meditation and Study. He began writing about the Goddess in 1970 and received his Vocation as a Priest of Isis in 1972. The Fellowship of Isis was founded in 1976.
© image 1973 courtesy Raidi Teilif s ireann.
(please do not reproduce.)
When asked about his own unique religious background, Lawrence replied: I started as the Church of Ireland, or as we call Anglican, as an Anglican. I suppose one approaches. . . everyone is basically interested in religion, and their first approach is through their religion to which they were born, and as I say I was born into the Church of Ireland, the Anglican Church. And then my horizon broadened and I became interested in many other religions, and so many of them the last 150 years have been prevented, Indian, Chaldean, Egyptian, Japanese, the old Norse and Celtic, and so on - that my horizon broadened, so I became - actually I call it - a Universalist, believing in all the religions, but particularly of course, the fair feminine aspect, which is now very much coming into the fore again. Of course you get that in Christianity, particularly in the cult of the Divine Wisdom, Sophia, that you get of course in the Hebrew Bible, Hakma, but also in the Virgin Mary. So there isn t really such a gap because the Virgin Mary has many of the titles as the Goddess Isis. Isis represents all women and corresponds to all the Great Goddesses or in fact, every Goddess, or every woman to that extent." YouTube Audio / MP3 Audio
© image 1976 courtesy Raidi Teilif s ireann.
(please do not reproduce.)
Through official registration with the Chief Herald of Ireland, Lawrence revived his ancestral title of Baron Ruadh or Robertson of Strathloch in 1979. (Please see the misc. photos page to view his coat-of-arms.) In 1981, he entrusted to the Fellowship of Isis, to be held by trustees - through Deed of Gift - the Temple of Isis, which is located in the basement level of the Castle.
Lawrence made his transition to spirit on August 4, 1994. His many books continue to be made available through the Castle as well as this website, and are a testament to his dedication and research of the Goddess religion. (Writings of LDR) His book Juno Covella, "Perpetual Calendar of the Fellowship of Isis" is used by Fellowship members worldwide.
Here is what Asphodel Long, Goddess writer and scholar, wrote about Lawrence's works: "I feel I must write some appreciation of his enormous contribution as a scholar to the whole field of Goddess research, through works published by his private press, Cesara Publication. Durdin-Robertson has collected masses of material from many and disparate sources. He presents it without comment, and leaves it to us to evaluate it. . . I do believe that the author's love and dedication to Isis and all the Goddesses shines from this work, as does his insistence on fact and detail which makes it such a blessing to us." ("Wood and Water 48")
Please also see Lawrence's biography included in the "Dictionary of Irish Biography"
The Writings of Lawrence Durdin-Robertson
Lawrence Durdin-Robertson Photo Gallery
Audio Clips of Lawrence Durdin-Robertson
Pamela Durdin-Robertson Biography
Olivia Robertson Biography
Return to the FOI History Section
(This article was written for the FOI Homepage Archive from the notes and direct input from Olivia Robertson and is also included in the book "Fellowship of Isis Manuals, A Compendium", copyright reserved.)
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