Queer Places:
Harrow School, 5 High St, Harrow, Harrow on the Hill HA1 3HP
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ

Arthur Martineau (1806/1807 – November 11, 1872) was an English clergyman, academic, and a member of the prominent Martineau family of Huguenot descent.

He was the great-grandson of David Martineau II. Born in Lambeth in 1806 (often cited as 1807), he was the youngest son of John Martineau of Stamford Hill (1758–1834).

Educated at Harrow School, where he served as head of the school in 1824 and 1825.

Entered Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1829 and a Master of Arts (MA) in 1832.

During his time at Cambridge, Martineau became one of the original members of the Cambridge Apostles, an exclusive intellectual society founded in 1820 by George Tomlinson (later the first Bishop of Gibraltar).

The society derived its name from the fact that its founders were 12 in number.

It traditionally drew most of its members from Christ's, Saint John's, Jesus, Trinity, and King's College.

Martineau initially considered practicing law and was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1825, before ultimately choosing to pursue ordination.

He served as a Fellow of Trinity College (1831–1836). Ordained as a deacon in 1837 by Samuel Butler, Bishop of Lichfield. Ordained as a priest in 1838 by Charles Longley, Bishop of Ripon.

Over the next several decades, Martineau held several prominent ecclesiastical positions: Vicar of Whitkirk, near Leeds (1838–1863), Vicar of Alkham with Capel-le-Ferne, Kent (1863–1864), Rector of Saint Mildred's, Bread Street, with Saint Margaret Moses, London (1864–1872), Prebendary of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London (1866–1872).

He was appointed chaplain to the Bishop of London (1865) and the Archbishop of Canterbury (1869).

On October 26, 1837, Martineau married the Honorable Anne O’Brien (daughter of Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet), who in 1862 was granted the rank of a Baron's daughter.

Within historical studies of the early-to-mid 19th-century Cambridge Apostles, members frequently cultivated intense emotional, homosocial bonds. While conventional biographical records highlight Martineau's marriage, modern historical inquiry into these elite university circles often explores how such intense homosocial networks intersected with early Victorian frameworks of intimate male companionship.

Anne passed away on July 20, 1872. Arthur was still recovering from his grief in France when he died shortly after in Cannes on November 11, 1872.

References:

The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow

Other references:

• Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates, and Holder of Office at the University of Cambridge (Published by Cambridge University Press) – Provides foundational academic records, graduation dates (BA 1829, MA 1832), and fellowship details for Trinity College.
• Trinity College, Cambridge Archives – Biographical notes regarding his tenure as a Fellow of Trinity College (1831–1836) and clergyman.
• National Portrait Gallery, London – Archival documentation and records concerning Arthur Martineau as Prebendary of St Paul's and writer.
• The London Gazette – Official state notices, including records related to family rank adjustments (such as the 1862 grant to his wife, the Hon. Anne Martineau, as a Baron's daughter).
• The Martineau Family Genealogy & Public Records – Documenting his lineage as the youngest son of John Martineau of Stamford Hill, his descent from David Martineau II, and ecclesiastical appointments across Yorkshire and London.

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