John Taylor (bishop of Sodor and Man)

John Ralph Strickland Taylor^[1] (13 December 1883 – 13 December 1961) was Bishop of Sodor and Man^[2] from 1942 to 1954.^[3]

Early life, family and education

Taylor was born on 13 December 1883 and educated at Marlborough and Pembroke College, Cambridge, and trained for the ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. His father, John Charles, was also a priest who served as Vicar of Harmondsworth.^[4]

He married Margaret Barrett in 1913, and they had two sons and two daughters: one daughter, Leila Margaret, was born in 1920; and one son John Vernon was also a priest, later becoming Bishop of Winchester.^[5]

Ministry

Taylor was made a deacon on Trinity Sunday (22 May) 1910^[6] and ordained a priest the next Trinity (11 June 1911) — both times by Frederic Chase, Bishop of Ely, at Ely Cathedral.^[7] He served as Chaplain, Tutor and then Vice-Principal at Ridley Hall (1913–17)^[8] until he became a temporary chaplain to the Forces,^[5] then Chaplain of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich^[9] for 18 months.^[5] From 1918 until 1928 he was Headmaster of St Lawrence College, Ramsgate; then Rector of Hodnet^[10] with Weston-under-Redcastle (1928–32;^[8] for the two years, he was also Rural Dean)^[5] then Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford^[11] — a post he held until his appointment to be a bishop.^[12] He was also, alongside his main appointments, an Examining Chaplain to: Bertram Pollock, Bishop of Norwich (1911–42); Edward Burroughs and Geoffrey Lunt, Bishops of Ripon (1932–42); and John Kempthorne and Edward Woods, Bishops of Lichfield (1935–42); an honorary canon of Norwich Cathedral (1938–42); and President of the London College of Divinity from 1945 onwards.^[5]

He was consecrated a bishop at York Minster on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January) 1943,^[13] having presumably been elected and confirmed during late 1942. He resigned his See at the end of October 1954.^[14] He died on 13 December 1961,^[15] at his home in Pembury, Kent.^[8]

References