Gerald Ellison
Gerald Alexander Ellison KCVO PC (19 August 1910 – 18 October 1992[1]) was an Anglican bishop and rower. He was the Bishop of Chester from 1955 to 1973 and the Bishop of London from 1973 to 1981.
Gerald Ellison | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of London | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| In office | 1973–1981 |
| Predecessor | Robert Stopford |
| Successor | Graham Leonard |
| Other post(s) | Bishop of Willesden (1950–1955) Bishop of Chester (1955–1973) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1935 (deacon) 1936 (priest) |
| Consecration | c. 1950 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 August 1910 |
| Died | 18 October 1992 (aged 82) |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | Fulham Palace, London, United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
Early life and education
Ellison was the son of a chaplain to the king. He was educated at Westminster School and New College, Oxford.[2] He rowed for Oxford University Boat Club in the Boat Race in 1932 and 1933 and was later a Boat Race umpire. He married and had three children.
Ordained ministry
Ellison studied for ordination at Westcott House, Cambridge and was ordained deacon in 1935 and priest in 1936. His first position, from 1935, was as a curate at Sherborne.[3] He then became the chaplain to Cyril Garbett, Bishop of Winchester, from 1937 to 1939. During World War II he was a chaplain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and in 1943 the domestic chaplain to Cyril Garbett as Archbishop of York. From 1946 to 1950 he was vicar of St Mark's Portsea, Portsmouth, the largest parish of the city.[4]
Episcopal ministry
In 1950, Ellison was consecrated to the episcopate as Bishop of Willesden, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of London.[5] In 1955 he became the Bishop of Chester,[6] (in which capacity he blessed a nuclear submarine at Birkenhead) and then, in 1972, the Bishop of London,[7] where he completed a move from Fulham Palace to a residence in Westminster. Another lasting legacy of his in the Diocese of London is the area scheme he began.[8] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1981 and after retirement was for a short time vicar general in the extraprovincial Diocese of Bermuda.
References
- Who's Who 1992 London A & C Black 1991 ISBN 0-71-363514-2
- People of Today 1992 London, Debrett's 1991 ISBN 1-870520-09-2
- Crockford's clerical directory 1976 Lambeth, Church House, 1975 ISBN 0-19-200008-X
- Michael De-La-Noy: Obituary: The Right Rev Gerald Ellison. Independent, 20. October 1992.
- "Bishop Suffragan Of Willesden: Both Primates Present At Consecration" (News), The Times, London, 22 September 1950; pg. 6; Issue 51803; col C
- "Bishop Of Chester Nominated: Rt. Rev. G. A. Ellison" (News), The Times, London, 12 January 1955; p. 8.
- The Times, London, 25 October 1973; pg. 23; Issue 58922; col A Court Circular Bishop of London sworn to the Privy Council
- "Ellison, Gerald Alexander". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)