Leonard Burrows

Born at Rugby, Warwickshire on 7 December 1857, he was educated at Charterhouse[2] and New College, Oxford.[3] Made a deacon in Advent 1881 (18 December) at St Andrew's Church, Farnham[4] and ordained priest the next St Thomas's Day (21 December 1882) at St Nicholas', Guildford — both times by Harold Browne, Bishop of Winchester[5] — he was a Curate at Dorking after which he was Vicar of Wrecclesham and then Rural Dean of Godalming[6] before his appointment as Bishop of Lewes.[7]

He was consecrated a bishop on 11 July 1909, by Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Croydon Parish Church.[8] Translated to Sheffield on 21 March 1914 (in a service of investiture at York Minster),[9] he served 25 years as its first diocesan bishop.[10]

The key figure in the appointment of bishops at that time was the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith. He regarded Burrows and his wife “as rather of the ‘pushing’ order”, but still had Burrows appointed to Sheffield although Burrows's whole career had been in the south of England.[11]

Burrows was a strong supporter of British involvement in the First World War, even though his younger son, Leonard Righton Burrows, was killed in action. He had already written of ‘ ....personal devotion and self-sacrifice even unto death in the cause of righteousness, freedom and truth.’ [12]

Three months after his son's death, Burrows praised Church people who ‘have thrown their whole strength into the War’.[13] Clergy were serving as chaplains and in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and 51 sons of clergymen had volunteered for the military. In 1917, Burrows opposed peace proposals [14] and, in 1918, looked forward to total victory over Germany ‘For the first time in History there is a real chance of obtaining a lasting peace for the world. If the system of military and scientific barbarism for which Germany stands can be finally and completely destroyed, a League of Nations will be possible which shall exchange the law of force for the force of law. Is any sacrifice too great to achieve so priceless a blessing?’ [15]

Like so many of his generation, Burrows would be disappointed that a Second World War lay just two decades ahead.

Burrows retired from Sheffield in August, 1939, on the eve of the Second World War. He was described as a fine Christian gentleman and a splendid Diocesan.[16]

He died on 6 February 1940 aged 82.[17]

Burrows was the father of Hedley Burrows (Dean of Hereford)[18] and grandfather of Simon Burrows (Bishop of Buckingham).[19]