Alan George Sumner Gibson was Coadjutor Bishop of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

from 1894 to 1906.

Early life

He was born in 1856 to William Gibson (1804–1862),

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Fawley, and Louisanna Sumner (1817-1899), daughter of

Charles Sumner Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American statesman and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in the state and a leader of th ...

, Bishop of Winchester. He was educated at Haileybury and

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 12t ...

and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1881.

Clerical career

He was

vice-principal In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authorit ...

of St Paul Burgh Missionary College then curate of

Croft, Lincolnshire Croft is a small village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated approximately north-east from Wainfleet, and south-west from Skegness. Croft is listed in the 1086 ''Domesday Book'' wi ...

. He was the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

of Umtata Pro-Cathedral from 1882 to 1884;

Missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

at Dalindyebo from 1884 to 1893;

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Umtata Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matan ...

from 1885 to 1894; Archdeacon of

Kokstad Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, as i ...

from 1886 to 1891; 91;

Diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

from 1892 to 1894;

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Claremont from 1894 to 1897; and

St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town St George's Cathedral (also referred to as The Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr) is the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, and the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town. St. George's Cathedral is both the metropolitical chu ...

from 1895 to 1906.

Works

Gibson was a prolific author; amongst others he wrote: *''Intloko Zentshumayelo'' (Kaffir Sermon Sketches), 1890; *''Eight Years in Kaffraria'', 1891; *''Some Thoughts on Missionary Work and Life'', 1894; *''Sermon Sketches for a Year'', 1898; *''Between Cape Town and Loanda'', 1905; *''Translations from the Organon of Aristotle'', 1877; *''Reminiscences of the Pondomisi War'', 1900; and *''Sketches of Church Work and Life in the Diocese of Cape Town'', 1901; Gibson died on 20 October 1922.Bishop Alan Gibson

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

(

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

), Wednesday, Oct 25, 1922; pg. 14; Issue 43171

References

1856 births 1922 deaths People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Anglican archdeacons in Africa 20th-century Anglican Church of Southern Africa bishops People from Kokstad Anglican bishops of Cape Town 19th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century Anglican theologians {{Africa-Anglican-bishop-stub