Benjamin Price (1804-1896) was the first bishop of the

Free Church of England The Free Church of England (FCE) is an episcopal church based in England. The church was founded when a number of congregations separated from the established Church of England in the middle of the 19th century. The doctrinal basis of the F ...

. Born in 1804 at Llanllywenfel (Llanlleon-vel), in the

Buellt Buellt or Builth was a cantref in medieval Wales, located west of the River Wye. Unlike most cantrefs, it was not part of any of the major Welsh kingdoms for most of its history, but was instead ruled by an autonomous local dynasty. During the No ...

district of

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

, the son of Isaac Price, a shopkeeper and prominent

Calvinistic Methodist Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...

elder. He was a great nephew of David Price, vicar of

Llanbadarn Fawr, Ceredigion Llanbadarn Fawr is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is on the outskirts of Aberystwyth next to Penparcau and Southgate. It forms the eastern part of the continually built-up area of Aberystwyth. It holds two electoral wards, Padar ...

, and a cousin of the Orientalist David Price. It appears that Price began to preach among the

Calvinistic Methodists Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...

. There is a report of him preaching with John Elias, at Newtown in 1830. It seems that he was not fluent in the Welsh language, which may be the reason for him transferring to Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion. In 1844, some Anglican clergyman in the south-west of England, reacting against the Tractarian movement, founded the

. Soon afterwards, in 1845, Price became the Free Church of England’s minister at

Ilfracombe Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs. The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and along the ...

. The Connexion and the FCE assembled in united conference under one president. Price was the President for a number of years. Although he had not been consecrated at that time, in 1868 Price was awarded the title of

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was elected President of Convocation in 1866. In 1876, Bishop Edward Cridge of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

came over, and formally

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

Price. Price died at

, 6 January 1896, aged 91.''Bristol Mercury'', Sat 11 Jan 1896.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Benjamin (bishop) 1804 births 1896 deaths English bishops