Brownlow North (17 July 1741 – 12 July 1820) was a bishop of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Early life, family and education

Brownlow was born on 17 July 1741 in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

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, the only son of

Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford (13 April 1704 – 4 August 1790), of Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire, styled as Lord Guilford between 1729 and 1752, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 until 1729 at which point ...

and his second wife Elizabeth (then styled as the ''dowager Viscountess Lewisham'' as the widow of her first husband George Legge, Viscount Lewisham), only child and sole heir of Arthur Kaye, 3rd Baronet. His half-siblings through their mother included Anne Brudenell (who married

James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan (20 April 1725 – 24 February 1811), styled The Honourable James Brudenell until 1780 and known as The Lord Brudenell between 1780 and 1790, was a British courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commo ...

) and

William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, PC, FRS (20 June 1731 – 15 July 1801), styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who is most remembered as the namesake of Dartmouth College. Background Dartmouth was the s ...

; his half-siblings through their father included

Frederick North, Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

and his only full siblings was Louisa Peyto-Verney (who married

John Peyto-Verney, 14th Baron Willoughby de Broke John Peyto-Verney, 14th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 22nd Baron Latimer (5 August 1738 – 15 February 1816) was a peer in the peerage of England. John Peyto-Verney was born John Verney on 5 August 1738, the son of Sir John Verney, ...

). He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

(1752–1759) and

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

(where he matriculated on 10 January 1760 as a fellow-commoner), graduating as a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1762. He became a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford in 1763, gaining his Master of Arts (Oxon) on 4 July 1766 and

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

in 1770.

Church career

Memorial to Brownlow North within Winchester Cathedral - geograph

North was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

at Christ Church by

John Hume John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician from Northern Ireland, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent political history of Ireland, as one of the architects of the Northern Ire ...

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

, on 27 October 1765 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

Grosvenor Chapel Grosvenor Chapel is an Anglican church in what is now the City of Westminster, in England, built in the 1730s. It inspired many churches in New England. It is situated on South Audley Street in Mayfair. History The foundation stone of the Gro ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Frederick Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis (5 March 1713 – 19 March 1783) served as Archbishop of Canterbury, after an illustrious career in the Anglican Church. He was born the seventh son of an aristocratic family. His twin brother Edward Cornwallis had a mili ...

Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...

on 12 April 1767. Supremely well-connected — his father was an influential courtier and his half-brother Frederick was to become Prime Minister of Great Britain — North enjoyed substantial, rapid and early career advances. His brother-in-law Willoughby de Broke presented him to the rectory of Lighthorne, then the crown presented him to the 4th prebend at Christ Church on 28 April 1768. He remained a canon of Oxford until he was installed as

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...

on 6 October 1770; while there he obtained the lucrative livings of

Lydd Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a c ...

and

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, both of which he retained while at Lichfield. North left Canterbury for Lichfield in 1771, when his half-brother the Prime Minister's recommendation saw him

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

. His election to that see having been

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

on 26 August 1771, he was consecrated a bishop by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury (with

Richard Terrick Richard Terrick (baptised 20 July 1710 – 31 March 1777) was a Church of England clergyman who served as Bishop of Peterborough 1757–1764 and Bishop of London 1764–1777. Life Terrick was born in York, the eldest son of Samuel Terrick, rec ...

Bishop of London 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 ...

;

Zachary Pearce Zachary Pearce, sometimes known as Zachariah (8 September 1690 – 29 June 1774), was an English Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Rochester. He was a controversialist and a notable early critical writer defending John Milton, attacking Richard ...

, Bishop of Rochester; and William Markham

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

) on 8 September 1771 at Lambeth Palace chapel North was Bishop of Lichfield for three years before his election as Bishop of Worcester was confirmed on 27 December 1774; he then remained in Worcester for six and a half years until his election to the See of Winchester was confirmed on 5 June 1781. Throughout the period of his appointments to these two Sees his half-brother remained Prime Minister. North was enthroned (by proxy) at

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

on 25 June 1781 and continued as Bishop of Winchester until his death, following a long illness, at Winchester House, Chelsea on 12 July 1820. He was then buried at his cathedral on 21 August 1820.

Marriage and family

On 17 January 1771, North married Henrietta Maria Bannister, who died on 17 November 1796. His eldest son Francis North, 6th Earl of Guilford and his youngest Charles Augustus North both became Anglican priests; of his four daughters, one (Henrietta) married a priest and another (

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

) married

Thomas de Grey, 4th Baron Walsingham Thomas de Grey, 4th Baron Walsingham ( Chelsea 10 April 1778 – Merton, Norfolk, 8 September 1839) was Archdeacon of Winchester from 1807 until 1814; and then of Surrey from 1814 until his death. The 2nd son of Thomas de Grey, 2nd Baron Walsin ...

. The 19th century evangelist, also named

Brownlow North Brownlow North (17 July 1741 – 12 July 1820) was a bishop of the Church of England. Early life, family and education Brownlow was born on 17 July 1741 in Chelsea, London, Chelsea, Middlesex, Great Britain, the only son of Francis North, 1st ...

was his grandson (Charles' son.)

Styles and titles

*1741–1765: ''

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

'' Brownlow North *1765–1768: ''

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

and Honourable'' Brownlow North *1768–1770: ''The Reverend and Honourable'' Canon Brownlow North *1770-1771: ''The Very Reverend and Honourable'' Brownlow North *1771–1820: ''

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' The ...

and Honourable'' Brownlow North

References

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:North, Brownlow 1741 births 1820 deaths Bishops of Lichfield Bishops of Winchester Bishops of Worcester Deans of Canterbury People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Younger sons of earls 18th-century Church of England bishops