Charles Richard Sumner (22 November 179015 August 1874) was a

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 Britain ...

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 ...

Life

Charles Sumner was a brother of

John Bird Sumner John Bird Sumner (25 February 1780 – 6 September 1862) was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury. Early life John Bird Sumner was born in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, on 25 February 1780. He was the eldest son of the R ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. Their father was Robert Sumner and their mother was Hannah Bird, a first cousin of

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...

. Sumner 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, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

and graduated

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 years ...

(BA) in 1814 and

Cambridge Master of Arts In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an u ...

(MA) in 1817. After ordination he ministered for the two winters of 1814–1816 to the English congregation in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. From 1816 to 1821 he was curate of

Highclere Highclere (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the B ...

, Hampshire. In 1820,

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

wished to appoint him as a canon of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, but the prime minister,

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...

, objected; Sumner received instead a royal chaplaincy and librarianship. Other preferments quickly followed; in 1826 he was consecrated

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (the site of a ...

(at that point the Bishop of Llandaff was also

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also ''ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire. The current dean is Andrew Tremlett, ...

Cathedral, London) and in 1827

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. In 1869 he resigned his seat, but continued to live at the official residence in

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

until his death on 15 August 1874. Though

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

in his views he did not confine his patronage to that school. He and his brother were members of the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch. ...

from 27 March 1848.

Works

Sumner published a number of charges and sermons and ''The Ministerial Character of Christ Practically Considered'' (London, 1824). He also edited and translated

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

's ''De doctrina christiana'', which was found in the State Paper office in 1823, and formed the text of Macaulay's essay on Milton.

Family

Sumner married Jennie Fanny Barnabine Maunoir (23 February 1794 – 3 September 1849) and had seven children - four sons and three daughters, including: *John Maunoir Sumner ( at Highclere – 1 April, 1886), rector of

North Waltham North Waltham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire, England. It is located around southwest of Basingstoke and just north of the M3 motorway. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 870. The vill ...

1842–1845, and of

Buriton Buriton () is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is located 2 miles (3.3 km) south of Petersfield. History About a mile north-west of Buriton was the extensive manor of West Mapledurham, for ...

, Hampshire, 1845, until his death. *Louisanna Sumner (1817–1899), who married the Rev. William Gibson, Rector of

Fawley, Hampshire Fawley is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is situated in the New Forest on the western shore of the Solent, approximately 7 miles (11 kilometres) south of Southampton. Fawley is also the site of Fawley Refinery, operated by ...

, and had eleven children including: **

Arthur Sumner Gibson Arthur Sumner Gibson (14 July 1844 – 23 January 1927) was a rugby union international who represented England in 1871 in the first international match. Early life Gibson was born at Fawley, near Southampton on 14 July 1844 and baptised the ...

(1844–1927), a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

international, who played in the first international match in 1871 **

Edgar Charles Sumner Gibson Edgar Charles Sumner Gibson (23 January 1848, Fawley, Hampshire, England - 8 March 1924, Fareham) was the 31st Bishop of Gloucester. He was born into a clerical family. His father was a clergyman and his son Theodore Sumner Gibson Theod ...

, (1848–1924),

Bishop of Gloucester The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...

** Alan George Sumner Gibson (1856–1922),

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

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 *Sophia Albertina Sumner (1823–1884), married the Rev.

William Henry Ridley William Henry Ridley (2 April 1816 – 17 February 1882) was a priest in the Church of England and an author. Life Ridley, born on 2 April 1816, was eldest son of Henry Colborne Ridley (1780–1832), Rector (ecclesiastical), rector of Hambleden, ...

* George Henry Sumner (1824–1909),

Bishop of Guildford The Bishop of Guildford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Guildford in the Province of Canterbury. The title had first appeared as a suffragan See in the Diocese of Winchester in 1874. The Bishop suffragan of Guildford assi ...

, whose wife

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

founded the

Mothers' Union The Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. Its members are not all mothers or even all women, as there are many parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents involved in its work. Its main ai ...

*Emily Sarah Frances Sumner (1832–1926), who married Robert Newman Milford (1829–1913), Rector of

East Knoyle East Knoyle is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, in the south-west of England, just west of the A350 road, A350 and about south of Warminster and north of Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was the birthplace of the arch ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

and canon of

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

, whose children included Sir

Humphrey Sumner Milford Sir Humphrey Sumner Milford (8 February 1877 – 6 September 1952) was an English publisher and editor who from 1913 to 1945 was publisher to the University of Oxford and head of the London operations of Oxford University Press (OUP). Overview In ...

, a publisher at

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

References

Attribution

* *; Endnotes: **''A Life of Sumner'' was published by his son, George Henry Sumner, in 1876 ** cf. Le Neve's Fasti, i. 49, ii. 257, 317, 429, iii. 21, 81 ** Stapylton's ''Eton Lists'', p. 42 ** Lady Granville's ''Letters'', i. 255 **''Burke's Landed Gentry'' ** **''Gent. Mag.'' 1802 ii. 1066, 1847 i. 108 **''Times'', 17 and 18 Aug 1874 **'' Guardian'', 19 and 26 Aug 1874 ** Pennington's ''Recollections'', pp. 149–65 **Ashwell and Wilberforce's ''Bishop Wilberforce'', i. 65–82, 103–4, 150, 160, 263–4, 317, 401, ii. 248, iii. 61–2 **Lucas's ''Bernard Barton'', pp. 108–9, 161 ** information from Mr. W. Aldis Wright {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner, Charles Richard 1790 births 1874 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Bishops of Llandaff Bishops of Winchester People from Kenilworth Deans of St Paul's Burials at Winchester Cathedral Members of the Canterbury Association 19th-century Church of England bishops Evangelical Anglican bishops English librarians 19th-century Welsh Anglican bishops People from Highclere 18th-century Anglican theologians 19th-century Anglican theologians