David Thomson, (born 2 February 1952) is a British retired

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. From 2008 to 2013, he was the

Bishop of Huntingdon The Bishop of Huntingdon is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Ely, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Huntingdon, the historic county town of Huntingdonshire, En ...

, sole

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the Diocese of Ely.

Early life

Thomson was born in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, County Durham, where his father, Ronald, was

assistant curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

; the family moved to the

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

area two years later (Ronald was curate of

Attercliffe Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don. The suburb falls in the Darnall ward of Sheffield City Council. History The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry i ...

until 1957, and then Vicar of

Shiregreen Shiregreen and Brightside ward—which includes the districts of Brightside, Shiregreen, and Wincobank—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area ...

; he has since become an

honorary canon A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

of Sheffield). David was educated at

King Edward VII School, Sheffield King Edward VII School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. History King Edward VII School, named after the reigning monarch, was formed in 1905 when Wesley College was merged wit ...

, followed by Keble College, Oxford, where he was awarded his Oxford Master of Arts (MA Oxon) and Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degrees in 1978. He trained for the ministry at Westcott House (1978–1981) and

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...

, where he studied theology (Selwyn awarded his Bachelor of Arts in 1980 and his Cambridge MA in 1984).

Ordained ministry

Thomson was made 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 Churc ...

Petertide Petertide (also known as St Peter's Tide) refers to the Sunday nearest to St Peter's Day on 29 June and to the period around that day. In Anglicanism, Petertide is the major one of two traditional periods for the ordination of new priests (the ot ...

1981 (28 June) 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 va ...

a priest the Petertide following (27 June 1982) – both times by

David Lunn David Ramsay Lunn (17 July 1930 – 19 July 2021) was a British Anglican bishop. From 1980 to 1997, he was Bishop of Sheffield in the Church of England. Lunn was born on Tyneside and educated at the Kings School, Tynemouth, where he was head b ...

Bishop of Sheffield The Bishop of Sheffield is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield in the Province of York. A similar title was first created as a suffragan see in the Diocese of York in 1901. John Quirk, the only Bishop suffragan of Shef ...

, at

Sheffield Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Sheffield, more commonly known as Sheffield Cathedral, is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral sta ...

. He served as

in the

Maltby, South Yorkshire Maltby is a former mining town and civil parish of 16,688 inhabitants (2011) in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is located about east of Rotherham town ce ...

team ministry Vicar is a title given to certain parish priests in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. It has played a significant role in Anglican church organisation in ways that are different from other Christian denominations. The title is v ...

(1981–1984), and then

Team Vicar Vicar is a title given to certain parish priests in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. It has played a significant role in Anglican church organisation in ways that are different from other Christian denominations. The title is ver ...

of St Mary's Church, Banbury (1984–1994),

Team Rector A rector is, in an ecclesiastical sense, a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations. In contrast, a vicar is also a cleric but functions as an assistant and representative of an administrative leader. A ...

Cockermouth Cockermouth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England, so named because it is at the confluence of the River Cocker as it flows into the River Derwent. The mid-2010 census estimates state that Cocke ...

(1994–2002) and finally, before being ordained to the episcopate, the

Archdeacon of Carlisle The Archdeacon of Carlisle is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Carlisle. The archdeacon is responsible for some pastoral care and discipline of the clergy in the ancient archdeaconry of Carlisle. Sources would seem to indicate ...

and a canon residentiary of

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...

(2002–2008).

Episcopal ministry

Thomson was consecrated as a bishop by

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...

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 ...

, in

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

on 3 July 2008 and installed as Bishop of Huntingdon in

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

on 17 October that year. During a lengthy vacancy in neighbouring Suffolk's diocesan see (while that diocese had no suffragan) from 20 October 2013 to 7 May 2015, he was also the Acting Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich – Bishop Nigel: privileged to have served Suffolk
(Accessed 30 October 2013) He retired on 30 September 2018.

Academic career

A medieval historian, Thomson is a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

and the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

as well as an

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. His academic works include ''A Descriptive Catalogue of Middle English Grammatical Texts'' (1979) and ''An Edition of the Middle English Grammatical Texts'' (1984).

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

web-site (accessed 23 June 2008 21:24) His most recent work was on the

Bewcastle Cross The Bewcastle Cross is an Anglo-Saxon cross which is still in its original position within the churchyard of St Cuthbert's church at Bewcastle, in the English county of Cumbria. The cross, which probably dates from the 7th or early 8th century, ...

. He has also published a series of devotional books, ''A Journey with John'', ''Lent with Luke'', ''Christmas by Candelight'' and ''Ways to Pray''..

Personal life

Thomson has been married to Jean since 1974, with four children; his interests include detective fiction, crosswords, gardening, photography and fine art.

Styles

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

David Thomson (1978–1981) *''

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

'' Doctor David Thomson (1981–2002) *''The

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

'' Doctor David Thomson (2002–2008) *''The Right Reverend'' Doctor David Thomson (2008–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, David 1952 births Alumni of Keble College, Oxford Living people Archdeacons of Carlisle Bishops of Huntingdon 21st-century Church of England bishops People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London English bloggers British male bloggers 20th-century Anglican theologians 21st-century Anglican theologians