Francis Gurdon (11 April 1861 – 23 December 1929) was an Anglican bishop, the third Bishop of Hull in the modern era.

Life

Francis Gurdon was born on 11 April 1861 at Barnham Broom, the third son of Rev. Edward Gurdon. “Who was Who” 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 His two elder brothers,

Edward Temple Gurdon Edward Temple Gurdon, often known as Temple Gurdon, was a rugby union international who represented England from 1878 to 1886. He also captained his country. Early life Temple Gurdon was born on 25 January 1854 in Barnham Broom, Norfolk. He w ...

and

Charles Gurdon Charles Gurdon (3 December 1855 – 26 June 1931) was an English barrister, judge, rower and rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Richmond. Gurdon represented England fourteen times during the early developmen ...

, were both early rugby union internationals, playing for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and even more remarkably both went on to captain the national side. Like his brothers before him, he was educated at Haileybury and matriculated to Cambridge University. He was at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, in common with his eldest brother, Edward. He was ordained in 1885; his first post after

ordination 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 v ...

was as a curate in Isleworth. He held incumbencies at

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between them openi ...

and Hessle before elevation to the

episcopate 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 ...

as a suffragan to the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

. He was appointed Bishop of Hull in September 1913 and consecrated a bishop on

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...

Day (29 September) by

Cosmo Lang William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop ...

, at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

. He was, alongside his suffragan-bishopric, installed as Vicar of Hessle on 11 November 1913; in 1917 he resigned that living and became a

Canon of York 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 ...

instead (remaining bishop). He resigned his See in ill-health effective 1 July 1929; and died suddenly at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, still in post as Canon-Residentiary, on 23 December 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurdon, Francis 1861 births 1929 deaths People from Barnham Broom People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Bishops of Hull 20th-century Church of England bishops