Francis Henry Thicknesse (née Coldwell; 14 May 1829 – 2 November 1921) was the inaugural Bishop suffragan of Leicester from 1888 until 1903. He was born Francis Henry Coldwell, son of William Edward Coldwell, Prebendary of Lichfield and Rector of Stafford. He changed his name by royal licence to Thicknesse when he married Ann Thicknesse, daughter and sole heir of Ralph Anthony Thicknesse (MP for Wigan), in Clitheroe on 3 July 1855. The marriage yielded five sons and two daughters. One son, Philip Coldwell Thicknesse, became an architect in Liverpool. He was educated at

Bridgnorth Grammar School Bridgnorth Endowed School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the market town of Bridgnorth in the rural county of Shropshire, England. Founded in 1503, The Endowed School is a state school and is a specialist T ...

and

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

. He was ordained in 1853 and two years later was made

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Deane, Lancashire. Appointed

Rural Dean In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective. ...

Bolton le Moors Bolton le Moors (also known as Bolton le Moors St Peter) was a large civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in Salford (hundred), hundred of Salford in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire, England. It was administered f ...

in 1857 he was later

Archdeacon of Northampton The Archdeacon of Northampton is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Peterborough. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within its six rural deaneries: Brackley, Brixworth, Daventry, ...

before his appointment 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 ...

. His last post before retirement was as

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Oxendon,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. At his death he was the oldest

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 ...

. There is a memorial to him in Wigan Parish Church.Church web site
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References

1829 births 1921 deaths People from Stafford People educated at Bridgnorth Endowed School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Archdeacons of Northampton Bishops suffragan of Leicester 19th-century Church of England bishops {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub