Grosvenor Miles (1901 – 15 July 1978) was an Anglican bishop in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and Australia. He was the assistant bishop of

from 1938 to 1960 and the assistant bishop of North Queensland from 1962 to his death in 1978.

Early life

Miles was born in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, in 1902, to

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parents, William Lancelot Miles, and Gertrude Hilda Miles (née Miles). His parents were first cousins, and his father was the grandson of Henry Philips, one of the Canterbury Pilgrims. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he was 4 months old when he arrived with his family in England in March 1902. Miles was a mercantile assistant in Port Said,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, in the 1920s, and, prior to ordination, a missionary in

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

Clerical career

He trained for ordination at St Boniface College, Warminster, and was ordained deacon in 1932 and priest in 1933. He served his title at St Mary,

Fishponds Fishponds is a large suburb in the north-east of the English city of Bristol, about from the city centre. It has two large Victorian-era parks: Eastville Park and Vassall's Park (once the Vassall Family estate, also known as Oldbury Court). ...

(1932-1934), after which he went to

as a missionary. He served at Andevorante in the Diocese of Atsinanana (1935-1936) and at Mahanoro (1936-1938), and was consecrated bishop in 1938 at St Mary's, Lambeth along with

Francis Hollis Francis Septimus Hollis (10 November 1884 – 4 February 1955) was a British clergyman in the Anglican Church. He held the position of Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak in Southeast Asia from 1938 until 1948. Hollis was the son of George Hollis ...

, the Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak. He was assistant bishop of Madagascar and Archdeacon of East Madagascar from 1938 to 1960. As assistant bishop, he established himself in

Tamatave Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of it ...

, with the intention that this would be a diocesan see on division of the Diocese of Madagascar, although this did not take place until three decades later, in 1969. In 1940 Gerald Vernon became Bishop of Madagsacar, but, due to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and the Fall of France, was unable to get to his diocese, which, in his absence, was managed by Miles and the native clergy. He attended the 1958

Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...

. In 1960 he moved to Australia, becoming a member of and chaplain to the Bush Brotherhood of St Barnabas in the

Diocese of North Queensland The Diocese of North Queensland is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1879. It is situated in the northern part of the state of Queensland, Australia. As part of the Province of Queensland, it covers the Torres Strait Isl ...

, and, additionally, from 1962 he was assistant bishop of North Queensland, as assistant to

Ian Shevill Ian Wotton Allnutt Shevill AO (11 May 19173 November 1988) was an Australian Anglican bishop. Early life and education Ian Shevill was educated at Scots College, Sydney, and Sydney University, then at Moore Theological College and the Austra ...

. As a Bush Brother he was the lowest-paid prelate in Australia, receiving a weekly stipend of 19s 1¼d.

Personal life

Miles was unmarried. He died in 1978, aged 76, at the Good Shepherd Hospice in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. He was still assistant bishop of North Queensland at his death. His ashes are interred under the

High Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

of St James' Cathedral, Townsville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Grosvenor 1901 births 1978 deaths Alumni of St Boniface Missionary College, Warminster Anglican bishops in Africa 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa Australian Anglican bishops