Harrington Clare Lees (17 March 187010 January 1929) was the
Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne
The Archbishop of Melbourne is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Australia, and ''ex officio'' metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan ( ...
from 1921 until his death.
Family
Lees was born in
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, the eldest son of William Lees, a cotton farmer and Justice of the Peace,
and his wife, Emma (daughter of William Clare). Lees married twice, firstly to Winifred May, daughter of the Revd J. M. Cranswick, and secondly to Joanna Mary, daughter of Herbert Linnell. He had no children.
[
]
Education
Lees was educated at The Leys School
The Leys School is a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England. It is a day and boarding school for about 574 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
Histo ...
(a Methodist school) and St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
, where he graduated BA with a second class in the theological tripos in 1892, and MA in 1896.
Career
Lees was made 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 ...
on Trinity Sunday (28 May) 1893 and ordained priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
the following Trinity Sunday (20 May 1894) — both times by William Stubbs
William Stubbs (21 June 182522 April 1901) was an English historian and Anglican bishop. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford between 1866 and 1884. He was Bishop of Chester from 1884 to 1889 and Bishop of O ...
, Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his electio ...
, at St Mary Magdalen's Church, Oxford. He was a 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 ...
at Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
, chaplain at Turin and curate at Childwall
Childwall () is a suburb and ward of Liverpool, England, located to the southeast of the city. It is bordered by Belle Vale, Bowring Park, Broadgreen, Gateacre, Mossley Hill, and Wavertree. In 2019, the population was 13,640.
Overview
The earli ...
, until in 1900 he became 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 St John's Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...
.[
In 1907 Lees became vicar of Christ Church, Beckenham, and in 1919 vicar of ]Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. In this year he was offered the bishopric of Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, but refused it. In August 1921 he was appointed Archbishop of Melbourne; was consecrated a bishop on All Saints' Day
All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honor of all the saints of the church, whether they are kno ...
(1 November) by Randall Davidson
Randall Thomas Davidson, 1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, (7 April 1848 – 25 May 1930) was an Anglican priest who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928. He was the longest-serving holder of the office since the English Reformation, Re ...
, 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 ...
, at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
; and enthroned at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, on 15 February 1922.[
Lees soon showed himself to be a vigorous worker and a good preacher. He was at Melbourne for less than seven years before he died, but his episcopate was marked by the undertaking of the completion of St Paul's Cathedral and by a great increase in the social work of the church; more especially in connexion with the various homes conducted by the mission of St James and St John and the ]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 ...
free kindergartens. He visited England in 1928 and died suddenly at Bishopscourt, East Melbourne
East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ...
, on 10 January 1929.[
Lees' portrait by ]John Longstaff
Sir John Campbell Longstaff (10 March 1861 – 1 October 1941) was an Australian painter, war artist and a five-time winner of the Archibald Prize for portraiture. His cousin Will Longstaff was also a painter and war artist.
Longstaff was known ...
is in the chapter house at Melbourne.
Lees never spared himself and overwork was a contributing cause of his comparatively early death from coronary vascular disease.[ He had bright personality and was much like by everyone, whether in an industrial parish like Swansea or as archbishop of Melbourne. At synod he was an excellent chairman, speaking little himself, but giving his rulings with decision. In the evangelistic tradition of the diocese, he belonged to no party and his ability, humanity and broad outlook, made him an excellent leader of his church.][
]
Publications
Lees' published works include:
*''St Paul's Epistles to Thessalonica'' (1905)
*''The Work of Witness and the Promise of Power'' (1908)
*''The Joy of Bible Study'' (1909)
*''The King's Highway'' (1910)
*''St Paul and his Converts'' (1910), third impression (1916)
*''Christ and his Slaves'' (1911)
*''The Sunshine of the Good News'' (1912)
*''The Divine Master in Home Life'' (1915)
*''The Practice of the Love of Christ'' (1915)
*''The Eyes of his Glory'' (1916)
*''St Paul's Friends'' (1917)
*''The Love that Ceases to Calculate'' (1918)
*''God's Garden and Ours'' (1918)
*''Failure and Recovery'' (1919)
*''The Starting Place of Victory'' (1919)
*''The Promise of Life The Life that is in Christ Jesus'' (1919)
*'' The Divine Master in Home Life''
Lees was also a contributor to Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
' ''A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels''.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Harrington Clare
1870 births
1929 deaths
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Anglican archbishops of Melbourne
People from Ashton-under-Lyne