Howell Arthur John Witt (12 July 1920 – 8 July 1998) was an Australian
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 ...
for over 25 years who served two very different
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
s. During his time as
Bishop of North West Australia, he published his memoir, entitled ''Bush Bishop''. He subsequently served as
Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989.
Witt was born in
Newport, Wales
Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2 ...
, where his father worked as a docker. He was educated at
Leeds University
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
and the
College of the Resurrection
The College of the Resurrection, popularly known as Mirfield, is an Anglo-Catholic theological college of the Church of England in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England.
The college was founded in 1902 and describes itself as "A Theological Coll ...
in Mirfield. Ordained deacon in 1944 and priest in 1945, after
curacies
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 ...
at
Usk
Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...
(1944–48) and St George',
Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...
(1948–49) he emigrated to Australia where he became
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
at the
Woomera Rocket Station, South Australia (1949–54). While at Woomera, Howell gave the first performance of his drag act, "the Dowager Duchess of Dingo Creek".
[Fergus Butler-Gallie, "The Right Reverend Howell Witt, Bishop of North West Australia (1920–98)" in A Field Guide to the English Clergy (London: Oneworld Publications, 2018) , pp. 3–6] After this, he was
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 St Mary Magdalene's
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
(1954–57) and then
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
(1957–65).
[
A hugely colourful character,][''Priests and Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Book of Clerical Obituaries'', T. Beeson (ed) London, Continuum, 2002 ] in 1965 he was ordained 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 Anglican Bishop of North West Australia and was often featured in the media. He was later translated to serve as Bishop of Bathurst from 1981 to 1989 and in that role was reported to be "bumbling, inappropriate, and adventurous to the end".[
]
References
1920 births
Alumni of the University of Leeds
Anglican bishops of North West Australia
Anglican bishops of Bathurst
1998 deaths
{{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub