Ivor Stanley Watkins (10 November 189624 October 1960) was an Anglican

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 c ...

who served in two posts between 1946 and his death. Watkins was born in 1896 and educated at

Hereford Cathedral School Hereford Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for pupils of ages 3 to 18 years, from Nursery to Sixth Form. Its headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school's premi ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a stretcher-bearer and was gassed. He spent considerable time in hospital where he learnt the 3-card trick which he used to entertain children. After the war he briefly attended the emergency ordination school at

Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town in the borough of Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England. Knutsford is south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and 12.5 miles (20 km) south-east of Warrington. The population at the 2011 Census was ...

before gaining a place at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

where he was awarded a degree in history and theology. He was made deacon on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: th ...

1924 (15 June) at St John's Bedminster (his title parish) and ordained a priest that Advent (21 December 1924) at

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

, both times by

George Nickson George Nickson (9 May 1864 – 23 February 1949) was an Anglican bishop. Nickson was born on 9 May 1864 and educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1889. His first post was as a curate at Holy ...

Bishop of Bristol 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 ...

. Following a

curacy 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 ...

in Bedminster, he rose steadily in the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

hierarchy, being successively

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 pre ...

of ''St Gregory’s''

Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...

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 ...

, then

Archdeacon of Bristol The Archdeacon of Bristol is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Bristol. The archdeaconry was created – within the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol – by Order in Council on 7 October 1836 and became part of the re-erected Di ...

before elevation to that diocese's suffragan bishopric as Bishop of Malmesbury. He 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 ...

1946 (1 November) at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

. Watkins was considered for promotion to several diocesan bishoprics over the next ten years. He was regarded as a 'somewhat advanced' Anglo-Catholic. When the vacancy at Wakefield arose in 1948, Clement Attlee, the prime minister at that time responsible for recommending nominations to bishoprics, wrote:

I do not consider this man suitable for appointment to a See. I think he is narrow-minded.

Watkins' name was prominent to fill vacancies at Portsmouth in 1949, Gloucester in 1953 and Durham, Lincoln and Peterborough in 1955–1956. Archbishop

Michael Ramsey Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury, (14 November 1904 – 23 April 1988) was an English Anglican bishop and life peer. He served as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and held the office until 1 ...

, newly translated from Durham to York, wanted Watkins to succeed him at Durham but the Archbishop of Canterbury opposed the nomination. Instead Watkins was appointed to Guildford. In his short time at Guildford, Watkins proved very successful. He 'won the hearts and minds of both clergy and laity by his active and diligent pastoral ministry. He died in office in 1960 aged 63.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

, Tuesday, October 25, 1960; p. 13, issue 54911, col A, Bishop Of Guildford ''Obituary Rt. Rev. I. S. Watkins''

References

1896 births People educated at Hereford Cathedral School Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Archdeacons of Bristol Bishops of Swindon (previously Malmesbury) Bishops of Guildford 1960 deaths 20th-century Church of England bishops {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub