The Reverend John Wakeford (died 13 February 1930) was a

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 ...

clergyman who was convicted of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

and deprived of his post as

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of Stow in a celebrated court case in 1921.

Church career

Wakeford was the son of an employee of Plymouth dockyard. He took holy orders in 1884 at Exeter, and subsequently obtained a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

degree at the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

. He served as Vicar of St Margaret's, Anfield, Liverpool from 1893; this appointment was at first difficult as Wakeford came from the high church tradition which was not the tradition of the diocese."The Rev. John Wakeford" (obituary), ''The Times'', 14 February 1930, p. 19. He was promoted to be a prebendary at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

at the end of 1910. He became Archdeacon of Stow in July 1913.

Scandal

In February 1921 Wakeford was convicted of charges under the

Clergy Discipline Act 1892 Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

( 55 & 56 Vict. c. 32) that he had committed adultery at a hotel in Peterborough in March and April 1920. He appealed to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

, which dismissed his appeal. As a result of his conviction he was deprived of the post of Archdeacon of Stow, but he was not removed from holy orders. Wakeford continued to dispute the finding, bringing proceedings for slander against the managing clerk of the Bishop of Lincoln's solicitors. As a result of the fight and his legal bills, he was bankrupted in 1924.

Death

He was removed to Barming Heath Asylum on 6 March 1928, having suffered a breakdown,"News in Brief", ''The Times'', 9 March 1928, p. 11. and died there on 13 February 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeford, John 1930 deaths Alumni of Durham University 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests Year of birth missing Archdeacons of Stow People convicted of adultery