John Briggs (20 May 1788 – 4 January 1861) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as the first

Bishop of Beverley The Bishop of Beverley is a Church of England suffragan bishop. The title takes its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The suffragan bishop was originally to assist the Archbishop of York in overseeing ...

from 1850 to 1860.

Early life

John Briggs was born in Barton Moss, near Eccles, Greater Manchester,

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 Lancash ...

, England. He was educated at

Sedgley Park School, Wolverhampton Sedgley Park School was a Roman Catholic Academy located on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, then part of Staffordshire. The school was founded by William Errington, at the request of Bishop Richard Challoner, on 25 March 1763. History Errington ...

. On 13 October 1804 he entered St. Cuthbert's College in County Durham. He received the

Tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...

and the four

Minor Orders Minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders —priest (including bishop), deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders—acolyte, exorcist, lec ...

on 14 December 1804. Afterwards, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a subdeacon on 19 December 1812, a

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 Chur ...

on 3 April 1813, and a

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 partic ...

on 19 July 1814;, ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', pp. 396–397. all ordinations by

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...

, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 397. Briggs remained at the college as a professor. In 1818, he was sent on a mission to Chester, and remained there fourteen years. One of his students in Chester was Thomas Grant, (later rector of the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English Colleg ...

and future bishop of the

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...

). Grant's mother had died when he was ten, so when his father's military unit was deployed from Chester, the thirteen year old remained with Briggs's household to continue his education before entering St. Cuthbert's himself; financed largely by Briggs from Lancaster District funds. Grant spent over three years with Dr. Briggs and from the day he left him until the day Briggs died, Grant made a point of writing to him annually on the anniversary of his entrance to St. Cuthbert's to thank him for his kindness to him while under his roof.O'Meara, Kathleen (Grace Ramsay). ''Thomas Grant, First Bishop of Southwark'', Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1874
On 28 March 1828 Briggs was elected President of St. Cuthbert's and returned to Ushaw. He remained at the college until 11 August 1832.

Episcopal career

On 22 January 1833, he was appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. He received his

episcopal consecration 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 ...

at Ushaw College on 29 June 1833, the principal

consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

was Bishop Thomas Penswick, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, and the principal co-consecrators were Bishop Peter Augustine Baines, Vicar Apostolic of the Western District and Bishop Thomas Walsh,

Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District (later of the Central District) was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by an apostolic vicar (or vicar apostolic) who was a titular bishop. Th ...

., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 280. On the death of Bishop Thomas Penswick on 28 January 1836, Briggs succeeded as Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. In 1840, two vicariates apostolic were created out of the Northern District, with Bishop Briggs appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Yorkshire District on 3 July 1840. On the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy by Pope Pius IX on 29 September 1850, he was appointed Bishop of the

Diocese of Beverley The Roman Catholic Diocese of Beverley is an historical diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It took its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, although the episcopal see was located in the city of York. ...

. He resigned as Bishop of Beverley on 17 September 1860 and died at his house in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

on 4 January 1861, aged 72. A solemn

Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

was held at St George's Pro-Cathedral, York on 9 January, followed by the bishop's burial in St. Leonard's Chapel, Hazlewood, near Tadcaster on 10 January 1861.History: Previous Bishops
. ''Diocese of Leeds''. Retrieved on 10 June 2011.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, John (bishop) 1789 births 1861 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Roman Catholic bishops of Beverley Apostolic vicars of England and Wales People from Eccles, Greater Manchester