Leslie Owen (1886–1947) was an

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 ...

. Owen was educated at

Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Small things grow in harmony , established = , closed = , coordinates = , pushpin_map = , type = Independent day school , religion = Church o ...

. He studied at

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 ...

and Ely Theological College. 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 va ...

in 1912 and was a curate at Ashford (1914–19). He was interviewed by the Chaplain-General in November 1916 for a commission as a Temporary Chaplain to the Forces. It was noted that, unusually, he could ride, speak French and German and preach extempore. He was posted to Malta, "the nurse of the Mediterranean", where he was given a "very satisfactory report". He was demobilised in 1919. When

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

returned he became a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

at Bishop's College, Cheshunt and then

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

of the ''Scholar Cancellarii'', Lincoln. Appointed Archdeacon of Auckland in 1936, 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 ...

Bishop of Jarrow The Bishop of Jarrow is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Durham, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after the former Anglo Saxon monastery in the town of Jarrow in Tyne and ...

three years later. While at Jarrow, he conducted the wedding of his secretary to Michael Ramsay, future Archbishop of Canterbury. Owen was a highly regarded scholar and was considered for the vacant diocesan bishoprics at Southwell (1941), Blackburn and Lincoln (1942) but he was not appointed. Instead, Archbishop Temple arranged for his translation to another suffragan bishopric, Maidstone, in 1943 with special responsibility for supporting Chaplains and for making arrangements for post-War ordination candidates who had fought in the War. The following year, Owen was preaching in the Guards Chapel in London when it was hit by a flying bomb. He was physically unhurt but badly shaken by the experience. Nevertheless, he was considered for the diocesan sees of Salisbury and Lincoln in 1946 and was appointed to Lincoln. Although he had been assured by his doctors of his fitness for the post, he fell ill and died in March 1947, aged 60. "He did not make public appearances, or write books, or attract attention to himself. It required a flying bomb to make him for a moment a head-line figure".Lincoln Diocesan Magazine p343

References

1886 births People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Archdeacons of Auckland Bishops of Jarrow Bishops of Maidstone Bishops of Lincoln World War I chaplains 20th-century Church of England bishops 1947 deaths Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub