Piers Holt Wilson (known as Peter; January 1883 – 3 February 1956) 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 ...

in the mid part of the 20th century.

Early Years and Education

Wilson was born in Redgrave Hall,

Redgrave, Suffolk Redgrave is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, just south of the River Waveney that here forms the county boundary with Norfolk. The village is about west of the town of Diss. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 45 ...

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to George Holt Wilson and Lucinda James. After the death of his mother when he was 3 years old, he was brought up by his sister Evelyn. He was educated at

Sherborne School (God and My Right) , established = 705 by Aldhelm, re-founded by King Edward VI 1550 , closed = , type = Public school Independent, boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , chair_label = Chairman of the governors ...

and Oriel College, Oxford. After studying at Oxford, he taught in a Prep School for boys. He entered

Wells Theological College Wells Theological College began operation in 1840 within the Cathedral Close of Wells Cathedral. It was one of several new colleges created in the nineteenth century to cater not just for non-graduates, but for graduates from the old universiti ...

situated in Wells after 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 ...

in 1909. He was a curate in

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

, a town in the northern part of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. He was one of 7 curates to the vicar the Reverend Patrick Smythe. He became priest-in-charge of All Saints St Andrews in 1920 and later rector in 1930. In 1940 he was appointed

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of the

Diocese of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

Bishop

On April 8, 1943, he was elected as Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, succeeding Bishop

Arthur Maclean Arthur John MacLean (6 July 1858 – 24 February 1943) was an Anglican bishop in the later decades of the 19th century and first four of the 20th century. Maclean was born into an ecclesiastical family. His father, the Rev Arthur J. Macleane (he ...

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 ...

, 9 April 1943; pg. 4; Issue 49516; col G ''New Scottish Bishop'' He was enthroned as bishop on 29 June 1943 by the

Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus on ...

the Most Reverend Logie Danson. Bishop Wilson retired as Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness in 1953. He settled back in St Andrews. He died in 1956.

WWI

As soon as World War I began in August 1914, Wilson enlisted. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1914 to 1915, first as a stretcher-bearer then later as a Chaplain in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. After serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps, Wilson entered the Royal Army Service Corps then, from 1916 to 1919, he served as a chaplain in the Royal Armed Forces. He was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the military O.B.E. for his part in evacuating people from an airfield in

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. He received a letter signed by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

Marriage

Wilson married the widow of his friend who had died during WWI in 1915. Wilson married Ella Lee in 1920 and went to live in St Andrews after he was appointed rector of All Saints by his former vicar and by then Dean of St Ninian's Cathedral in Perth, Patrick Smythe.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Peter 1883 births People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Deans of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane 20th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops Bishops of Moray, Ross and Caithness 1956 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Army Medical Corps officers Royal Army Service Corps officers Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers