Ronald Erskine Ramsay was the first Suffragan Bishop of Malmesbury, with the additional title of

Archdeacon of Swindon The Archdeacon of Malmesbury is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Bristol. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within its four rural deaneries: Chippenham, Kingswood and South Glouce ...

, from 1927 until 1946. He was born on 4 November 1882 and educated at

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any universit ...

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 his first post was 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 Lozells. Later

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

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

Mission, he served 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 ...

as a

chaplain to the Forces The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

. He had been interviewed in May 1916, and his experience of extempore preaching at open-air meetings made him a suitable candidate for the Chaplaincy. He served for one year in France with the Glosters including when they were active during the Battle of the Somme Following this he was Clerical Secretary to the ''Bristol Board of Finance'' until his ordination 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 ...

. A man of deep compassion, he retired in 1946 and died on 26 March 1954. An obituary on one of his sons referred to his father, Ronald, being a notable cricketer and the only bishop known to have been captain of his golf club.The Times obituary,30.11.2010

References

1882 births Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford Archdeacons of Swindon 20th-century Church of England bishops Bishops of Swindon (previously Malmesbury) 1954 deaths World War I chaplains Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub