The Rt Rev Thomas Dealtry (1795–1861) 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 19th century.

Life

He was born into a poor family in

Knottingley Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 13,503, inc ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

in 1796. Mainly self-taught, Dealtry worked as an usher in a

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

school and then as tutor to a private family, where he eloped with the sister of his pupil in 1819. After she died, he married again in 1824. He then studied law at St Catharine's College, Cambridge from 1825, graduating LL.B. in 1828. He was ordained into the

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 Britai ...

in 1828 and served as Curate of St Peter's Church in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

. Spotted in his church role by

Charles Simeon Charles Simeon (24 September 1759 – 13 November 1836) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric. Life and career He was born at Reading, Berkshire, in 1759 and baptised at St Laurence's parish church on 24 October of that year. He was the ...

, he was introduced to Rev Thomas Thomason who had recently returned from Bengal. Together they organised to send Dealtry to India as a chaplain in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

where he arrived in January 1829. From 1829 to 1835 he worked in the Old Mission Church in Calcutta. In 1835 he became Archdeacon of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, remaining in the post until 1848 when he returned to England on furlough, succeeding

Baptist Wriothesley Noel The Reverend The Honourable Baptist Wriothesley Noel (Wells, J. C. ''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. 3rd edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2008. ''REYE-əths-lee''; 16 July 1798 – 19 January 1873) was an English evangelical clerg ...

as pastor of St John's Church on Bedford Row. However he was offered the Bishop of Madras in 1849. and returned for consecration in this post in February 1850. He died in this post on 4 March 1861 and his widow Jane in 1892.

Lord Lugard Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...

, whose father was a friend of the Bishop in Madras, had 'Dealtry' as one of his Christian names. Dealtry's monument in Madras Cathedral was sculpted by

Joseph Durham Joseph Durham (1814 – 27 October 1877) was an English sculptor. Life Durham was born in London in 1814. Around 1827 he was apprenticed o John Francis. He later worked in the studio of E. H. Baily for three years, and exhibited his ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851 by Rupert Gunnis

Gallery

File:Thomas Dealtry Memorial at the Cathedral, Madras (Penny, p.126, 1922).png, Thomas Dealtry Memorial at the Cathedral, Madras, from Rev. Frank Penny's Book 'The Church in Madras, Volume III'(1922) File:George'sCathedral10.jpg, Thomas Dealtry Memorial at the St. George's Cathedral, Madras

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dealtry, Thomas Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Archdeacons of Calcutta 19th-century Anglican bishops in Asia Anglican bishops of Madras British expatriates in India 1795 births 1861 deaths