William Chalmers (1833 13 November 1901) was a missionary who became 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 Australia.

Early life and education

Chalmers was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1833, the son of George Chalmers of Islington. He was educated at the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

and at St Augustine's College, Canterbury. He later qualified for the degree of B.D. from

Trinity College, Toronto Trinity College (occasionally referred to as The University of Trinity College) is a college federated with the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Strachan originally intended Trinity as a university of strong Angl ...

in 1888, and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree from the college in 1892. He was also an

honorary fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

of St Augustine's College, Canterbury.

Ecclesiastical career

On leaving college in 1858, he was accepted by the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Part ...

for service in the Diocese of Labuan and Sarawak. He was admitted to the

diaconate 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 ...

in 1858, and

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 1859, working as an SPG

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, the first amongst the Land Dayaks of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

. Health problems led to his emigrating to

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

in 1861. He held incumbencies at Inglewood (1862–68),

Malmsbury Malmsbury is a town in central Victoria, Australia on the Old Calder Highway (C794), 95 km north-west of the state capital, Melbourne and 11 km north-west of Kyneton. Situated close by the Coliban River, Malmsbury has a population ...

and Taradale (1868–70),

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets: ...

(1870–78), Geelong (1878-89) and Brighton, Melbourne, where he served as Vicar of St Andrew's Church (1889–92). In 1889 he was also appointed a

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Melbourne Cathedral. Chalmers was elected to be the Bishop of Goulburn on 9 June 1892 and consecrated and installed on 1 November.''

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 ...

'', 3 November 1892, p11, "Ecclesiastical Intelligence" He died in office in Sydney in 1901 and is buried within the precincts of St Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn.

Family

Chalmes married, in 1866, a daughter of Mr. E. N. Francis, of Tarnaguala, Victoria

References

1833 births People educated at the High School of Dundee Alumni of St Augustine's College, Canterbury 19th-century Anglican bishops in Australia 20th-century Anglican bishops in Australia Anglican bishops of Goulburn 1901 deaths British emigrants to Australia {{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub