The Venerable William Alexander Noblett (known informally as Nobby),

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 16 April 1953) is an Anglo-Irish retired

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 ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and manager. He was

Chaplain-General of Prisons The Chaplain-General of Prisons is the head of the Church of England's chaplaincy to prisons. He is also an ''ex officio'' member of the House of Clergy of the General Synod. Chaplains-general :''Smith was the first chaplain-general.'' *1946-1961 ...

from 2001 to 2011. The Venerable Noblett was educated at

The High School, Dublin The High School is a 12–18 mixed, Church of Ireland, independent secondary school in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. It was established in 1870 at Harcourt Street before moving to Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girl ...

Southampton University , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

, and Salisbury & Wells Theological College, with a B.Th. from Southampton in 1978, graduating with an M.Th. in Applied Theology at Oxford University in 1998. 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 ...

deacon 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 Churc ...

in 1978 and

in 1979. After 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 ...

Sholing Sholing, previously Scholing, is a district on the eastern side of the city of Southampton in Southern England. It is located between the districts of Bitterne, Thornhill and Woolston. Various explanations from where the name derives b ...

he served the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

as the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Ardamine Union in the Republic of Ireland from 1980 to 1982. He was a

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

from 1982 to 1984; and

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of St Thomas,

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

from 1984 to 1987. In the late 1980s he entered the chaplaincy service of HM Prisons. Noblett was a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

and

Full Sutton Full Sutton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, Stamford Bridge. According to the Unit ...

prisons 1987-2001, before becoming Chaplain General and Archdeacon of Prisons. The Venerable Noblett was 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 can ...

and

Prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

from 2001 to 2012, and is a Canon Emeritus; an Honorary Canon of Liverpool Cathedral from 2009 to 2012; and has been a Chaplain to the Sovereign since 2005. He received the 2013

Perrie Award The Perrie Award has been presented annually since 1995 by the Perrie Lectures Committee to the person who has done most to promote an understanding of the work of the Prison Service in England and Wales, and pushed forward the development of p ...

for his 'outstanding contribution to the criminal justice system'. During his time as prison chaplain, he published "Prayers for People in Prison" (1998) and "Inside Faith: praying for people in prison" (2009). In 2009 the Venerable Noblett was made an Honorary Life Member of the American Correctional Chaplains Association in recognition of his leadership. At the conclusion of the Venerable Noblett's term as Chaplain General, which saw him criticised for a perceived condescending attitude towards traditional religious belief, the Church of England faced the possible loss of the Chaplain General's position. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-17020294

References

1953 births Christian clergy from Dublin (city) People educated at The High School, Dublin Alumni of the University of Southampton Alumni of Wells Theological College Royal Air Force chaplains Chaplains-General of Prisons Honorary Chaplains to the King Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Living people {{prison-stub