Bowyer Edward Sparke and other figures by Sir George Hayter

Bowyer Edward Sparke (27 April 1759 – 4 April 1836) was an English bishop.

Life

He was born at Bury St Edmunds, and was admitted a pensioner at Pembroke College, Cambridge on 27 October 1777, where he matriculated in 1778. He graduated B.A. in 1782 and M.A. in 1785; he was D.D. 1803. He became a Fellow of his college in 1784. He was tutor to

John Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland John Henry Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland KG (4 January 177820 January 1857), styled Lord Roos from 1778 until 1779 and Marquess of Granby from 1779 until 1787, was a British landowner as well as an owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses. ...

, who then found him a rectory. He was vicar of Scalford, Leicestershire from 1800 to 1805, and vicar of

Redmile Redmile is an English village and civil parish in the Melton district of Leicestershire, about north of Melton Mowbray and west of Grantham. The population of the civil parish, which includes Barkestone-le-Vale and Plungar, was 921 at the 2 ...

, 1800 to 1809. He was vicar of St Augustine-the-Less, Bristol, from 1803 to 1810. He became

Dean of Bristol The Dean of Bristol is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol, England. The Dean is Mandy Ford, since her installation on 3 October 2020. List of deans Early modern *1542–1551 William Sno ...

in 1803,

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

in 1809, and was Bishop of Ely from 1812 until his death at an age of 77. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

in 1810. According to George W. E. Russell, Sparke gave so many of his best livings to his family that it was said locally that you could find your way across

the Fens The Fens, also known as the , in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a ...

on a dark night "by the number of little Sparkes along the road."George W. E. Russell, ''Collections & Recollections'' (Revised edition, Smith Elder & Co, London, 1899), at pages 70-71. He died at Ely House, Dover Street, London. His body was interred on 16 April 1836 in a vault in Bishop West's chapel at Ely Cathedral.

Arms

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparke, Bowyer Edward 1759 births 1836 deaths Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Bishops of Chester Bishops of Ely Deans of Bristol Fellows of the Royal Society