Edmund Henry Elwin, DD (18 September 1871 – 10 November 1909) was an English Anglican missionary and 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 ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

Biography

Elwin was educated at

Dover College , motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task , established = , closed = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , headmaster = Simon Fisher , r_head_label = , r_head ...

and Merton College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, where he gained a third class degree in Theology. Later he studied at

Wycliffe Hall Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England Seminary, theological college and a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was Master (college), mast ...

in Oxford, a theological training college in the Evangelical tradition. After his curacy in Oxford, Edmund Elwin became a missionary in

and soon became Vice Principal of Fourah Bay College which was affiliated to Durham University. He eventually became Principal and Secretary of the Sierra Leone Mission. When the then Bishop of Sierra Leone became Chaplain General to the British Forces in November 1901, Elwin was appointed his successor. He was consecrated as

by the Archbishop of Canterbury in

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...

25 January 1902. In March 1902 he received the degree Doctor of Divinity ''( Honoris causa)'' from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, and was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

. Elwin died of yellow fever in Sierra Leone on 10 November 1909, a few weeks before being due to return to England as the appointed Bishop of Bristol. He was the father of

Verrier Elwin Harry Verrier Holman Elwin (29 August 1902 – 22 February 1964) was a British-born Indian anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, who began his career in India as a Christian missionary. He first abandoned the clergy, to work with Ma ...

References

* Dover College Register * Savaging the civilized: Verrier Elwin, his tribals, and India; by Ramachandra Guha 1871 births 1909 deaths Alumni of Merton College, Oxford British evangelicals Anglican missionaries in Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean educators Anglican bishops of Sierra Leone People associated with Durham University English Anglican missionaries Missionary educators 20th-century Anglican bishops in Sierra Leone {{Anglican-bishop-stub