The Rt Rev Thomas Dealtry (1795–1861) was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the 19th century.

Life

He was born into a poor family in

Knottingley Knottingley is a 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, increasing ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

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

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

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 St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...

from 1825, graduating LL.B. in 1828. He was ordained into the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

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

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. Spotted in his church role by

Charles Simeon Charles Simeon (24 September 1759 – 13 November 1836) was an English Evangelical Anglicanism, evangelical Anglican cleric and biblical commentator who led the evangelical 'Low Church' movement, in reaction to the liturgically and episcopally ...

, 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 ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

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

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

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

Baptist Wriothesley Noel The Reverend The Honourable Baptist Wriothesley Noel ( ''REYE-əths-lee''; 16 July 1798 – 19 January 1873) was an English Baptist minister. He was minister of St John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, from 1827 to 1848, In 1849 he became pasto ...

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, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong Kong (1907� ...

, 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 to 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