Edward Stanley (1 January 1779 – 6 September 1849) was an English clergyman who served as

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...

between 1837 and 1849. He set about combating laxity and want of discipline among the clergy.

Early life

Born in London into a notable

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

family, Stanley was the second son of

Sir John Thomas Stanley Sir John Thomas Stanley, 6th Baronet FRSE Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (26 March 1735 – 29 November 1807) was an 18/19th century British landowner and amateur scientist. Life He was born at Alderley Park on 26 March 1735, the elde ...

, and the younger brother of

John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley John Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley (26 November 1766 – 23 October 1850), known as Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet, from 1807 to 1839, was an English peer and politician. Early life and education Stanley was born at Alderley Pa ...

. Educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

(16th wrangler, 1802), he was ordained in 1802 and three years later became rector of

Alderley, Cheshire Alderley was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire, England. It included the following townships: * Over Alderley * Nether Alderley * Great Warford Under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1886, these townships became ...

, a position he held for the next 32 years. While there he took a great interest in education, and encouraged especially the teaching of secular subjects at his school.

Episcopal discipline

In 1837 he was consecrated

and appointed

Clerk of the Closet The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may, however, remain in office after leav ...

, holding both positions until his death. The diocese at this time was conspicuous for laxity and want of discipline, which he proceeded to remedy, although at first he met with much opposition.

Ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

s and confirmations were held more regularly and frequently, schools were properly inspected, the Plurality Act, which prohibited the holding of more than one benefice by a clergyman except in certain cases, was enforced, and undesirable clergy were removed. Stanley showed tolerance towards

Dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

s and supported all missionary undertakings, without regard for their

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

associations. In politics he was a Liberal and devoted himself especially to educational questions.

Other work

Stanley's letters, ''Before and after Waterloo'' (edited by J. H. Adeane and M. Grenfell, 1907), are of interest to students of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

ic history. Bishop Stanley was the original Patron of the

Ipswich Museum Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage, located in a Grade II* listed building on High Street in Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk. It was historically the leading regional museum in Suffolk, housing ...

and presided at its opening in 1847. A portrait of him in oils is displayed there.R. A. D. Markham, ''A Rhino in High Street'' (Ipswich Borough Council 1991). From 1837 to 1849 he was President of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

Death and succession

Edward Stanley died in 1849 and was buried in the nave of Norwich cathedral. He was succeeded by Samuel Hinds, a broad-churchman with strong associations with the Maoris of New Zealand, notably the Ngati Kuri and Te Patu tribes.

Family

On 8 May 1810, Edward Stanley married Catherine, eldest daughter of Rev. Oswald Leycester (from another notable Cheshire family). They had five children: *

Owen Stanley Captain Owen Stanley FRS RN (13 June 1811 – 13 March 1850) was a British Royal Navy officer and surveyor. Life Stanley was born in Alderley, Cheshire, the son of Edward Stanley, rector of Alderley and later Bishop of Norwich. A brother wa ...

(1811–1850), Royal Navy officer and surveyor *

Mary Stanley Mary Stanley (1813–1879) philanthropist and nurse, is best known for her dispute in the Crimea with her friend Florence Nightingale. Personal life She was born in Alderley, Cheshire, the second of five children to Edward Stanley, later to b ...

(1813–1879), nurse and Catholic convert *

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881) known as Dean Stanley, was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian. He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he wa ...

(1815–1881), priest and historian, Dean of Westminster * Charles Edward Stanley (1819–1849), Royal Engineers officer * Catherine Maria Stanley (1821–1899), married Charles Vaughan

Cultural reference

Stanley appears as a character in

Alan Garner Alan Garner (born 17 October 1934) is an English novelist best known for his children's fantasy novels and his retellings of traditional British folk tales. Much of his work is rooted in the landscape, history and folklore of his native count ...

's novel Strandloper.

References

External links

* * * 1779 births 1849 deaths Anglican clergy from London Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Bishops of Norwich 19th-century Church of England bishops Clerks of the Closet Younger sons of baronets

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

Presidents of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub