Robert James Carr (1774–1841) was an English churchman,

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's sea ...

in 1824 and Bishop of Worcester in 1831. Robert James Carr

Early life

Born 9 May 1774 and christened 9 June at

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...

, London he was the eldest son of the Reverend Colston Carr, at the time vicar of Feltham, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Bullock. His elder sister, Elizabeth Ann, married Sir James Lloyd , and his younger brother was Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry William Carr . His father, later vicar of Ealing, was chaplain first to the King's younger brother Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and, after his death, to the King's younger son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. He received his primary education at a school his father ran in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

, before being sent to Merchant Taylors' School, London. From there he went up in 1792 to Worcester College, Oxford, gaining the degrees of BA in 1796, MA in 1806 and both BD and DD in 1820.

Career

Following his father and grandfather into the Church of England, he was ordained priest in 1798 by the

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

and held various appointments until 1804, when he became vicar of Brighton. A busy fishing port and holiday resort, it was where the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, the future King

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, spent much time and a friendship began between the two men which lasted for life. When the Prince became King in 1820, he was able to advance his friend, who was appointed

Deputy Clerk of the Closet The Deputy Clerk of the Closet is the Domestic Chaplain to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The office was created in 1677. Since 1931, the Deputy Clerk is also the sub-dean of the Chapel Royal (under the Clerk of the Closet). The Deputy C ...

, Dean and Canon of Hereford and

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 ca ...

of Salisbury Cathedral and of

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of ...

. Four years later he was consecrated bishop of Chichester, giving up his posts at Brighton and Salisbury. In 1827 he was promoted to

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 ...

and in 1828 was made a canon of St Paul's Cathedral, giving up his posts at Hereford. In the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, he was one of the bishops who voted against the Roman Catholic Relief Bill in 1829 and, while not speaking against the measure, opposed it in other ways. During the King's last illness, he was in constant attendance at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

and was able to help with two matters on the king's conscience: his estrangement from his brother, the

Duke of Sussex Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several royal dukedoms, that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is a hereditary title of a specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. It takes its name fr ...

, and the possible breach of his

coronation oath An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

in allowing

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

. In 1831 the new king,

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

, promoted him to the bishopric of Worcester, in fulfilment, as it was understood at the time, of a promise made by the late king. He then gave up his post at St Paul's, being succeeded by

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...

. When the House of Lords voted on the

Reform Bill In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

in 1832 he abstained. After the death of the king in 1837, he was replaced as Clerk of the Closet and had no further influence at court. 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 1831. He died on 24 April 1841, aged 67, in The Old Palace, Worcester and was buried on 3 May beside his wife in

Hartlebury Hartlebury is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England which is in Wychavon district centred south of Kidderminster. The civil parish registered a population of 2,549 in the 2001 Census. The railway station is centred 800 metr ...

churchyard. His only published works were sermons preached for charitable purposes. Hartlebury church (geograph 2550728)

Family

In 1797 at Twickenham he married Nancy (1774–1841), youngest daughter of John Wilkinson, a wealthy businessman who lived at

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

, and his wife Sibella Berdoe. They had nine children, of whom only four survived: *Maria (1801–1888), who in 1842 married the Worcester solicitor and MP William Laslett. They separated shortly after, without children, and the unhappy episode was fictionalised in the 1861 novel

East Lynne ''East Lynne'' is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs Henry Wood. A Victorian best-seller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, centring on infidelity and double identities. There have ...

. *Sybella Jane (1802–1879), who married the Sussex landowner Charles Peckham Peckham and had eight children. Her granddaughter Sibylla Wallace married the zoologist Stanley Smyth Flower. *Elizabeth Lloyd (1804–1885), who married the Reverend Thomas Baker, a first cousin of Fanny Brawne. He was chaplain to her father at Chichester and later rector of Hartlebury. They had nine children, a great-grandson being Air Marshal Sir John Baker-Carr. * George Kirwan (1810–1877), who changed his surname to Carr Lloyd and became a Sussex landowner.

References

Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Robert James 1774 births 1841 deaths People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Deans of Hereford Bishops of Chichester Bishops of Worcester Fellows of the Royal Society Clerks of the Closet