Christopher William Herbert (born 7 January 1944) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

bishop. From 1996 to 2009, he was the

Bishop of St Albans The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three ar ...

Early life

Herbert was born on 7 January 1944, in

Lydney Lydney is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the west bank of the River Severn in the Forest of Dean District, and is 16 miles (25 km) southwest of Gloucester. The town has been bypassed by the A48 road since 199 ...

in the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to ...

. His father helped run the family road haulage business, but was also very proud of his roots as a foundryman in a local iron works.About Christopher Herbert
/ref> Herbert was educated at Monmouth School and went on to read Biblical Studies and Philosophy at the

University of Wales, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited ...

. He studied for the ordained ministry at Wells Theological College, and also obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

Ordained ministry

Herbert was ordained in 1967 and from 1967 to 1971 was Assistant Curate at St Paul's, Tupsley,

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

, and Assistant Master at the Bishop's School in Tupsley. From 1971 to 1976 he was Adviser in Religious Education, and from 1976 to 1981 Director of Education, for the

Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...

. From 1981 to 1990 he was Vicar of St Thomas on the Bourne, near

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tri ...

, Surrey. He was appointed Director of Post-Ordination Training and honorary canon of Guildford Cathedral before becoming

Archdeacon of Dorking The Archdeacon of Dorking is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Guildford, responsible for clergy discipline and church buildings within the area of her/his archdeaconry. History The Archdeaconry of Dorking is a subdivision of the ...

in 1990.

Episcopal ministry

Herbert became

in 1995: he was consecrated a bishop by

George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the C ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

, at

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark ...

on 17 November 1995; and was enthroned and installed at

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

on 20 January 1996.St Albans diocese – The Bishops of St Albans
/ref> During his tenure as a diocesan bishop, he served as chairman of

The Council of Christians and Jews The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) is a voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom. It is composed of Christians and Jews working together to counter anti-semitism and other forms of intolerance in Britain. Their patron was Queen Elizabeth ...

and was a member of a Lords'

select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system) A select committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster system o ...

that considered a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

pertaining to

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

and

assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...

. During this time he was awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, and his own PhD from the University of Leicester in 2008. Herbert retired from his post as Bishop of St Albans on 7 January 2009 – his 65th birthday.Bishop announces retirement, ''Herts Advertiser'', January 23, 2008
/ref>

Publications

* ''The new creation: a dramatic project for integrated studies'' (Religious Education Press, 1971) * ''A place to dream – a new way of looking at churches and cathedrals'', with John Hencher (Church Information Office, 1976) * ''St Paul's: a place to dream – a new way of looking at St Paul's Cathedral'' (Friends of St Paul's, 1982) * ''The Edge of Wonder'' (anthology) (Church Information Office, 1981) * ''Listening to children: a fresh approach to religious education in the primary years'', with Mary Ellison (Church Information Office, 1983) * ''On the Road (Beginnings)'' (

Bible Society A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibi ...

, 1984) * ''Be Thou My Vision: Diary of Prayer'' ( Collins, 1985) * ''This Most Amazing Day'' (anthology) (Church House Publishing, 1986) * ''The Question of Jesus'', with Colin Alves and Alan Dale (Church House Publishing, 1987) * ''Alive to God'' (Collins, 1987) * ''Ways into Prayer'' (Church House Publishing, 1987) * ''Help in Your Bereavement'' (Collins, 1988.) * ''Prayers for Children'' (anthology) National Society, 1993) * ''Pocket Prayers'' (anthology) (Church House Publishing, 1993) * ''The Prayer Garden: an anthology of children's prayers'' (HarperCollins, 1994) * ''Words of Comfort'' (anthology) (National Society/Church House Publishing, 1994) * ''A Little Prayer Diary'' (republication of ''Be Thou My Vision'') (HarperCollins, 1996) * ''Pocket Prayers for Children'' (anthology, illustrated by Christina Forde) (National Society/Church House Publishing, 1999) * * ''Pocket Prayers: the classic collection'' (anthology) (Church House Publishing, 2009) * ''Pocket Prayers for Commuters'' (anthology) (Church House Publishing, 2009) * ''Foreshadowing the Reformation: Art and Religion in the 15th Century Burgundian Netherlands'' (Routledge, 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Christopher William 1944 births Living people Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Archdeacons of Dorking Bishops of St Albans People educated at Monmouth School for Boys People from Lydney People from St Albans