Adelbert John Robert Anson DD (20 December 184027 May 1909) was a clergyman from the Anson family. He served as an

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 th ...

bishop in late 19th century western Canada.

Early life

Anson was the fourth and youngest son of Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield, by Louisa Catherine Philips, daughter of Nathaniel Philips, of Slebech Hall,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

. Thomas Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield and the Honourable Augustus Anson were his elder brothers. He was educated at Eton and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, and was ordained in 1865.

Career

Anson's first posts were curacies at Wolverhampton and Bilston. From 1875 to 1883 he was

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Mary Magdalene Woolwich before being appointed to the episcopate; he was consecrated a bishop by Edward White Benson,

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 Justi ...

, at St Mary-at-Lambeth on 24 June 1884 ( Midsummer, or St John the Baptist's Day). In his time as

Bishop of Qu'Appelle The Diocese of Qu'Appelle in the Anglican Church of Canada lies in the southern third of the civil province of Saskatchewan and contains within its geographical boundaries some 50 per cent of the province's population of one million. Establishme ...

, then in the District of Assiniboia in the

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

and to become part of the

Province of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

when that was created in 1905, he engendered vast indignation and hostility among local natives and with the headquarters of the then-Church of England in Canada. He openly and publicly declared that it was a vast advantage that his region of the Canadian prairies was blessed with English migrants in addition to trivial native colonials. Returning to England in 1892 he was Master of St John's Hospital, Lichfield until 1898. He died on 27 May 1909.''Obituary Bishop Anson'' The Times Friday, May 28, 1909; pg. 11; Issue 38971; col E A controversial figure in his diocese, at least among native Canadian farmers and townspeople, he encouraged the small English community to stand fast and remain aloof from Ontario-born, Country-born, Scottish, Irish, French and aboriginal people. Anson is buried in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels in

Colwich, Staffordshire Colwich is a civil parish and village in Staffordshire, England. It is situated off the A51 road, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Rugeley and 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Stafford. It lies principally on the north-east bank of the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anson, Adelbert John Robert 1840 births 1909 deaths Anglican clergy from London People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Anglican bishops of Qu'Appelle 19th-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops Younger sons of earls Adelbert