Ann Elizabeth Tottenham (born July 21, 1940) is a retired bishop of the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

. She is the oldest child of Charles Tottenham, 8th Marquess of Ely who emigrated to

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Although entitled to the style ''Lady Ann Tottenham'', she does not use this. Her brother is John Tottenham, 9th Marquess of Ely. Tottenham was the second

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 ...

woman to be elected as a

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 Canada, in the Diocese of Toronto. She served until her retirement in 2005.

Teacher

She was educated at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Trinity College, Toronto Trinity College (occasionally referred to as the University of Trinity College) is a University of Toronto#Colleges, federated college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Down ...

and a seminary in New York. In the late 1960s she became an Anglican nun for three years before becoming a teacher. She became the headmistress of

Bishop Strachan School The Bishop Strachan School (BSS) is an Anglican day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school has approximately 950 students, including 70 boarding students, ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 (approximately ...

, a private school with Anglican links, in Toronto from 1981 to 1995.

Religious life

Tottenham was ordained in 1983 and, after leaving teaching, was the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

priest in two parishes, St. George's,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, and St. Saviour's,

Orono, Ontario Orono is a community in the Clarington, Ontario, Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southern stretch of Highway 35 (Ontario), Highway 35/Highway 115 (Ontario), 115, approximately east of Toronto. History The town ...

."Dioceses elect Three Bishops", Anglican Journal, September 1997
/ref> In 1997, she was elected as a

suffragan bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...

with responsibility for the Credit Valley area of the Diocese of Toronto. She was the second woman to be elected an Anglican bishop in Toronto and Canada. She succeeded the first Canadian Anglican woman to become a bishop,

Victoria Matthews Victoria Matthews (born 1954) is a Canadian Anglican bishop. From 2008 until 2018, she served as Bishop of Christchurch in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. In 1994, she became the first woman ordained bishop in the A ...

, as Credit Valley area bishop. She retired in 2005, but in 2007 was appointed Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Niagara and served part-time in this role until the retirement of Bishop Ralph Spence in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tottenham, Ann 1940 births Living people Women Anglican bishops 21st-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops Trinity College (Canada) alumni University of Toronto alumni Daughters of British marquesses Anglican bishops of Toronto