Datuk Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay language, Malay honorific title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Use of the title various between loc ...

Basil Temenggong (11 October 1918 – 22 September 1984) was a Malaysian clergyman in the Anglican Church. He was the second

Bishop of Kuching The Bishop of Kuching is the ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of Kuching in the Church of the Province of South East Asia. The bishop exercises episcopal authority over Anglican churches in the Malaysian state of Sarawak and in the independent ...

from 1968 until his death in 1984, and the first indigenous Sarawakian bishop.

Early life

Temenggong was born in 1918 at Pasa, an

Iban IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to: Banking * International Bank Account Number Ethnology * Iban culture * Iban language The Iban language () is spoken by the Iban, one of the Dayak ethnic groups who live in Brunei, the Indonesian provinc ...

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from lumber, timber and ...

a mile downriver from Betong, in what was then the

Raj of Sarawak The Raj of Sarawak, Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, was a kingdom founded in 1841 in northwestern Borneo and was in a Protectorate, treaty of protection with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom from 1888. It ...

. He was educated at St Augustine's mission school in Betong and, after completing Standard 6, at St Thomas's School in

Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...

. He returned to Betong, and for a short while he taught, before seeking ordination.

Clerical career

In 1939 he went to Bishop's College, Calcutta, for training for ordination. He was ordained deacon in 1941 and priest in 1943. He was an assistant chaplain at St Thomas's,

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

(1941–43) and at

Asansol Asansol is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest city in West Bengal. It is the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India by population. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Bardhaman district. Accordi ...

(1943–46). In the latter post, he found himself ministering to allied soldiers massing at the border, waiting to fight the Japanese. In 1946 he returned to Sarawak to become headmaster of St Augustine's School, Betong until 1953. He then went to England to do a post-ordination course at

St Augustine's College, Canterbury St Augustine’s College in Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom, was located within the precincts of St Augustine's Abbey about 0.2 miles (335 metres) ESE of Canterbury Cathedral. It served first as a missionary college of the Church of England (18 ...

, followed by six months with the

Community of the Resurrection The Community of the Resurrection (CR) is an Anglican religious community for men in England. It is based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and has 14 members as of April 2023. The community reflects Anglicanism in its broad nature and is strongl ...

Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road (Great B ...

, three months at

All Saints Church, Poplar All Saints Church, Poplar, is a church in Newby Place, Poplar, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is the Church of England parish church of Poplar. It was built in 1821–3 to serve the newly created parish. The church was designated a Grade ...

and a further three months at

All Saints, Margaret Street All Saints is an Anglo-Catholicism, Anglo-Catholic church on Margaret Street, London, Margaret Street in Westminster, Greater London, England. Founded in the late 18th century as Margaret Street Chapel, the church became one aligned with the Ox ...

. Subsequent appointments were as Priest-in-Charge of

Saratok Saratok is a town, and the capital of the Saratok District (1,586.9 square kilometres) in Betong Division, Sarawak, East Malaysia in the island of Borneo. The last recorded district population was 54,400 (year 2020 census). It is located abo ...

(1956–62) (and Canon of Borneo 1960–62) and Priest-in-Charge of St Luke's Mission,

Simanggang Simanggang is a town and the capital of Sri Aman District and Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, east Malaysia. Located on the Lupar River, it is , a three-hour drive, from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. It is a trade center for the timber, oil ...

(1962–68) (and Canon of Kuching 1962-68 and Archdeacon of Kuching 1965–68). When

Nicholas Allenby David Howard Nicholas Allenby SSM, (28 January 1909 – 28 February 1995) was an English clergyman in the Anglican Church and a member of the religious order the Society of the Sacred Mission. He held the position of Bishop of Kuching from 19 ...

resigned as

in 1968, Temenggong was the unanimous choice to replace him. He was President of the

Council of Churches of Malaysia The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) is an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian organisations in Malaysia. It is one of the three constituent members of the Christian Federation of Malaysia. It is affiliated with the Commissio ...

from 1972 to 1974 and the President of the Council of Churches of East Asia from 1979 until 1983.

Personal life

He was made

. He died during a confirmation service at Simunjan in 1984, aged 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temenggong, Basil 1918 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in Asia Anglican bishops of Kuching