Brownlow North (17 July 1741 – 12 July 1820) was a bishop of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Early life, family and education

Brownlow North was born on 17 July 1741 in Chelsea,

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, the only son of Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford and his second wife Elizabeth, only child and sole heir of Sir Arthur Kaye , and widow of her first husband George Legge, Viscount Lewisham (son of William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth), therefore styled as the ''dowager Viscountess Lewisham'' until her second marriage. North's maternal half-siblings included Anne, Countess of Cardigan (who married James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan), and

William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, PC, FRS (20 June 1731 – 15 July 1801), styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1772 to 1775, during the initial stage ...

; his paternal half-siblings included

Frederick North, Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He ...

, the future Prime Minister. His only full sibling was Louisa, Lady Willoughby de Broke (who married John Peyto-Verney, 14th Baron Willoughby de Broke). He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

(1752–1759) and

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

(where he matriculated on 10 January 1760 as a fellow-commoner), graduating as a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1762. He became a Fellow of

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...

in 1763, gaining his Master of Arts (Oxon) on 4 July 1766 and

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; ) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher doctorate usually awarded on the basis of except ...

in 1770.

Church career

Memorial to Brownlow North within Winchester Cathedral - geograph

North was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

at Christ Church by

John Hume John Hume (18 January 19373 August 2020) was an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A founder and leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Hume served in the Parliament of Northern Irel ...

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...

, on 27 October 1765 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

at Grosvenor Chapel,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

by Frederick Cornwallis, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry on 12 April 1767. Supremely well-connected — his father was an influential courtier and his half-brother Frederick was to become

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...

— North enjoyed substantial, rapid and early career advances. His brother-in-law Willoughby de Broke presented him to the rectory of Lighthorne, then the crown presented him to the 4th prebend at Christ Church on 28 April 1768. He remained a canon of Oxford until he was installed as

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter (religion), Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of dean (religion), Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Dea ...

on 6 October 1770; while there he obtained the lucrative livings of

Lydd Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a ...

and

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, both of which he retained while at Lichfield. North left Canterbury for Lichfield in 1771, when his half-brother the Prime Minister's recommendation saw him elected Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. His election to that see having been confirmed on 26 August 1771, he was consecrated a bishop by Frederick Cornwallis,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

(with

Richard Terrick Richard Terrick (baptised 20 July 1710 – 31 March 1777) was a Church of England clergyman who served as Bishop of Peterborough 1757–1764 and Bishop of London 1764–1777. Life Terrick was born in York, the eldest son of Samuel Terrick, rec ...

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

;

Zachary Pearce Zachary Pearce, sometimes known as Zachariah (8 September 1690 – 29 June 1774), was an English Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Rochester. He was a controversialist and a notable early critical writer defending John Milton, attacking Richard Be ...

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...

; and William Markham

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

) on 8 September 1771 at

Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament of the United King ...

chapel North was Bishop of Lichfield for three years before his election as

Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...

was confirmed on 27 December 1774; he then remained in Worcester for six and a half years until his election to the See of Winchester was confirmed on 5 June 1781. Throughout the period of his appointments to these two Sees his half-brother remained Prime Minister. North was enthroned (by proxy) at

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

on 25 June 1781 and continued as

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' the offic ...

until his death, following a long illness, at Winchester House, Chelsea on 12 July 1820. He was then buried at his cathedral on 21 August 1820. The monument was sculpted by

Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis

Marriage and family

On 17 January 1771, North married Henrietta Maria Bannister, who died on 17 November 1796. His eldest son Francis North, 6th Earl of Guilford and his youngest Charles Augustus North both became Anglican priests; of his four daughters, one (Henrietta) married a priest and another ( Elizabeth) married Thomas de Grey, 4th Baron Walsingham. The 19th century evangelist, also named Brownlow North was his grandson (Charles' son.)

Styles and titles

*1741–1765: ''

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...

'' Brownlow North *1765–1768: ''

The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

and Honourable'' Brownlow North *1768–1770: ''The Reverend and Honourable'' Canon Brownlow North *1770-1771: ''The Very Reverend and Honourable'' Brownlow North *1771–1820: ''

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated as The Rt Revd or The Rt Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian ministers and members of clergy. It is a variant of the more common st ...

and Honourable'' Brownlow North

References

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:North, Brownlow 1741 births 1820 deaths Bishops of Lichfield Bishops of Winchester Bishops of Worcester Deans of Canterbury People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Younger sons of earls 18th-century Church of England bishops