Charles John Ridgeway (14 July 184128 February 1927) was an English churhman, the Bishop of Chichester from 1908 to 1919.

Life

Ridgeway was born into an ecclesiastical family: his father Joseph Ridgeway was Vicar of Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells; his younger brother of Frederick became Bishop of Salisbury. He was educated at St Paul's School, and matriculated in 1860 at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1864, M.A. 1885 and D.D. 1906. Ordained in 1866, Ridgeway spent a curacy at Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells before becoming Vicar of

North Malvern North Malvern is a suburb of Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It nestles on the northern slopes of the Malvern Hills. It is a contiguous urban extension of Link Top, and other neighbouring centres of population are Grea ...

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 Buckhurst Hill, Vicar of Christchurch Lancaster Gate and Rural Dean of Paddington. From 1891-1894 he was a member of the

London School Board The School Board for London, commonly known as the London School Board (LSB), was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London. The Elementary Education Act 1870 was the first to provide for ...

, representing the Marylebone Division. A

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Ridgeway was under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England. In 1897 he was granted the honorific rank of Past Grand Chaplain in recognition of his services to English Freemasonry, as part of a series of similar honorary promotions intended to mark the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. After two years (1906–1908) as

Dean of Carlisle The Dean of Carlisle is based in Carlisle, UK and is the head of the Chapter of Carlisle Cathedral. There have been 39 previous incumbents and the post is currently vacant. List of deans Early modern *1542–1547 Lancelot Salkeld (last prior ...

Ridgeway was appointed Bishop of Chichester in 1908. His appointment was at the age of 66, and the result of a dispute between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prime Minister, who was then the key figure in the nomination process for bishops. There was disagreement over rival candidates, and Ridgeway appears to have been a compromise. During World War I, Ridgeway provided support for soldiers in the large military camps in Sussex, and encouraged the recruitment of temporary chaplains. Ridgeway died on 28 February 1927 aged 85 in London, and was buried at Limpsfield. An obituary noted that he had " ... too much sense of humour ever to take himself heavily, and was too much a man of the world ever to lose his realism."

Legacy

After his death Ridgeway's widow presented his pectoral cross to the Chichester Cathedral library, and commissioned a memorial to him which can be seen in the nave.

Family

Ridgeway was twice married: #In 1866, to Susan Jane Fitzgerald, daughter of the Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald; their daughter Una Geraldine married in 1892 Ronald Montagu Burrows. #In 1899, to Katherine Margaret Johnston, daughter of the Rev. Hugh William Johnston.

Notes

External links

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Remembering the Laying of Bognor Church Foundation Stone on 22 July 1910
1841 births 1927 deaths People educated at St Paul's School, London Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deans of Carlisle Bishops of Chichester 20th-century Church of England bishops Members of the London School Board {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub