Cuthbert Carroll Thicknesse (19 November 1887 – 2 June 1971) was Dean of St Albans from 1936 until his retirement in 1955. Born into an ecclesiastical family of Lancashire landed gentry, the son of Ven. Francis

Norman Thicknesse (Francis) Norman Thicknesse (b Deane, Lancashire 9 Aug. 1858 - d St Albans 13 April 1946) was Archdeacon of Middlesex, from 1930 until 1933. Of a Lancashire landed gentry family, the son of a bishop he was educated at Winchester and BNC. He he ...

, and educated at Marlborough and

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, t ...

, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

in 1913. He was firstly a

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

of St John-at-Hackney. He became a Temporary Chaplain to the Forces in May, 1915. He was sent to Flanders in January, 1917, attached to the Royal Artillery but, 4 months later, was wounded in the knee. He was invalided out in 1917 By then, he had married Rhoda Oonah Marjorie Moran Pratt, and the Archbishop of York was able to have him appointed Rector of Bedworth, a post reserved for Chaplains to the Forces. In 1922, he moved to Wigan, and was made an Honorary Chaplain to the King. In 1934, he was recommended for the vacant see at Guildford but was unsuccessful. He became Dean of St Albans two years later. Noted for a ‘volcanic’ temperament, he was a fierce opponent of

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s, and he refused to hold a service of celebration in

St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

at the cessation of the war with Japan in August 1945. He was described in his obituary as “a high church man and convinced Anglican”.Times Obituary (ibid)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thicknesse, Cuthbert Carroll 1887 births People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Keble College, Oxford Honorary Chaplains to the King Deans of St Albans 1971 deaths World War I chaplains Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers