David John Conner, (born 6 April 1947)Who's Who 2012 – Conner, David John
/ref> is a British

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 ...

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 ...

. He served as

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canon (priest), canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilat ...

from 1998 to 2023, and was additionally the Bishop to the Forces between 2001 and 2009. He previously served as

Bishop of Lynn The Bishop of Lynn is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Kin ...

, a suffragan bishop of the

Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Church of England, forming part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Its origins trace back to the early medieval bishopric of See of Elmham, Elmham and Thetford, which were ...

, from 1994 to 1998, and in school chaplaincy. Conner retired effective 31 July 2023.

Biography

Conner is the son of William Ernest Conner and Joan Millington Conner. He was educated at Erith Grammar School, then

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

and

St Stephen's House, Oxford St Stephen's House is an external theological college with observer status at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Church of England. From 2003 to 2023 it was a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford. The college typicall ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

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 ...

on 29 June 1971 by Christopher Pepys,

Bishop of Buckingham The Bishop of Buckingham is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name from the historic county town of Buckingham; ...

at St Martin's, Fenny Stratford. Having also spent a year at the Oxford Department of Education, soon after ordination he moved into chaplaincy at St Edward's School, Oxford (where he was ordained priest in 1972 by Kenneth Woollcombe, Bishop of Oxford, in the School Chapel) from 1971 to 1980, and later at Winchester. For a while, he was an examining chaplain to the Bishop of Winchester. From 1987 to 1994 he was Vicar of Great St Mary's the University Church, Cambridge. He served as Bishop of Lynn from 1994 to 1998, in which year he was appointed Dean of Windsor; in this role, Conner also held the post of Register of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

and was a

domestic chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligen ...

to Elizabeth II. From 2001 to 2009 he was also Bishop to the Forces. He was consecrated as bishop on 2 February 1994 at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, by

George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the C ...

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 ...

. His installation at Windsor on 7 December 1998 was attended by Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; he later presided over both of their interments in the King George VI Memorial Chapel on 19 September 2022, after the Queen's committal ceremony. For many years Conner has been closely involved with the selection of candidates for ordination and with the inspection of theological colleges, courses and schemes. He has been governor of a number of schools and colleges. He is an honorary fellow of

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...

Honours

Conner was appointed

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO) in the

2010 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and NevisSaint Chris ...

. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) on 19 July 2023 ahead of relinquishing the post of Dean of Windsor. He took part in the Royal Procession at the 2023 Coronation, not long before his 31 July 2023 retirement.

Personal life

In 1969, Conner married Jayne Maria Evans; they have two sons.

References

1947 births Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Alumni of St Stephen's House, Oxford 21st-century Church of England bishops 20th-century Church of England bishops Fellows of Girton College, Cambridge Bishops of Lynn Deans of Windsor Bishops to the Forces Honorary chaplains to the King Living people Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Registers of the Order of the Garter {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub