David Lewis Prosser (10 June 1868 – 28 February 1950) was a Welsh

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 and

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales () was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came ...

from 1944 to 1949.

Life

Prosser was born in Llangynnor on 10 June 1868. He was educated at

Llandovery College Llandovery College () is a coeducational independent boarding and day school in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The college consists of Gollop Preparatory, Senior School and Sixth Form. It was previously known as "Welsh College, Llandovery" ...

Llandovery Llandovery (; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 road, A40 and A483 road, A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and w ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, before entering

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University Museum a ...

, with a history

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

. He obtained a third-class degree in modern history in 1891 and was then ordained deacon in 1892 and priest in 1893. He served as assistant curate of Holy Trinity,

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

(1892–96) and Christ Church,

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

(1896–1909) before being appointed

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...

in 1909. He was additionally appointed

Archdeacon of St David's The Archdeacon of St Davids is a senior cleric in the Church in Wales' Diocese of St Davids. The archdeacon is the senior priest with responsibility over the area of the archdeaconry of St Davids, one of three archdeaconries in the ...

in 1920. In 1927, he was consecrated as

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in ...

, a post he held until his death on 28 February 1950 aged 81. He was also

from 1944 to 1949. He was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Keble College in 1949.

Views on Ecumenism

Prosser believed strongly that the Anglican Church in Wales was the true Catholic Church in Wales and that both the Roman Catholic and Nonconformist Churches were no more than "Intruders", as evidenced by his statement in 1946 (which he repeated in May 1949): "The Roman clergy and Noncomformist ministers are intruders… There may be historical excuse for their being here, but we cannot recognise their right to be here…"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prosser, David Lewis 1868 births 1950 deaths 20th-century bishops of the Church in Wales Archdeacons of St Davids Bishops of St Davids Archbishops of Wales People educated at Llandovery College Alumni of Keble College, Oxford 20th-century Anglican archbishops Welsh-speaking clergy