Rhys Derrick Chamberlain Walters (1932–2000) was an Anglican priest in Britain. He served as the fourth

Dean of Liverpool The Dean of Liverpool is based in Liverpool and is head of the chapter of Liverpool Cathedral. Sue Jones (priest), Sue Jones was installed as Dean on 5 May 2018. A former dean, Edward Patey, said that being Dean of Liverpool was "the best job in ...

from 1983 to 1999 during which time he extended the facilities of the cathedral and promoted the creation of a large public housing development next to it.

Biography

Rhys Derrick Chamberlain Walters was born in Britain on 10 March 1932, the son of a shop steward. He was educated at Gowerton Boys’ Grammar School in the county of

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 ...

, and afterwards at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. In 1957 he undertook training for the Anglican priesthood at Ripon Hall, Oxford. 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 ...

in 1958 and began his ecclesiastical career with a

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () 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 who are ass ...

at St Michael's church,

Manselton Manselton () is a suburban area of Swansea, 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, ea ...

. Later he became the

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 ...

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, intellige ...

Swansea University Swansea University () is a public university, public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. It was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it chang ...

and

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () 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 who are as ...

at St Mary's church,

. In 1962 he became parish priest in industrial areas - firstly at All Saints,

Totley Totley is a suburb on the extreme southwest of the city of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Lying within the historic county boundaries of Derbyshire, Totley was amalgamated into the city of Sheffield in 1933, and is today part of the ...

and secondly at St Mary's, Boulton by Derby. From 1974 he was

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

missioner for the

Diocese of Salisbury The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, ...

, where he spent the next nine years serving the Christian mission in country parishes. During this time he developed an interest in information technology. In 1983 he was appointed to the

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

of Liverpool cathedral, where

David Sheppard David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool (6 March 1929 – 5 March 2005) was a Church of England bishop who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth, before serving as Bishop of Liverpool from 1975 to 1997. Sheppard remains ...

was already bishop (1975-1997). Here, with the support of his wife, Joan (née Joan Trollope Fisher,) and in co-operation with his bishop, he improved the liturgy and music, extended the cathedral's facilities (creating a refectory and conference venue) and developed adjacent land by helping to commission public housing as well as housing for students and cathedral staff and building the Queen's Walk and the

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

media studies block. In 1994 he was appointed an OBE. In his last years he was ill with cancer and retired from his post in 1999. He died on 5 April 2000. He was survived by his wife, Joan, and his sons, David Rhys Walters and Michael Rhys Walters. A building is named after him at

. Walters was grandfather of the entertainment entrepreneur William Walters.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Derrick 1932 births 2000 deaths Clergy from Swansea Alumni of the London School of Economics Church of England deans Deans of Liverpool Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Gowerton Grammar School