Edward Henry Bickersteth (25 January 1825 – 16 May 1906) was a

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 ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and he held the office of

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

between 1885 and 1900.

Life

Memorial to Edward Henry Bickersteth in Exeter Cathedral

Edward Henry Bickersteth was born in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, the son of Edward Bickersteth, Rector of Watton, Hertfordshire. He was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he graduated B.A. in Classics 1847, and proceeded M.A. in 1850. and was awarded the

Chancellor's Gold Medal The Chancellor's Gold Medal is annual award for poetry open to undergraduates at the University of Cambridge, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate Prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh ...

for poetry in 1844, 1845 and 1846. On taking

Holy Orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

(deacon, 1848, priest 1849),''

Crockford's Clerical Directory ''Crockford's Clerical Directory'' (''Crockford'') is the authoritative directory of Anglican clergy and churches in Great Britain and Ireland, containing details of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish benefices and churches, and biographies of aro ...

'', 1860 (p. 49) he became

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 ...

Banningham Banningham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Colby, Norfolk, Colby, in the North Norfolk district, in the England, English county of Norfolk. The village is 2.9 miles north east of Aylsham, 14.7 miles north of Norwich an ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and then of Christ Church,

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

. He was called to the

Rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

of Hinton Martell in 1852 and to the

Vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...

Christ Church, Hampstead Christ Church, Hampstead, is a Church of England church in Hampstead, London. It is a church with particular connections to the old village of Hampstead and the Heath. Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Clement Attlee ...

in 1855, a position in which he remained for 30 years. In 1885 he became

Dean of Gloucester The Dean of Gloucester is the head (''primus inter pares'': first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons - the ruling body of Gloucester Cathedral - and senior priest of the Diocese of Gloucester. The dean and chapter are based at Glouce ...

and in the same year was appointed

. Bickersteth was awarded an honorary D.D. by

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1885.

Support for overseas mission work

Following in the footsteps of his father, Bickersteth undertook a number of extended overseas mission tours in support of the work of the

Church Mission Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

and the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organisation (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Pa ...

. In 1880 he travelled to India and the Middle East. 1891 he travelled to Japan on a visit to the mission churches of the

Nippon Sei Ko Kai The ''Nippon Sei Ko Kai'' (), abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national Christian church representing the Province of Japan (, ) within the Anglican Communion. As a member of ...

, reuniting with his eldest son

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

, then serving as the first Bishop of South Tokyo. Arriving in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

on 23 September 1891, the travel journals of his daughter, Mary Jane Bickersteth, include detailed descriptions of the Anglican church's mission work in Japan as well as visits to sites such as the

Shrines and Temples of Nikkō The UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikkō encompasses 103 buildings or structures and the natural setting around them. It is located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The buildings belong to two Shinto shrines ( Futarasan Shr ...

and the experience of surviving the strong Mino–Owari earthquake at

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

on 28 October 1891. Bickersteth edited

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...

s and was an accomplished poet. Beginning with a volume of poems in 1849, he published extensively. His ''Hymnal Companion'' called forth from Dr. Julian, editor of ''A Dictionary of Hymnology'', these high words of praise: "Of its kind and from its theological standpoint, as an evangelical hymn book, it is in poetic grace, literary excellence, and lyric beauty, the finest collection in the Anglican Church;" and the author's contributions to this volume are pronounced "very beautiful and of much value." His most popular hymn was " Peace, Perfect Peace".

Family

Bickersteth married twice. His first marriage was in February 1848 to his cousin Rosa, daughter of Sir

Samuel Bignold Sir Samuel Bignold Deputy lieutenant, DL (13 October 1791 – 2 January 1875) was a British businessman with insurances and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. Background Born in Norwich, he was the third and youngest son of Thoma ...

of Norwich; she died in 1873, having borne him six sons and ten daughters. Almost 20 years later, in 1876, he married his cousin Ellen Susanna, daughter of Robert Bickersteth of Liverpool, who survived him without issue.

References

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External links

Bibliographic directory
from

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bickersteth, Edward Henry 1825 births 1906 deaths Clergy from London People from Islington (district) Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century Church of England bishops Deans of Gloucester Bishops of Exeter

Anglican hymnwriters 19th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century Anglican theologians