George Witham (16 May 1655 – 16 April 1725) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Roman Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

who served as the

Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District (later of the Central District) was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic) who was a titular bishop. The Apostolic Vicar ...

, and, later, as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District.

Early life

He was born at Cliffe Hall, Cliffe, near

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

on 16 May 1655, the second of the six sons of George Witham of Cliffe and Grace (or Catherine) Wyvill, daughter of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, 2nd Bt., of

Constable Burton Hall Constable Burton Hall is a Grade I-listed Georgian architecture, Georgian English country house, country house of dressed stone in an extensive and well wooded park in the village of Constable Burton in North Yorkshire, designed by John Carr ( ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. His elder brother, John, succeeded to Cliffe Hall, while three of his other brothers were also

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 ...

to the priesthood: Thomas was Superior of the English Seminary in Paris, Robert was President of

English College, Douai The English College ( French: ''College des Grands Anglais'') was a Catholic seminary in Douai, France (also previously spelled Douay, and in English Doway), associated with the University of Douai. It was established in 1568, and was suppresse ...

, and Anthony was a Douai priest, who fell into ill health and retired to serve the convent of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. George Witham was ordained priest a in 1688. From 1692 to 1694, he was safely harboured by his brother-in-law, George Palmes, of the

Palmes family The Palmes family of Naburn Hall, and the cadet branches of Lindley, North Yorkshire, Lindley Hall, North Yorkshire; Ashwell, Rutland; and Carcraig in Ireland, is an ancient English aristocratic family, noted for their adherence to Catholi ...

, at Naburn Hall along with several other Catholic priests.Papers of the Palmes Family of Naburn in the National Archives
/ref> In 1694, Witham was sent to Rome by bishops

Leyburn Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley' ...

, Giffard, and

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

. In their letter to the

Propaganda Fide The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...

, dated 20 October 1694, they commissioned Witham to serve as their agent for English matters with the authorities in Rome. He was also recommended to the Propaganda Fide by a letter from

James II & VII James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

, the exiled king of England and Scotland. Witham remained in his post in Rome until nominated to a Vicariate in 1702., ''The Episcopal Succession volume 3'', p. 205.

Vicar Apostolic

It had been intended for Witham to succeed as the

Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dissolved ...

,, ''The Episcopal Succession volume 3'', p. 149. following the death of

John Leyburn John Leyburn (1615 – 20 June 1702) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Vicar Apostolic of England from 1685 to 1688 and as Vicar Apostolic of the London District from 1688 to 1702. He was not only a theologian but also a mathematicia ...

in 1702. He was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

the

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''

Marcopolis Marcopolis was a city in the late Roman province of Osrhoene. It is described at the beginning of the 7th century by the geographer George of Cyprus. History Siméon Vailhé, writing at the beginning of the 20th century, says that the native nam ...

'' on 15 April 1703 by Cardinal Marcantonio Barbarigo, Bishop of Montefiascone. On his return to England, it had been determined instead for

Bonaventure Giffard Bonaventure Giffard (1642–1734) was an English Catholic prelate who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 to 1703 and Vicar Apostolic of the London District from 1703 to 1734. Life He was the second son ...

to transfer from the

Midland District Midland District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Historical evolution The District, originally ...

to the

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces i ...

on 14 March 1703. Leaving Witham appointed in charge of the Midland District on 12 August 1702. After fourteen years, he transferred to the Northern District on 6 April 1716. Due to his increasing age and various infirmities he wrote to Rome on 26 March 1723 to request for a

coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

. He suggested Edward Dicconson for the post, however, the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

did not comply to the request., ''The Episcopal Succession volume 3'', p. 250. He died in office at Cliffe Hall on 16 April 1725, aged 69, and was buried at All Saints' Church,

Manfield Manfield is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is a parish in the wapentake of Gilling East. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorks ...

, near

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witham, George 1655 births 1725 deaths People from Darlington 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Apostolic vicars of England and Wales Clergy from Yorkshire