James Fraser (bishop)
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James Fraser (18 August 1818 – 22 October 1885) was a reforming
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 ...
of
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England. An able Church administrator and policy leader, he was active in developing the Church's approach to
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
and in practical
politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
and
industrial relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor union, labor/trade unions, employer organ ...
. Though his views were ecumenical and he was respected within a wide variety of
religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
s, he became involved in contentious litigation under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874.


Early life

Born in Prestbury,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, Fraser's father was an unsuccessful merchant who left his wife and seven children in penury when he died in 1832. Fraser was brought up by his grandfather in
Bilston Bilston is a market town in the City of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. It is in the Black Country, south east of Wolverhampton city centre and close to the borders of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, Sandwell ...
, Staffordshire, then at various schools, including Bridgnorth Grammar School. He finished his education at Shrewsbury School and then Lincoln College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1839. His limited funds and the continual competition for bursaries entailed a scholastic life only relieved by his passion for athletics. He loved
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s and
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
but found it difficult to finance the lifestyle.Hamilton (2007) Elected a fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, in 1840, he worked tutoring and in the library before taking
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 ...
's orders in 1846 and giving up his passion for hunting. After some parochial work in
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, he was ordained a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
in 1847 before becoming rector of Cholderton, Wiltshire. He continued his
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
al work as a tutor and as occasional examiner. In 1858, he served on the Royal Commission on education and in 1860 became rector of Ufton Nervet,
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, soon establishing a reputation as an able church manager. He travelled to the United States and Canada in 1865 on a commission to examine education there and his insightful report enhanced his reputation as a social analyst and leader of church opinion. Though he was offered the post of Bishop of Calcutta he turned it down. In 1867 he was appointed by the
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to a commission on
child labour Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...
in
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
and further enhanced his reputation in policy development.


Bishop of Manchester

Respect for his knowledge of educational matters led
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
to appoint him Bishop of Manchester and he was consecrated on 25 March 1870 ( Lady Day) at
Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...
. The Anglican Diocese of Manchester was still comparatively new and its only former bishop, James Prince Lee, had done little to develop its infrastructure. Fraser set to work to remedy this with a programme of consecrating 99 new churches and establishment of a bureaucratic structure including, of course, a Board of Education.


Politics and arbitration

Bishop Fraser's opponents said of him that, "Omnipresence was his ''forte'', and omniscience his foible", reflecting his restless activity in preaching the
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
, reform and activity in
civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Manchester Grammar School and Owens College. In 1874 he began a career as an arbitrator, working to resolve conflict in a number of strikes. He was an early enthusiast for and advocate of the
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...
movement. He served as President of the first day of the 1878 Co-operative Congress.


Doctrine and litigation

Never overly-interested in
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, Fraser was a liberal in matters of worship who favoured the old
high church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...
school, though with little sympathy for what he saw as the excesses of the Oxford Movement. He supported the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 but in 1878 was unhappy to be unable to prevent the imprisonment of the Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green, the incumbent of Miles Platting. Fraser ultimately secured Green's release but Green's
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
was sequestrated by the courts. The
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
patron, Sir Percival Heywood nominated Rev. Harry Cowgill, Green's unlawful
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 ...
, as the new incumbent. Fraser was involved in much litigation over his opposition to the appointment before being exonerated in a judgement by Baron Pollock in 1884.Yates (1999) ''pp''265-269


Later life

In 1880, he married Agnes Ellen Frances Duncan shortly after the death of his mother who had shared his home. He died suddenly at the bishop's palace following complications from a chill. Long known as the ''bishop of all denominations'', his death was honoured by all the nonconformist churches along with the
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish and Greek Orthodox congregations. Huge crowds attended his funeral in Manchester. He was interred in Ufton Nervet in his mother's grave.


Honours

*A grade II listed
statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...
by Thomas Woolner stands in Albert Square, Manchester. Local legend has it that Fraser is posed looking away from Alfred Waterhouse's Town Hall building because he disliked it so much.


References


Bibliography

*Bentley, J. (1987) ''Ritualism and Politics in Victorian Britain: The Attempt to Legislate for Belief'' *Bullock, C. (1889) ''The Lives of Three Bishops'' * Diggle, J. W. (1887) ''The Lancashire Life of Bishop Fraser'' * *— rev. H. C. G. Matthew (2007)
Fraser, James (1818–1885)
, ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', Oxford University Press, online edn, accessed 27 February 2008 * Hughes, T. (1887) ''James Fraser, Second Bishop of Manchester: A Memoir, 1818–1885'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, James 1818 births 1885 deaths People from Cheltenham Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Bishops of Manchester People educated at Bridgnorth Endowed School Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford People educated at Shrewsbury School Presidents of Co-operative Congress