James Butler Knill Kelly (18 February 1832 – 15 May 1907) 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 ...
of 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, ...
active in the
British colony
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...
of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
and
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Kelly was a participant in the first
Lambeth Conference
The Lambeth Conference convenes as the Archbishop of Canterbury summons an assembly of Anglican bishops every ten years. The first took place at Lambeth in 1867.
As regional and national churches freely associate with the Anglican Communion, ...
, which was a crucial step in the creation of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
. He was also
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
The primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus o ...
from 1901 to 1904.
Early life and education

Kelly received his
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
and
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
from the
University of Cambridge
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 ...
, studying at
Clare Hall (later renamed Clare College shortly after Kelly's graduation). However, Clare was in a period of academic decline during Kelly's time there.
In 1855, at the age of 23, Kelly was made
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 ...
of the
Anglican Church
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 ...
. A year later, in 1856, he was ordained
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 ...
. Kelly 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 ...
of
Abington,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, but left England for the
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
, to serve as a domestic
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 ...
for
Bishop of Sodor and Man
The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where ...
,
Horatio Powys
Horatio Powys (20 November 1805 – 31 May 1877) was a priest in the Church of England and Bishop of Sodor and Man.
Powys was the third son of Thomas Powys, 2nd Baron Lilford (1775–1825), by Henrietta Maria, eldest daughter of Robert Verno ...
. In 1860, upon the death of Joseph Brown, Kelly became registrar and
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 ...
of the
Kirkmichael parish on the Isle of Man, while continuing as chaplain to Powys. Kelly was the second vicar, after Brown, in the new (1858) parish church,
St. Nicholas-Bishop's Court.
Life in Newfoundland
In 1839 the Anglican Church had founded the
See of Newfoundland, its second bishop,
Edward Feild
Edward Feild (7 June 1801 – 8 June 1876) was a university tutor, university examiner, Anglican clergyman, inspector of schools, and second Bishop of Newfoundland.
Early years
Born in Worcester, England, Feild was educated at Rugby School and ...
, appealed in 1864 for additional clergy to minister in the diocese, thus offering Kelly an opportunity in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
which he quickly seized, leaving the Isle of Man two years before it achieved
Home Rule
Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
. In June, Kelly found himself appointed incumbent of the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
in
St. John's,
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
, and
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
.
1867 was a momentous year for Kelly. His ministry had proven a success, and Feild named Kelly his
assistant bishop
An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.
Church of England
In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan bishop, suffragan) bishops – in ...
.
Charles Thomas Longley
Charles Thomas Longley (28 July 1794 – 27 October 1868) was a bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Ripon, Bishop of Durham, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1862 until his death.
Life
He was born at Ro ...
, the
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
, performed the
ceremony
A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion.
The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin .
Religious and civil ...
of
consecration
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 ( ...
on 16 August. Kelly, thirty-five years old, received his
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
degree from
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 ...
, and attended the first
Pan-Anglican conference of British, colonial and foreign bishops conference in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
. The conference had been lobbied for by, among others, the Canadian synod, but much of the agenda focused on the controversy over
John William Colenso
John William Colenso (24 January 1814 – 20 June 1883) was a Cornish cleric and mathematician, defender of the Zulu and biblical scholar, who served as the first Bishop of Natal. He was a scholar of the Zulu language. In his role as an Ang ...
, a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
to the
Zulu. Eleven advisory resolutions regarding colonial district administration were nevertheless passed.
The Anglican Diocese of Newfoundland also included the island of
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
. Kelly and Feild travelled aboard the diocesan ship ''The Star'', and both nearly died in 1871 in a sailing accident that destroyed the ship. This was not the last occasion in which sea travel proved a hardship to Kelly; he became seriously ill in 1874 when travelling to coastal communities in Newfoundland and
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
. Kelly's logs of his travels on ''The Star'' have been published as ''Journal of a visitation by the Right Reverend J. B. K. Kelly, DD, coadjutor bishop of Newfoundland, in the church ship'' Star, ''July–October, 1869'', (
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, 1870), and ''The voyage the churchship'' Star, ''1870'' (St.John's, 1973).
Kelly's trips did not distract him from projects at home. On 9 October 1871, he married Louisa Bliss, daughter of
William Blowers Bliss
William Blowers Bliss (August 24, 1795 – March 16, 1874) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Hants County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1830 to 1834.
He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick ...
, a prominent
judge
A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
from
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
. Kelly took on leadership of the completion of the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (not to be confused with the
Basilica of St. John the Baptist). The cathedral's
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, finished in 1850, had been serving as the entire church. The cathedral was finished in 1885, but burned down in the
Great Fire of 1892
The Great Fire of 8 July 1892 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is remembered as the worst disaster ever to befall that city. Previous "Great Fires" had occurred in St. John's, during 1819 and 1846.
Timeline
At approximately 4:45 in th ...
. Kelly organized its reconstruction. The Cathedral bears a memorial window dedicated to his memory.
Kelly became
diocesan bishop in 1876, after Feild's death. His understandable aversion to sea travel, however, led him to resign the position in 1877 after a fruitless search for a coadjutor who could relieve him of its necessity.
Return to the United Kingdom
In 1877 Kelly returned to his country of birth, where he became vicar of Kirkby, Lancashire, from 1877 to 1880, bishop-commissary for the Bishop of Chester (1879-1884) and
Archdeacon of Macclesfield from 1880 to 1884. He later became
Provost
Provost may refer to:
Officials
Ecclesiastic
* Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official
* Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official
Government
* Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...
of
Inverness Cathedral
Inverness Cathedral (Scottish Gaelic: Cathair-Eaglais Inbhir Nis), also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (1866–69), is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the city of Inverness in Scotland close to the banks of ...
and Assistant
Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness in 1885, becoming diocesan bishop in 1886 after Robert Eden. In 1901, he was unanimously elected
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
The primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus o ...
and served in that capacity for three years until his retirement.
He died in
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
in 1907.
Notes and references
#
#
External links
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, James Butler Knill
1832 births
1907 deaths
Provosts of Inverness Cathedral
Bishops of Moray, Ross and Caithness
Anglican bishops of Newfoundland
19th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops
19th-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops
20th-century Scottish Episcopalian bishops
Canadian people of Manx descent
Newfoundland Colony people
Clergy from Gloucestershire
Primuses of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Archdeacons of Macclesfield
Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge