James Sharples (1797–1850) was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He served as

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 ...

to the

Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District The Apostolic Vicariate of the Lancashire District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1840 and was replaced by t ...

from 1843 until his death in 1850.

Early life and ministry

James Sharples was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on 19 October 1797, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Sharples., ''The English Vicars Apostolic'', p. 191. He began training for the priesthood at

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw) is a former Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic seminary, which until 2011 was also a Colleges of Durham University#Types of College, licensed hall of residence of Durham University near th ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

on 27 January 1809. James left Ushaw on 21 September 1818, and continued with his studies at the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English Colleg ...

, arriving there on 18 December 1818. He became a distinguished student, winning prizes 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 ...

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

. While at the English College, 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 ...

subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

on 21 December 1822, a

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 ...

on 20 May 1823, and 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 ...

on 30 November 1823. He left Rome in July 1824 to join the mission in the north of England., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 339. At first he took temporary appointments at Lea and Kirkham before taking charge of the mission of St Alban's in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

. He caused controversy when he placed a brass plaque with the word "Rectory" at the entrance of the clergy house in Blackburn, which offended

Anglicans 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 ...

and lead to questions being asked in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. However, the brass plaque remained for over a hundred years. After fourteen years at Blackburn, he was appointed to St Marie's Church,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

in 1839, which later became the Cathedral Church of St Marie for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hallam.

Episcopal career

He was appointed

, with rights of succession, to Bishop George Hilary Brown, by 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 ...

on 7 August 1843. The appointment was approved by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

on the same day, and dispatched on 8 August 1843. His brief to the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

of ''

Samaria Samaria (), the Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron (), is used as a historical and Hebrew Bible, biblical name for the central region of the Land of Israel. It is bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is ...

'' was dated 11 August 1843, and 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 ...

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 ''Samaria'' at the Church of Sant'Agata dei Goti in Rome by Cardinal Giacomo Filippo Fransoni on 15 August 1843."Lancaster District", ''The Catholic Directory and Annual Register for the Year 1845'', Volumes 8-9, London. C. Dolman, p. 52
/ref> On his return to England, one of his first acts as 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 ...

was to bless the foundation stone of St. John's Church in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

on 30 May 1844; which was opened in 1848, and subsequently became Salford Cathedral., ''The English Vicars Apostolic'', p. 192. In July 1847, he returned to Rome as part of a deputation for talks on the restoration of the hierarchy in England and Wales, which included

Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was an English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1 ...

, the future

Archbishop of Westminster The archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

. On the death of Bishop Thomas Griffiths, Wiseman had to return to London, leaving Sharples to remain in Rome until October 1847. Around that time his health took a turn for the worse., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 340. He brought back to England the proposal that the eight vicariates to be divided into twelve

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

s. In 1850, he withdrew to

Singleton, Lancashire Singleton is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England. It is situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. It is located south-east of Poulton-le-Fylde, and at the 2001 census had a population of 877, increasing to 889 at the 2011 Cen ...

for recuperation, but in June his doctors pronounced that any recovery of his condition was hopeless. He died in

Eccleston, Lancashire Eccleston is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. It is beside the River Yarrow, and was formerly an agricultural and later a weaving settlement. History Its name came from the Celtic word ''"eglēs" ...

on 11 August 1850, aged 52, just weeks before the hierarchy was restored. His remains are buried in St Mary's Churchyard in Great Eccleston., ''The English Vicars Apostolic'', p. 193.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharples, James 1797 births 1850 deaths Alumni of Ushaw College English College, Rome alumni Clergy from Liverpool 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Apostolic vicars of England and Wales