Keith Norman Sutton (23 June 1934 – 24 March 2017) was the 97th Bishop of Lichfield from 1984 to 2003.

Early life and education

Sutton grew up in Balham, London. He attended Battersea Grammar School and won a scholarship to Cambridge to read English but changed to theology. He graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1959. He was a keen runner (national schoolboy sprint champion) and was a Cambridge Blue at tennis. Before attending Cambridge University he did his national service with the British Army where he was commissioned into the Sixth Armoured Division and spent time primarily in Germany.

Ministry

Sutton was ordained at Exeter Cathedral and served as a curate in Plymouth. In July 1985, he was sent by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

as a special envoy to support Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

who was facing threats of action by the South African government. He was the Bishop of Kingston from 1978 to 1984, having served as principal of Ridley Hall from 1973 to 1978. Prior to his time at Ridley Hall he taught at Bishop Tucker Theological College in Mukono, Uganda, from 1968 to 1973 (now part of Uganda Christian University). He was chaplain of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, from 1962 to 1967. In 1989 he became a member of the General Synod Standing Committee and became president of The Queens College in Birmingham and governor of St John's College, Durham. He wrote a Lent book, ''The People of God'' (1983). Sutton retired to Cornwall and served as an honorary

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) bishops – in which case they ...

in the dioceses of Truro and

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

Marriage and family

Sutton was married to Jean Sutton (née Geldard), deceased September 2000. They had three sons (Mark, Paul and Andrew) and one daughter (Jacqui).

References

External links

Interview at The Free Library
!-- with better CV than here --> 1934 births 2017 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Bishops of Kingston Bishops of Lichfield 20th-century Church of England bishops 21st-century Church of England bishops Staff of Ridley Hall, Cambridge {{churchofEngland-bishop-stub