The Right Reverend Mesac Thomas (10 May 1816 – 15 March 1892) was an Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

in Australia. Thomas was born in Aberystwyth,

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. C ...

(Cardiganshire),

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, to Welsh parents: his father was a John Thomas of

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...

; and his mother was Elizabeth, ''née'' Williams (daughter of Edward Williams, of Llwynyrhedydd). He was educated at

Oswestry School Oswestry School is an ancient public school (English independent day and boarding school), located in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was founded in 1407 as a 'free' school, being independent of the church. This gives it the distinction of b ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1840 and M.A. in 1843.

Ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

in 1840, he was a

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''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 w ...

Bishop Ryder Church, Birmingham Bishop Ryder Memorial Church, Birmingham, was a parish church in the Church of England in Birmingham from 1838 to 1960. History Built on Gem Street in Gosta Green in Birmingham, it was a red brick and stone church designed by Thomas Rickman ...

before holding incumbencies at Tuddenham and

Attleborough Attleborough is a market town and civil parish located on the A11 between Norwich and Thetford in Norfolk, England. The parish is in the district of Breckland and has an area of . The 2001 Census recorded the town as having a population of 9, ...

. In 1851 he became

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of the Colonial Church and School Society, a post he held for twelve years until his consecration as the inaugural Bishop of Goulburn in 1863. Thomas was consecrated on 25 March 1863 and installed on 8 April 1864. During his long incumbency he travelled widely within his

diocese In 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 provinces were administratively associat ...

and oversaw the completion of the diocese's cathedral and a home for its future bishops. Bishop Thomas married on 7 November 1843 Mary Campbell Hasluck, the second daughter of Thomas Hinton Hasluck, of Handsworth, near Birmingham. Thomas died in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia on 15 March 1892 aged 75. In March 1892 his death (in office) was announced in British newspapers.''Obituary For 1892''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

Saturday, 31 December 1892; pg. 7; Issue 33836; col A

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Mesac 1816 births People educated at Oswestry School People educated at Shrewsbury School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century Anglican bishops in Australia Anglican bishops of Goulburn 1892 deaths