Thomas Penswick (1772–1836) was an English

Roman Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District from 1831 to 1836. Born in

Ashton-in-Makerfield Ashton-in-Makerfield is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, south of Wigan. As of the 2021 census, there was a population of 26,380. Historically part of Lancashire, Ashton-in-Makerfield was a to ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

on 7 March 1772, 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 ...

to the priesthood on 1 April 1797. He was appointed

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 Northern District, Bishop Thomas Smith, on 13 January 1824. On the same day, Penswick was appointed

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 ''Europus'', and

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 ...

to the

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

by Bishop

William Poynter William Poynter (20 May 1762 – 26 November 1827) was an English Catholic priest who served as Vicar Apostolic of London. Life Early life Poynter was educated at the English College at Douai, where he was ordained in 1786. He remained as p ...

on 29 June 1824. On the death of Bishop Smith on 30 July 1831, Bishop Penswick automatically succeeded as Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. He died in office on 28 January 1836, aged 63.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penswick, Thomas 1772 births 1836 deaths People from Ashton-in-Makerfield 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in England Apostolic vicars of England and Wales History of Catholicism in the United Kingdom