William Awdry (24 January 1842 – 4 January 1910) was the inaugural

Bishop of Southampton The Bishop of Southampton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the city of Southampton in Hampshire. The suffraga ...

and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

who subsequently served South Tokyo. He was the fourth son of Sir

John Wither Awdry Sir John Wither Awdry DL (21 October 1795 – 31 May 1878) was an English judge who worked in India. Early life Born at Swindon, he was the second and oldest surviving son of John Awdry and his wife Jane, the second daughter of Lovelace Bigg. ...

and his second wife Frances Ellen Carr, second daughter of Thomas Carr Awdry was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

“Who was Who” 1897–1990 London, A & C Black; page 30 and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. While at Oxford, he rowed in the

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

eight in the Boat Race in 1863 and 1864 and his crew won both times.

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 ...

in 1865, his early career was an academic one. He obtained a first-class in Literae Humaniores in 1865; and he was successively

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

and

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

, 1866–1868, second master at his old school and finally headmaster of Hurstpierpoint, 1873–1879. In 1879 he became a canon residentiary at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

and principal of the nearby

Theological College A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

. After seven years he was appointed

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 Amport, his final post before ascending to the episcopate. Awdry was consecrated Bishop Suffragan of

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

by Archbishop Benson at St. Paul's Cathedral on June 29, 1895. Awdry was appointed Bishop of Osaka in 1896 and was then installed as the Bishop of South Tokyo in 1897, after the death of Bishop Edward Bickersteth. As the Bishop of South

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Awdry led the diocese during a period of growth, improved Anglo-Japanese diplomatic relations, as well as rapid social and political change. The Nippon Sei Ko Kai, benefited from greater protections enshrined in the

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan ( Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in ...

of 1899, but a new era of Japanese nationalist politics and an expansionist foreign policy also tested the leadership of the young church. As Bishop, Awdry was also instrumental in founding the Central Theological College, Tokyo.

Family

In 1868, Awdry married Frances Emily, daughter of the Rt Rev. George Moberly, Bishop of Salisbury. There were no children from the marriage. A nephew, Rev. W. Awdry was the creator of

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books ''The Railway Series'', created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher Awdry, Christopher, first publish ...

and author of the acclaimed children's

Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Sodor (fictional island), Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by Wi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Awdry, William 1842 births 1910 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford Bishops of Southampton Anglican bishops of Osaka Anglican bishops of South Tokyo Anglican missionaries in Japan British expatriates in Japan Principals of Chichester Theological College English Anglican missionaries Presidents of the Oxford Union Awdry family

Family

See also

References