Hugh George de Willmott Newman

Hugh de Willmott Newman (1905-1979), Mar Georgius I, Patriarch of Glastonbury, Catholicos of the West, Sixth British Patriarch, was the bishop of an independent (non-Roman) Catholic church. He is most notable for seeking multiple consecrations.

On April 10, 1944 Newman was consecrated a bishop by William Bernard Crow, whose own consecration derived from the Armenian Catholic Church. Over the ten years 1945 to 1955, Newman engaged in cross consecrating, where he and another bishop would consecrate each other to give each the other's lines of succession.

Newman consecrated, or shared cross-consecration with, at least 32 bishops. Today, there are hundreds of bishops around the world, perhaps thousands, with a lines of succession deriving through Hugh de Willmott Newman.

One of the jurisdictions that stands in succession to Newman is the present-day British Orthodox Church. The British Orthodox Church is now canonically part of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Antioch, a status that it achieved in 1994. The British Orthodox Church is led by Hugh de Willmott Newman's nephew, William Hugo Newman-Norton (Abba Seraphim El-Suriani) (born 1948).

Early life

Hugh George Newman was born on January 17, 1905 at Forest Gate, London, England. His family background was in the Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingite). His grandfather was a deacon in that church , and his father a sub-deacon. Hugh George he was baptised (christened) at the Catholic Apostolic Church at Mare Street, Hackney, London. He was educated at Crawford School, Camberwell, London, England, and later by private tuition

As a young man, he adopted the name "De Willmott Newman" by Deed Poll, thus reflecting his mother's maiden name.

Newman took work in solicitors' offices. By age 21, he was managing clerk of a firm of solicitors. He continued in this line of work until age 24 (1929).

He also continued to educate himself. He took a post with the "Christian Herald" (a Christian newspaper) and he became a commercial consultant and, in due course, a fellow of the Institute of Commerce. He engaged in charitable work with London's poor and needy, championing the cause of the underdog.

Political activity

Newman participated in attempts to restore Archduke Otto von Habsburg to the position of emperor of Austria and Bohemia. In recognition of his efforts he was granted the honour "prince of the Holy Roman Empire" by the Archduke's mother the Empress Zita, and also the title "Baron Willmott" of Hungary, and "Duke of Saxe-Noricum".

Newman was one of the co-founders of an organisation called "Royalist International", which campaigned against bolshevism and aimed to restore monarchy in all nations.

In 1936, Newman resigned his membership of the Conservative Party, owing to his views about the abdication of King Edward VIII. He regarded encouraging or supporting the abdication of the King as an act of [high treason]].

Calling to Christian ministry

A age of seven years, Newman was an acolyte in the Catholic Apostolic Church.

In his teens, he sensed a call to ordained Christian ministry. He became an under-deacon in the Catholic Apostolic Church at age 19.

The route to full clergy status in the Catholic Apostolic Church, in that this was "the time of silence". No new clergy had been ordained since 1901.

During the 1920s and 1930s Newman corresponded with bishops of autocephalous churches deriving from Old Catholic, Eastern and Oriental traditions.

On October 23, 1938 at the age of 33 years, Newman was ordained priest. His ordination was by Bishop James Columba McFall (of Ireland) on behalf of the Old Roman Catholic Church of Great Britain. He became priest to a congregation in Hounslow, London, England that in 1925 had split from the Old Roman Catholic Church of Great Britain.

Newman approached Arthur Wolfort Brooks (Mar Jospeh Emmanuel) of the Apostolic Episcopal Church in USA. When Brooks (who was resident in America) accepted a position as a presiding bishop of a group of churches situated in England, he appointed Newman as his vicar-general.

Consecration as a bishop

In 1943, it was agreed that Newman would himself be consecrated a bishop. This was done on April 10, 1944 by William Bernard Crow (Mar Basilius Abdullah III) acting on behalf of Brooks.

Personal life

In 1937, Newman married Lola Ima del Carpio Barnardo (1902 - 1984), a great granddaughter of Dr Thomas Barnardo.

In the mid-1930s, he gained the position of general manager of a trade association, the National Association of Cycle Traders and Repairers. From 1943 to 1945, he was secretary and registrar of the Incorporated Institute of Cycle Traders and Repairers.

Newman remained active in the life of the Catholic Apostolic Church until the late 1930s.

The Council of London, 1943

Newman represented Brook at the Council of London, which was headed by Archbishop Herbert James Monzani-Heard (Mar Jacobus II) (1861 - 1947).

Ecumenical Apostolic Succession

Newman sought the convergence of churches into a unity. He was part of the formation of a "Catholicate of the West", and in March 1944 Newman himself was appointed by this body as "Catholicos of the West".

This ecumenical mission or vision partially derives from the theology and aspirations of the Catholic Apostolic Church (Irvingites). Also, in the 1930s, there was a somewhat parallel situation in the Church of England in that the Church of England had started to incorporate "Old Catholic" successions within its consecrations of bishops.

After a time, the "Catholicate" adopted the name "Catholic Apostolic Church (Catholicate of the West)", with sub-title or additional descriptor "Western Orthodox Catholic Church".

The Catholic Apostolic Church's liturgy was adopted, with a supplement, as the "Glastonbury Rite".

Progress of the cause

In 1946, Newsweek published a claim that the movement had 140,000 followers worldwide.

In later years, there were many changes and re-organisations, and general decline. Specifically, in 1952, Newman issued a statement of belief which he called the "Glastonbury Confession". However, most of his clergy declined to subscribe to it, and in 1953 he released the from his jurisdiction.

From the the heritage of the movement led by Newnam in the 1940s and 1950s has grown what is now the British Orthodox Church, led by his nephew, and, from 1994, in full union with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Antioch.

There are other jurisdictions that may look upon Newman as one of their founders.

Consecrations

Newman consecrated by:

William Bernard Crow, on April 10, 1944 (acting for and on behalf of Arthur Wolfort Brooks).

Further consecrations (conditional and/or mutual (cross-) consecrations:

• April 4, 1945: by Sidney Ernest Page Needham
• April 29, 1945: by Charles William Keller
• May 20, 1945: by Hedley Coward Bartlett
• August 25, 1945: by John Sebastian Marlow Ward
• June 8, 1946 (or possibly June 6 1946): by William David de Ortega Maxey
• August 1, 1946: by Charles Leslie Saul (Mar Leofric)
• June 28, 1947: by Aloysius Stumpfl (Mar Timotheos of Aq)
• July 14, 1947: by Frederick Charles Aloysius Harrington (??)
• July 14, 1947: by Aloysius Stumpfl (Mar Timothos of Aq) again
• February 19, 1951: by Davison Quartey Arthur (Mar Lukos of Lagos, Accra and Trinidad)
• September 18, 1954: by Clement Alfio Sgroi Marchese
• July 17, 1955: by Odo Acheson Barry