Derek Rawcliffe
The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway | |
| Church | Scottish Episcopal Church |
| Diocese | Glasgow and Galloway |
| In office | 1981–1991 |
| Predecessor | Frederick Goldie |
| Successor | John Taylor |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1944 |
| Consecration | 1975 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1921 |
| Died | 1 February 2011 (aged 89) Leeds, England |
| Previous post(s) | Archdeacon of Southern Melanesia Bishop of the New Hebrides |
| Education | Leeds University |
Derek Alec Rawcliffe, OBE (8 July 1921 – 1 February 2011) was an English Anglican bishop and author. He served as Anglican Bishop of the New Hebrides[1] and the Scottish Episcopal Church's Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway.[2]
Biography
Rawcliffe was born in Manchester, the son of a tobacconist, on 8 July 1921, brought up in Gloucester, educated at Leeds University,[3] and ordained in 1944.[4] After a curacy at Claines St George, Worcester he was a teacher in the Solomon Islands until 1953 when he became Archdeacon of Southern Melanesia and the New Hebrides. He was the first Bishop of the New Hebrides from 1975 to 1980[5] when he was translated to Glasgow and Galloway, in the Scottish Episcopal Church. In Scotland, where he notably gave positions to a number of gay clergy, his limited organisational ability led to difficulties for the diocese.[citation needed] He retired in 1991.
After retirement he was made an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Ripon, where he became the first bishop in the Church of England to announce that he was gay, after disclosing his sexuality on television in 1995.[6] Rawcliffe later argued for the age of consent for homosexual relations to be reduced to 14,[7]
Rawcliffe died on 1 February 2011 at the age of 89.[8]
Archives
Rawcliff's papers are held by SOAS Archives.
References
- ^ Melanesian Anglican
- ^ Amongst others he has written “The Meaning of it All is Love”, 2000; “Seasons of the Spirit”, 2003; “Pilgrimage to Melanesia”, 2005; and “Gethsemane to Calvary" 2006. British Library website accessed 18:05GMT 20 December 2010
- ^ Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8
- ^ Crockfords, 1947-48 Oxford, OUP, 1947
- ^ "Derek Rawcliffe: Church of England bishop who blessed same sex marriages" Obituary Daily Telegraph Issue no 48,429 (dated 15 February 2011)
- ^ "Gay English bishop Derek Rawcliffe dies at 89". The Washington Post. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011. [dead link]
- ^ "The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe". The Daily Telegraph. London. 13 February 2011.
- ^ "Book of Condolences: Derek Rawcliffe". St Aidan's Church, Leeds. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
External links
Link to information on Rawcliffe's archived papers
5
- Use dmy dates from November 2012
- 1921 births
- 2011 deaths
- Clergy from Manchester
- Alumni of the University of Leeds
- Archdeacons of Southern Melanesia
- Bishops of Glasgow and Galloway
- 20th-century Anglican bishops
- People educated at Sir Thomas Rich's School
- LGBT people from England
- LGBT Anglican bishops
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Church of England bishops
- Assistant Bishops of Melanesia
- Bishops of New Hebrides, Vanuatu and New Caledonia
- Diocese of Vanuatu and New Caledonia