Anglican Diocese of Zululand
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Diocese of Zululand covers the part of the South Africa
n province of KwaZulu-Natal
around Utrecht
, a small town in the foothills of the Balele Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
. The current Bishop is The Rt Rev Dino Gabriel.
, Bishop of Natal
, to King Mpande kaSenzangakhona in 1859 to secure his permission for a Zulu Mission. Permission was granted and the King gave Bishop Colenso land at KwaMagwaza for the establishment of a mission station.
In 1860, Bishop Colenso sent the Revd Robert Robertson from Umlazi Mission outside Durban, to start work at KwaMagwaza. After Bishop Colenso was excommunicated by the Bishop of Cape Town, Rev Robertson refused to continue to accept him as his bishop. In 1870 on the 8 May, at the Whitehall Chapel in London, Bishop Thomas Wilkinson
was consecrated as the first bishop of the new Diocese. He was given the title of Bishop for the Zulus and the tribes towards the Zambezi.
The Bishop settled at KwaMagwaza. From there he trekked north, establishing missions in Swaziland
and in Mpumalanga
on his way to Pretoria
. The Zulu War of 1879 saw all the mission buildings in Zululand
burned to the ground, as well as the annihilation of a the British army at Isandlwana
. Law and order broke down and KwaMagwaza became a very unsettled area. This resulted in the removal of the Diocesan Centre to Isandlwana. The second bishop, Douglas McKenzie
(1880), also made Isandlwana his headquarters and set up a training college there. The Cathedral is to be found in Eshowe.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n province of KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
around Utrecht
Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal
Utrecht is a town in the foothills of the Balele Mountains, in the northwestern corner of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Newcastle, Kwazulu-Natal's third-largest urban center, is 50 km from Utrecht...
, a small town in the foothills of the Balele Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The current Bishop is The Rt Rev Dino Gabriel.
History
The establishment of the Anglican Diocese of Zululand has its roots in the visit of John William ColensoJohn William Colenso
John William Colenso , first Anglican bishop of Natal, mathematician, theologian, Biblical scholar and social activist.-Biography:Colenso was born at St Austell, Cornwall, on 24 January 1814...
, Bishop of Natal
Bishop of Natal
The Bishop of Natal exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Natal of the Church of Southern Africa.-Succession:-See also:*Anglican Church of Southern Africa*Anglican Diocese of Natal-References:...
, to King Mpande kaSenzangakhona in 1859 to secure his permission for a Zulu Mission. Permission was granted and the King gave Bishop Colenso land at KwaMagwaza for the establishment of a mission station.
In 1860, Bishop Colenso sent the Revd Robert Robertson from Umlazi Mission outside Durban, to start work at KwaMagwaza. After Bishop Colenso was excommunicated by the Bishop of Cape Town, Rev Robertson refused to continue to accept him as his bishop. In 1870 on the 8 May, at the Whitehall Chapel in London, Bishop Thomas Wilkinson
Thomas Wilkinson
-Victoria Cross recipients:*Thomas Wilkinson , during the Crimean War*Thomas Wilkinson , during the Second World War* Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson, during the First World War-Others:...
was consecrated as the first bishop of the new Diocese. He was given the title of Bishop for the Zulus and the tribes towards the Zambezi.
The Bishop settled at KwaMagwaza. From there he trekked north, establishing missions in Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
and in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
on his way to Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. The Zulu War of 1879 saw all the mission buildings in Zululand
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
burned to the ground, as well as the annihilation of a the British army at Isandlwana
Isandlwana
Isandlwana is an isolated hill in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, southeast of Rorke's Drift and north by northwest of Durban....
. Law and order broke down and KwaMagwaza became a very unsettled area. This resulted in the removal of the Diocesan Centre to Isandlwana. The second bishop, Douglas McKenzie
Douglas McKenzie
Douglas Charles McKenzie was an Australian cricketer....
(1880), also made Isandlwana his headquarters and set up a training college there. The Cathedral is to be found in Eshowe.
List of the Bishops
- Thomas Edward WilkinsonThomas Edward WilkinsonThe Rt Rev Thomas Edward Wilkinson was an Anglican Bishopin the late 19th and early 20th centuries.He was born in 1837, and educated at Bury St Edmunds, King's College, London and Jesus College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1861, after a curacy at St Mary, Cavendish he was Vicar of Rickinghall. In 1870...
1870-1875 - Douglas MacKenzieDouglas MacKenzieThe Rt Rev Douglas Mackenzie , DD, MA was an Anglican Bishop in the second half of the 19th century.He was educated at St Albans School and Peterhouse, Cambridge. A noted mathematician, he rose to the rank of Archdeacon before his appointment as the second Bishop of Zululand.. He remained Bishop of...
1880-1890 - William Marlborough CarterWilliam Marlborough CarterThe Rt Rev William Marlborough Carter, KCMG, DD was an eminent Anglican Bishop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in July 1850 and educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Oxford, he was ordained in 1974...
1891-1902 - Wilmot Lushington VyvyanWilmot Lushington VyvyanThe Rt Rev Wilmot Lushington Vyvyan was an Anglican Bishop in the mid-20th century..Born into a noble family on 12 August 1861, Wilmot Vyvyan was educated at Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge...
1903-1929 - Charles Arthur William AylenCharles Arthur William AylenCharles Arthur William Aylen was born in 1882 and died on 15 August 1972 was an Anglican Bishop.-Career:He was Vicar of Shiplake from 1913 to 1925.In 1926 he went to the Empangeni district in Zululand as a mission priest....
1930-1935 - Albert William LeeAlbert William LeeThe Rt Rev Albert William Lee was an Anglican Bishop in the mid 20th century.He was ordained in 1901 . Following a curacy at the Eton Mission, Hackney Wick he emigrated to Zululand where he rose steadily through the Diocese’s hierarchy until he became Archdeacon of Vryheid in 1928 and then Bishop...
1935-1947 - Eric Joseph TrappEric Joseph TrappThe Rt Rev Eric Joseph Trapp was an Anglican Bishop in the mid 20th century. Born on 17 July 1910 and educated at Alderman Newton’s School, Leicester and Leeds University , he was ordained after a period of study at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield in 1935...
1947-1957 - Thomas Joseph SavageThomas Joseph SavageThe Rt Rev Thomas Joseph Savage was an Anglican Bishop in the third quarter of the 20th century.Born on 5 February 1900, and educated at Highgate and Peterhouse , he was ordained in 1927. Following a curacy at St John’s, Waterloo Road he worked at the South African Church Railway Mission and was...
1958-1966 - Alpheus Hamilton ZuluAlphaeus Hamilton ZuluThe Rt Rev Alpheus Hamilton Zulu was an Anglican Bishop in the second half of the 20th century. Educated at the University of South Africa , he was ordained in 1940 . Following a curacy at St Faith’s Mission, Durban he was its Priest in charge from 1952 to 1960 when he became Suffragan Bishop of...
1966-1975 - Lawrence Bekisisa Zulu 1975-1993
- Peter Harker 1993-1997
- Anthony Mdletshe 1997-2005
- Dino Gabriel 2005-