Mervyn Stockwood
Encyclopedia
Arthur Mervyn Stockwood (27 May 1913 – 13 January 1995) was Anglican
Bishop of Southwark
from 1959 to 1980.
Mervyn Stockwood was born in Bridgend, Wales, to a middle-class family. His solicitor father was killed during the First World War
. He was introduced to Anglo-Catholic worship at All Saints' Church, Clifton
, which reinforced his love of ritual and sense of the dramatic. He was educated at The Downs School and Kelly College
; in 1931 he entered Christ's College, Cambridge
, where he graduated in 1934. Having studied for the Anglican ministry at Westcott House
theological college in Cambridge, he was ordained deacon
in 1936, priest
in 1937. First curate, then Vicar of St Matthew's, Moorfields for nineteen years, he was also missioner to Blundell's School
. In 1955 he was appointed Vicar of Great St Mary's, Cambridge where his preaching drew large congregations of undergraduates, gaining him a national reputation. A flamboyant figure, he was for a time a Labour
councillor
, having converted to socialism
while at theological college.
In 1959, at the suggestion of Geoffrey Fisher
, Harold Macmillan
appointed Stockwood to the see of Southwark. Under him, Southwark became one of the best known dioceses in the Church of England. Stockwood encouraged both the radical and conservative wings of the church. On the one hand he encouraged priests wearing jeans in public, marches against racism and the training of "worker priests" in the Southwark Ordination Course, yet he was also the first Church of England diocesan bishop to preach at the National Pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
, of which he later became an honorary guardian. A legal case however, when a police constable was sent to enforce the closure of an Anglo-Catholic church at Carshalton
, indicated limits of accepted ritual practice. A consistory court hearing (under diocesan chancellor Garth Moore) in another sphere of behaviour was followed by a formal service of deposition from orders.
During the 1960s the term 'South Bank religion' became synonymous with radical theology and public controversy. Its most famous expression was the book Honest to God (1963) by John Robinson, whom Stockwood had appointed as his suffragan at Woolwich in 1959. Another controversial work was No New Morality (1964) by Douglas Rhymes, a gay priest on the staff of Southwark Cathedral
, which questioned the traditional view that Christian morality was based upon absolute laws.
Stockwood was adept at making unusual and radical, but usually highly successful, appointments. Chief among these were David Sheppard
as Bishop of Woolwich in 1969 (after John Robinson's return to Cambridge), Hugh Montefiore
as Bishop of Kingston in 1970, Michael Marshall to Woolwich in 1975 and Keith Sutton
to Kingston in 1978.
Stockwood is remembered for his appearance on the BBC chat show Friday Night, Saturday Morning
, with Christian broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge
, arguing that the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
was blasphemous. He memorably told John Cleese
and Michael Palin
at the end of the discussion that they would "get their thirty pieces of silver
".
Stockwood was a celibate gay bishop. Within the Church of England he was liberal in his view of the morality of homosexual behaviour (although a Cambridge sermon alluded unfavourably to English historical monarchs with that reputation). He spoke in favour of homosexual law reform, included gay couples among the guests at his dinner parties, and on at least one occasion blessed a gay relationship.
In his autobiography, Chanctonbury Ring
, Stockwood claimed to have had numerous paranormal experiences. A supporter of the Churches' Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Study, he said of the matter, "Our job is to examine the evidence without presupposition or jumping to conclusions. The weakness of the Church has been its refusal to consider the evidence and discuss it."
Michael De-la-Noy's biography, Mervyn Stockwood: A Lonely Life, paints him as a socialist who loved the trappings of wealth, privilege and royalty. In 1980 he retired and went to live in Bath. Shortly before his death he was one of ten Church of England bishops 'outed' by the radical gay organisation OutRage!
.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Bishop of Southwark
Bishop of Southwark (Anglican)
The Bishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester...
from 1959 to 1980.
Mervyn Stockwood was born in Bridgend, Wales, to a middle-class family. His solicitor father was killed during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was introduced to Anglo-Catholic worship at All Saints' Church, Clifton
Clifton
Clifton is an English surname, place name or given name. It means "settlement by a cliff" in Old English. It may refer to:-Australia:*Clifton, Queensland, town and Shire south of Toowoomba*Clifton Beach, Queensland...
, which reinforced his love of ritual and sense of the dramatic. He was educated at The Downs School and Kelly College
Kelly College
Kelly College is a coeducational independent school situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.The college has eight hectares of...
; in 1931 he entered Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
, where he graduated in 1934. Having studied for the Anglican ministry at Westcott House
Westcott House, Cambridge
Westcott House is a Church of England theological college based in Jesus Lane located in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Its main activity is training people for ordained ministry in Anglican churches...
theological college in Cambridge, he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1936, priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1937. First curate, then Vicar of St Matthew's, Moorfields for nineteen years, he was also missioner to Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
. In 1955 he was appointed Vicar of Great St Mary's, Cambridge where his preaching drew large congregations of undergraduates, gaining him a national reputation. A flamboyant figure, he was for a time a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
, having converted to socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
while at theological college.
In 1959, at the suggestion of Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Fisher
Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, GCVO, PC was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1945 to 1961.-Background:...
, Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
appointed Stockwood to the see of Southwark. Under him, Southwark became one of the best known dioceses in the Church of England. Stockwood encouraged both the radical and conservative wings of the church. On the one hand he encouraged priests wearing jeans in public, marches against racism and the training of "worker priests" in the Southwark Ordination Course, yet he was also the first Church of England diocesan bishop to preach at the National Pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Our Lady of Walsingham
Our Lady of Walsingham is a title used for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The title derives from the belief that Mary appeared in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman, in 1061 in the village of Walsingham in Norfolk, England...
, of which he later became an honorary guardian. A legal case however, when a police constable was sent to enforce the closure of an Anglo-Catholic church at Carshalton
Carshalton
Carshalton is a suburban area of the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is located 10 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross, situated in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton Ponds in the centre of the village. The combined population of the five wards...
, indicated limits of accepted ritual practice. A consistory court hearing (under diocesan chancellor Garth Moore) in another sphere of behaviour was followed by a formal service of deposition from orders.
During the 1960s the term 'South Bank religion' became synonymous with radical theology and public controversy. Its most famous expression was the book Honest to God (1963) by John Robinson, whom Stockwood had appointed as his suffragan at Woolwich in 1959. Another controversial work was No New Morality (1964) by Douglas Rhymes, a gay priest on the staff of Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
, which questioned the traditional view that Christian morality was based upon absolute laws.
Stockwood was adept at making unusual and radical, but usually highly successful, appointments. Chief among these were David Sheppard
David Sheppard
David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
as Bishop of Woolwich in 1969 (after John Robinson's return to Cambridge), Hugh Montefiore
Hugh Montefiore
Hugh William Montefiore was Bishop of Birmingham from 1977 to 1987.He was a member of a famous Jewish family. His father was Charles Sebag-Montefiore . He was educated at Rugby School , St John's College, Oxford, and Westcott House, Cambridge...
as Bishop of Kingston in 1970, Michael Marshall to Woolwich in 1975 and Keith Sutton
Keith Norman Sutton
Keith Norman Sutton was the Bishop of Lichfield from 1984 to 2003. He was the 97th Bishop of Lichfield.-Early life and education:Sutton grew up in Balham, London and graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge in 1959.-Ecclesiastical career:...
to Kingston in 1978.
Stockwood is remembered for his appearance on the BBC chat show Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Friday Night, Saturday Morning was a television chat show with a revolving guest host. It ran on BBC2 from 28 September 1979 to 2 April 1982, broadcast live from the Greenwood Theatre, a part of Guy's Hospital...
, with Christian broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge
Malcolm Muggeridge
Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy...
, arguing that the film Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as Life of Brian, is a 1979 British comedy film written, directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team...
was blasphemous. He memorably told John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
and Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
at the end of the discussion that they would "get their thirty pieces of silver
Thirty pieces of silver
Thirty pieces of silver was the price for which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, according to the Gospel of Matthew 26:15 in the Christian New Testament. Before the Last Supper, Judas went to the chief priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for 30 silver coins...
".
Stockwood was a celibate gay bishop. Within the Church of England he was liberal in his view of the morality of homosexual behaviour (although a Cambridge sermon alluded unfavourably to English historical monarchs with that reputation). He spoke in favour of homosexual law reform, included gay couples among the guests at his dinner parties, and on at least one occasion blessed a gay relationship.
In his autobiography, Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring is a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, on the border of the civil parishes of Washington and Wiston in the English county of West Sussex. A ridgeway, now part of the South Downs Way, runs along the hill...
, Stockwood claimed to have had numerous paranormal experiences. A supporter of the Churches' Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Study, he said of the matter, "Our job is to examine the evidence without presupposition or jumping to conclusions. The weakness of the Church has been its refusal to consider the evidence and discuss it."
Michael De-la-Noy's biography, Mervyn Stockwood: A Lonely Life, paints him as a socialist who loved the trappings of wealth, privilege and royalty. In 1980 he retired and went to live in Bath. Shortly before his death he was one of ten Church of England bishops 'outed' by the radical gay organisation OutRage!
OutRage!
OutRage! is a British LGBT rights group that was formed to fight for equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in comparison to heterosexual people. It is a group which has at times been criticised for outing individuals who wanted to keep their homosexuality secret and for being...
.