Robert John Eden, 3rd Baron Auckland (10 July 1799 – 25 April 1870), styled The Honourable from birth until 1849, was Bishop of Bath and Wells

Bishop of Bath and Wells

The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...

.

Background and education

Born at Eden Farm, Beckenham, Kent, he was third son of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland and his wife Eleanor, oldest daughter of Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet

The Rt. Hon. Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet of Minto was born at Minto, Roxburghshire, and was a Scottish statesman, philosopher and poet.-Early life and education:...

. His older brother was George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland

George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland

George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, GCB, PC was a British Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842....

, his uncles were Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet and Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley

Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley

Morton Frederick Eden, 1st Baron Henley GCB, PC, FRS was a British diplomat.Eden was a younger son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet and was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. From 1776–79, he was Minister to Bavaria, then to Copenhagen 1779–82, Dresden 1783–91, Berlin...

. Eden was sent to Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 in 1814 and went then to Magdalene College, Cambridge

Magdalene College, Cambridge

Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...

, where he proceeded Master of Arts five years later. In 1847, he received a Bachelor of Divinity

Bachelor of Divinity

In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....

 and a Doctor of Divinity

Doctor of Divinity

Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....

 by the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. When his brother George died in 1849, he succeeded him not in the earldom, however in the barony, conferred upon their father.

Career

Eden was ordained in 1822 and was appointed rector of Eyam

Eyam

Eyam is a small village in Derbyshire, England. The village is best known for being the "plague village" that chose to isolate itself when the plague was discovered there in August 1665, rather than let the infection spread...

 in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

 in the next year. He was transferred to Hertingfordbury

Hertingfordbury

Hertingfordbury is a small village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the county town of Hertford. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book.-Location:...

, near Hertford

Hertford

Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, the 2001 census put the population of Hertford at about 24,180. Recent estimates are that it is now around 28,000...

 in 1825, a post he held for a decade. Subsequently, Eden served as vicar of Battersea

Battersea

Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...

 until 1847. He was likewise nominated chaplain to King William IV

William IV of the United Kingdom

William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...

 in 1831 and after the latter's death in 1837 to Queen Victoria for the next ten years. On 23 May 1847, Eden was consecrated Bishop of Sodor and Man

Bishop of Sodor and Man

The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese covers the Isle of Man. The see is in the town of Peel where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of St German, elevated to cathedral status on 1...

, and installed at Castletown

Castletown

Castletown is a town geographically within the Malew parish of the Isle of Man but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it is the former Manx capital. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved castle.-History:...

 on 29 June. He was translated to the see of Bath and Wells on 2 June 1854, which he held until his resignation on 6 September 1869.

Author

He was the author of A Reply to a Letter to the Bishop of Bath and Wells on the subject of the recent Restoration of the Parish Church of Kingsbury Episcopi, by George Parsons (1854), Charges of the Bishop of Bath and Wells (3 vols. 1855, 1858, and 1861), and The Journal and Correspondence of William, Lord Auckland, edited by the Bishop of Bath and Wells (1860).

He was moderate in his views, but inclining to the high church

High church

The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...

 school.

Family

He married, on 15 September 1825, Mary, eldest daughter of Francis Edward Hurt of Alderwasley, Derbyshire, by whom he had five sons and five daughters. She died on 25 November 1872. Eden died at the Bishop's Palace, Wells

Bishop's Palace, Wells

The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England, is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for 800 years....

 on 25 April 1870, and was buried in the Palm churchyard, near Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....

, four days later. His third son was Ashley

Ashley Eden

The Hon. Sir Ashley Eden KCSI CIE was an official and diplomat in British India.Eden was the third son of Robert John Eden, 3rd Lord Auckland and bishop of Bath and Wells. His uncle was George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland...

was a diplomat.