John Bird Sumner
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| John Bird Sumner | |
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
 |
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| Enthroned | 1848 |
|---|---|
| Ended | September 6, 1862 |
| Predecessor | William Howley |
| Successor | Charles Thomas Longley |
| Born | 1780 Kenilworth, Warwickshire |
| Died | September 6, 1862 |
| Buried | St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church, Addington, London |
John Bird Sumner (1780 – September 6, 1862) was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.
[edit] Life
Sumner was the elder brother of Bishop Charles Sumner. He was born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University. In 1802 he became a master at Eton and was ordained the following year. He was elected a fellow of Eton in 1817 and in 1818 the school presented him to the living of Maple Durham, Oxfordshire. After being a prebendary of the Durham diocese for some years, he was consecrated Bishop of Chester in 1828. During his episcopate many churches and schools were built in the diocese.
His numerous writings were much esteemed, especially by the Evangelical party, to which he belonged. His best known writings are his Treatise on the Records of Creation and the Moral Attributes of the Creator (London, 1816) and The Evidence of Christianity derived from its Nature and Reception (London, 1821). In 1848 he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury and in this capacity he dealt impartially with the different church parties.
In the well-known Gorham Case he came into conflict with Bishop Henry Phillpotts of Exeter (1778-1869), who accused him of supporting heresy and refused to communicate with him. He supported the Divorce Bill in parliament but opposed the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill and the bill for removing Jewish disabilities.
He was president of the Canterbury Association that founded Christchurch, New Zealand.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles James Blomfield |
Bishop of Chester 1828 – 1848 |
Succeeded by John Graham |
| Preceded by William Howley |
Archbishop of Canterbury 1848–1862 |
Succeeded by Charles Thomas Longley |
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
