Derek Rawcliffe
Derek Alec Rawcliffe OBE (8 July 1921 – 1 February 2011) was an English Anglican bishop and author. He served as the Bishop of the New Hebrides[1] and the Scottish Episcopal Church's Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway.[2]
The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe OBE | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway | |
| Church | Scottish Episcopal Church |
| Diocese | Glasgow and Galloway |
| Elected | 1980 |
| In office | 1981–1991 |
| Predecessor | Frederick Goldie |
| Successor | John Taylor |
| Other posts | Assistant Bishop of Ripon (1991-1996) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1945 by William Wilson Cash |
| Consecration | 25 January 1974 by Allen Johnston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 July 1921 Manchester, England |
| Died | 1 February 2011 (aged 89) Leeds, England |
| Parents | James Alec, Gwendoline Rawcliffe |
| Spouse | Susan Speight
(m. 1977; died 1987) |
| Previous post | Archdeacon of Southern Melanesia Assistant Bishop of Melanesia (1974-1975) Bishop of the New Hebrides (1975-1980) |
| Education | Leeds University |
Life and ministry
Rawcliffe was born in Manchester, the son of a tobacconist, on 8 July 1921. He was brought up in Gloucester and educated at Leeds University.[3] He was ordained deacon in 1944 and priest in 1945.[4] After a curacy at Claines St George, Worcester between 1944 and 1947, he became a teacher in the Solomon Islands until 1953 when he became Archdeacon of Southern Melanesia and the New Hebrides. He was Assistant Bishop of Melanesia between 1974 and 1975, and then became the first Bishop of the New Hebrides, serving from 1975 to 1980[5] when he was translated to Glasgow and Galloway, in the Scottish Episcopal Church on 20 January 1981. In Scotland, where he notably gave positions to a number of gay clergy, his limited organisational ability led to difficulties for the diocese. He retired on 28 February 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 other books he wrote 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 The 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.
- "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
| Anglican Communion titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Bishop of the New Hebrides 1975–1980 |
Succeeded by Harry Tevi |
| Preceded by Frederick Goldie |
Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway 1981–1991 |
Succeeded by John Taylor |