Alan Chesters (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Alan David Chesters CBE
(born 26 August 1937) was the Bishop of Blackburn
from 1989 to 2003.
, West Yorkshire
. He was educated at Elland Grammar School
, St Chad's College, Durham
(BA
1959), St Catherine's Society, Oxford
(BA
1961, MA(Oxon)
1965) and St Stephen's House, Oxford
(1959–62). He was ordained deacon in 1962, priest in 1963 and bishop in 1989.
of St Anne's
Wandsworth
from 1962 to 1965. He then became chaplain
of Tiffin School (1966–72), a post that he soon combined with that of honorary assistant curate of St Richard's
Ham
(1967–72). Returning to the north of England
, where he was to spend the rest of his ministry, he became director of education for the Diocese of Durham
and rector of Brancepeth
(1972–85). He was an honorary canon of Durham Cathedral
from 1975 until 1984. In 1985 he was appointed Archdeacon of Halifax
in the Diocese of Wakefield
. In 1989, The Queen appointed him Bishop of Blackburn
on the advice of the Prime Minister
, Margaret Thatcher
. He took his seat in the House of Lords in 1995. He retired in 2003 and became an honorary assistant bishop
in the diocese
s of Chester
and Gibraltar in Europe
.
Chesters was a Church Commissioner
from 1982 until 1998. He was first elected to the General Synod in 1975. He was a member of its standing committee 1985-89 and 1990–95 and served as Vice Chairman (1984–90), and later Chairman, of the Board of Education. and Chairman of the Schools Committee.
His involvement in Anglican education continued as he became a member of the board of governors of his old college at Durham, St Chad's
(1980–89), and chairman of the board of governors of St Martin's College
(1991–2003). In 2003 he was appointed to St Martin's College's
first honorary fellowship. He has also been chairman of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Advisory Committee on Church Colleges and president of the Woodard Corporation
.
and chairman of the North-West Rural Affairs Forum. In the New Year Honours List 2007
he was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
for services to the community in the North-West
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 August 1937) was the Bishop of Blackburn
Bishop of Blackburn
The Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...
from 1989 to 2003.
Early life and education
Chesters is the son of Herbert and Catherine Chesters, of HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. He was educated at Elland Grammar School
Elland
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England, south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The area of Elland was called Elant in the Domesday Book...
, St Chad's College, Durham
St Chad's College
St Chad's College is a college of the University of Durham in England. One of the smallest of Durham's colleges in terms of student numbers , it has the largest staff, the most extensive college library facilities, and consistently the highest academic results in Durham...
(BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1959), St Catherine's Society, Oxford
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
(BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1961, MA(Oxon)
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
1965) and St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen's House, Oxford
St Stephen’s House, Oxford , is an Anglican theological college and one of six religious Permanent Private Halls of the University of Oxford, England...
(1959–62). He was ordained deacon in 1962, priest in 1963 and bishop in 1989.
Ecclesiastical career
Chesters served as assistant curateCurate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of St Anne's
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
from 1962 to 1965. He then became chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Tiffin School (1966–72), a post that he soon combined with that of honorary assistant curate of St Richard's
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
Ham
Ham, London
Ham is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the River Thames.- Location :Its name derives from the Old English word Hamme meaning place in the bend in the river. Together with Petersham, Ham lies to the east of the bend in the river south of Richmond and north of Kingston...
(1967–72). Returning to the north of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, where he was to spend the rest of his ministry, he became director of education for the Diocese of Durham
Diocese of Durham
The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic County Durham . It was created in AD 1000 to replace the Diocese of Lindisfarne...
and rector of Brancepeth
Brancepeth
Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century...
(1972–85). He was an honorary canon of Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
from 1975 until 1984. In 1985 he was appointed Archdeacon of Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
in the Diocese of Wakefield
Diocese of Wakefield
The Diocese of Wakefield is a Church of England diocese based in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, covering Wakefield, Barnsley, Kirklees and Calderdale...
. In 1989, The Queen appointed him Bishop of Blackburn
Bishop of Blackburn
The Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...
on the advice of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. He took his seat in the House of Lords in 1995. He retired in 2003 and became an honorary assistant bishop
Assistant Bishop
An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.-Church of England:In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually are retired bishops – in which case they are honorary assistant bishops...
in the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
and Gibraltar in Europe
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe
The Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of England and arguably the largest diocese in the Anglican Communion, covering some one-sixth of the Earth's landmass, including Morocco, Europe , Turkey, and the territory of the former Soviet...
.
Chesters was a Church Commissioner
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
from 1982 until 1998. He was first elected to the General Synod in 1975. He was a member of its standing committee 1985-89 and 1990–95 and served as Vice Chairman (1984–90), and later Chairman, of the Board of Education. and Chairman of the Schools Committee.
His involvement in Anglican education continued as he became a member of the board of governors of his old college at Durham, St Chad's
St Chad's College
St Chad's College is a college of the University of Durham in England. One of the smallest of Durham's colleges in terms of student numbers , it has the largest staff, the most extensive college library facilities, and consistently the highest academic results in Durham...
(1980–89), and chairman of the board of governors of St Martin's College
St Martin's College
St Martin's College was a British Higher Education College with campuses in Lancaster, Ambleside and Carlisle, as well as sites in Whitehaven, Barrow and London. It provided undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, humanities, business studies, teacher training, health and social care...
(1991–2003). In 2003 he was appointed to St Martin's College's
St Martin's College
St Martin's College was a British Higher Education College with campuses in Lancaster, Ambleside and Carlisle, as well as sites in Whitehaven, Barrow and London. It provided undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the arts, humanities, business studies, teacher training, health and social care...
first honorary fellowship. He has also been chairman of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom, which has been responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since...
Advisory Committee on Church Colleges and president of the Woodard Corporation
Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools is a group of Anglican schools affiliated to the Woodard Corporation which has its origin in the work of Nathaniel Woodard, an Anglo-Catholic clergyman....
.
Otherside the church
Chesters was a member of the Countryside CommissionCountryside Agency
The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...
and chairman of the North-West Rural Affairs Forum. In the New Year Honours List 2007
British honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
he was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to the community in the North-West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
Sources
- Bishop dices with casino future, BBC News (26 February 2002)
- SMC awards Honorary Fellowship to Bishop of Blackburn (15 January 2004)
- Trinity Foundation for Christianity and Culture
- Glyn Paflin, Honours for work with children and families, Church Times
- Gerrard and Hatton head honours, BBC News (30 December 2006)
- Debrett's People of Today
- Crockford's Clerical Directory