Francis de Witt Batty
Encyclopedia
Francis de Witt Batty was the Anglican Bishop
of Newcastle, New South Wales
from 1931 until his retirement in 1958.
De Witt Batty was educated at St Paul's School, London and Balliol College, Oxford
He was ordained in 1903 and his first position was as a curate
at Hornsey
where he was asked a year later by the outgoing rector
, St Clair Donaldson
, to accompany him as his chaplain
when Donaldson was appointed Archbishop of Brisbane
. In 1915 he was appointed a residential canon
at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
and in 1925 the cathedral's dean
. He was ordained to the episcopate in 1930. He once called his see
as "the most enviable diocese in Australia".
In his obituary in The Times
, he was described as being "one of the most outstanding Englishmen ever to dedicate his life to public service in Australia".
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
from 1931 until his retirement in 1958.
De Witt Batty was educated at St Paul's School, London and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
He was ordained in 1903 and his first position was as a curate
Curate
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...
at Hornsey
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
where he was asked a year later by the outgoing rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, St Clair Donaldson
St Clair Donaldson
St Clair George Alfred Donaldson was the first Anglican archbishop of Brisbane, Australia.-Early life:Donaldson was the third son of Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson and his wife Amelia née Cowper and was born in London. He was educated at Eton, where he rowed in the eight, and at Trinity College,...
, to accompany him as his 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...
when Donaldson was appointed Archbishop of Brisbane
Anglican Diocese of Brisbane
The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane is based in Brisbane, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The current Archbishop of Brisbane is the Most Reverend Phillip Aspinall, who is also the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.The diocese stretches from the inner...
. In 1915 he was appointed a residential canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
and in 1925 the cathedral's dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
. He was ordained to the episcopate in 1930. He once called his see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
as "the most enviable diocese in Australia".
In his obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, he was described as being "one of the most outstanding Englishmen ever to dedicate his life to public service in Australia".