Godfrey William Ernest Candler Ashby was the 8th Bishop of St John's

Bishop of St John's

The Bishop of St John’s is the Bishop of the Diocese of St Johns in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which encompassed the area around King Williams Town and East London and is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In 1991 the Diocese split with a portion of it becoming the...

 in what is now known as Mthatha

Mthatha

Mthatha is the main town of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town has an airport, previously known by the name K. D. Matanzima Airport after former leader Kaiser Matanzima....

. He was educated at The King's School, Chester

The King's School, Chester

The King's School, Chester is a British coeducational independent 7-18 school situated just outside the city of Chester. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....

 and King’s College London. Ordained Deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 in 1955 and Priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 a year later, his first post 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 St Peter, St Helier, Morden. After a spell as Priest in charge

Priest in charge

A priest in charge or priest-in-charge is a priest in charge of a parish who does not receive the temporalities of the parish. He or she is not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, simply holds a licence rather than freehold and is not appointed by advowson.The appointment of priests in...

 of St Mark Mission he emigrated to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Here he rose steadily in the Church hierarchy, being successively: Subwarden of St Paul’s College Grahamstown

Grahamstown

Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...

; Rector

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 of Alice, Eastern Cape

Alice, Eastern Cape

Alice, a town in South Africa, is named after Princess Alice, daughter of the British Queen Victoria. Many of the current political leaders in South Africa were educated at the University of Fort Hare, also the alma mater of former President Nelson Mandela...

; a senior lecturer

Lecturer

Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 in Hebrew at Rhodes University

Rhodes University

Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...

; 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:...

 of St. Michael and St. George Cathedral

St. Michael and St. George Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George is the home of the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown in Grahamstown, South Africa in the Eastern Cape Province. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Grahamstown. The cathedral is located on Church Square. It has the tallest spire in South Africa...

 and Archdeacon

Archdeacon

An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...

 of the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown; a Diocesan Bishop

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...

; and, finally, Professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 of Divinity

Divinity

Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...

 at the University of the Witwatersrand

University of the Witwatersrand

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...

. Assistant bishop (full time) diocese of Leicester 1988-95. In retirement he served the church as an 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...

 within the Diocese of George in South Africa, and continues to serve as Honorary Assistant bishop, diocese of Portsmouth since 2008.

Bishop Ashby is married to Sally Ashby (née Hawtree), and has six children: Garmon Ashby, John-Mark Ashby, Mary Jackson, Philip Ashby, Ruth Ashby, and Charles Theodoret Ashby

Charles Theodoret Ashby

Charles Ashby is CEO of Blue Business Dialog. Previously he was Head of Customer Data at British Airways' Airmiles, now called The Mileage Company.-External links:...

.

Publications:
Theodoret of Cyrrhus as exegete of the Old Testament (Rhodes University 1972)
Sacrifice (SCM Press 1988)
Go out and meet God, Exodus, a commentary . (Eerdmans 1998)