John Bird Sumner

John Bird Sumner
Archbishop of Canterbury
Enthroned	1848
Reign ended	6 September 1862
Predecessor	William Howley
Successor	Charles Thomas Longley
Personal details
Born	1780 Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Died	6 September 1862
Buried	St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church, Addington, London

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John Bird Sumner (1780 – 6 September 1862) was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.

Life

Sumner was the elder brother of Bishop Charles Richard Sumner. He was born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University.^[1] 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 appointed 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.

References

•  "Sumner, John Bird". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.