Albert David (bishop)
Albert David | |
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Queen's College, Oxford |
Albert Augustus David (19 May 1867 – 24 December 1950) was an
After obtaining a first class degree at Oxford he lectured at his old college, and had spells as a schoolmaster. From 1905 to 1909 he was headmaster of Clifton College, and from 1909 to 1921 he held the same post at Rugby School. In 1921 he was appointed Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, a post he held for only two years, being appointed Bishop of Liverpool in 1923, remaining there until his retirement in 1944.
Life and career
Early years
David was born in
After graduating David remained at Oxford as a lecturer for a year.
Headmaster
In 1905 David accepted the headmastership of Clifton College, in succession to Michael George Glazebrook, under whom the school had suffered a severe decline in numbers.[8] David's biographer Matthew Grimley writes, "A tall and imposing presence, he was a great success with masters, boys, and the school's trustees. He introduced physical drill into the curriculum, expanded the chapel and grounds, and increased pupil numbers."[1] The Times obituarist considered David's four years at Clifton to be among the smoothest and most successful of his life,[9] and the paper had commented in 1909, "His work there has been remarkably successful, and at present there is not a vacant place in the college."[10]
In November 1909 David married Eda Mary Miles with whom he had three sons and one daughter.[7] In the same month as his marriage David was selected as headmaster of Rugby in succession to Herbert Armitage James.[9] His return was welcomed by the staff,[5] but his unorthodox views on teaching soon met considerable opposition in some quarters. David maintained that a schoolmaster should study his pupils rather than subjects, and that too much attention was concentrated on the few cleverest pupils. He held that very few boys were stupid, and that there should be "a larger measure of controlled freedom in work and a wider choice of occupations should be contrived for the majority".[9] Some of the older members of his staff considered that David's methods would undermine discipline and damage the school's reputation.[1] In 1910, David was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity.[5]
Bishop
Having previously declined invitations to accept a bishopric, David agreed in 1921 to become
The largely rural diocese was roughly coterminous with
In 1923 David was translated to be Bishop of Liverpool. Succeeding Chavasse was a difficult task.
The first section of the main body of the cathedral was complete by 1924. It comprised the chancel, an ambulatory, chapter house and vestries.[17] The section was closed with a temporary wall, and on 19 July 1924, the 20th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone, the cathedral was consecrated in the presence of George V and Queen Mary, and bishops and archbishops from round the globe.[18] The building remained David's responsibility until 1931, when by Order in Council the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral were incorporated.[19] After eight years of responsibility for the building David found it hard to relinquish control to the new Dean and Chapter. Frederick Dillistone, a later Dean, commented, "To put it bluntly the Bishop found it difficult to keep his hands off the Cathedral."[20]
Relations between
In 1935 David's health deteriorated, impaired, according to his biographer Harold Costley-White, "by the burdens and anxieties of his office".[5] He travelled to Australia, and returned "refreshed and with a wider vision of the opportunities of the Church in the Empire".[5] After raising a sum of £85,000 for his diocese, he retired in 1944.[1] Kennerley writes that David was more respected than loved in the diocese.[22] After he retired there came "a great improvement in the relationship between Cathedral and diocese."[23]
David retired to Trebetherick in Cornwall, where he died at the age of 83.[1]
References
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2012 (subscription required)
- ^ "News in Brief", The Times 19 March 1886, p. 10
- ^ "Marriages", The Times 8 August 1910, p. 1
- ^ University Intelligence, The Times, 31 January 1885, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f Costley-White, Harold. David, Albert Augustus (1867–1950), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Archive, Oxford University Press, 1959. Retrieved 24 May 2012 (subscription required)
- ^ The Manchester Guardian, 27 July 1923, p. 11
- ^ Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 25 December 2016. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Whatley, N. "Glazebrook, Michael George (1853–1926)", rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 25 May 2012 (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d "Obituary – Bishop A. A. David", The Times, 27 December 1950, p. 6
- ^ "New Headmaster of Rugby School, The Times, 5 November 1909, p. 11
- ^ "Ecclesiastical News", The Times, 26 July 1921, p. 6
- ^ "Court Circular", The Times 29 September 1921, p. 13
- ^ a b "Obituary – Dr. H. B. Hodgson", The Times, 1 March 1921, p. 15
- ^ "New Bishoprics", The Times, 16 August 1913, p. 7
- ^ Kennerley, p. 68
- ^ Kennerley, p. 70
- ^ "Liverpool Cathedral", The Times, 19 June 1924, p. 13
- ^ Cotton, p. 6
- ^ Kennerley, p. 87
- ^ Dillistone, p. 160
- ^ Dillistone, p. 160, Kennerley, p. 94 and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Kennerley, p. 151
- ^ Kennerley, p. 152
Sources
- Cotton, Vere E. (1964). The Liverpool Cathedral Official Handbook. Liverpool: Littlebury Bros for Liverpool Cathedral Committee. OCLC 44551681.
- Dillistone, F. W. (1975). Charles Raven – Naturalist, historian, Theologian. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0340193131.
- Kennerley, Peter (1991). The Building of Liverpool Cathedral. Preston, Lancashire: Carnegie Publishing. ISBN 0-948789-72-7.
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