Gerald Ellison

Gerald Alexander Ellison KCVO PC (19 August 1910 – 18 October 1992^[1]) was an Anglican bishop and rower. He was the Bishop of Chester from 1955 to 1973 and the Bishop of London from 1973 to 1981.

The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Gerald Ellison KCVO PC
Bishop of London
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of London
In office	1973–1981
Predecessor	Robert Stopford
Successor	Graham Leonard
Other post(s)	Bishop of Willesden (1950–1955) Bishop of Chester (1955–1973)
Orders
Ordination	1935 (deacon) 1936 (priest)
Consecration	c. 1950
Personal details
Born	(1910-08-19)19 August 1910
Died	18 October 1992(1992-10-18) (aged 82)
Denomination	Anglican
Residence	Fulham Palace, London, United Kingdom
Alma mater	New College, Oxford

Early life and education

Ellison was the son of a chaplain to the king. He was educated at Westminster School and New College, Oxford.^[2] He rowed for Oxford University Boat Club in the Boat Race in 1932 and 1933 and was later a Boat Race umpire. He married Jane Gibbon and they had three children, two daughters and a son.

Ordained ministry

Ellison studied for ordination at Westcott House, Cambridge and was ordained deacon in 1935 and priest in 1936. His first position, from 1935, was as a curate at Sherborne.^[3] He then became the chaplain to Cyril Garbett, Bishop of Winchester, from 1937 to 1939. During World War II he was a chaplain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and in 1943 the domestic chaplain to Cyril Garbett as Archbishop of York. From 1946 to 1950 he was vicar of St Mark's Portsea, Portsmouth, the largest parish of the city.^[4]

Episcopal ministry

In 1950, Ellison was consecrated to the episcopate as Bishop of Willesden, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of London.^[5] In 1955 he became the Bishop of Chester,^[6] (in which capacity he blessed a nuclear submarine at Birkenhead) and then, in 1972, the Bishop of London,^[7] where he completed a move from Fulham Palace to a residence in Westminster. Another lasting legacy of his in the Diocese of London is the area scheme he began.^[8] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1981 and after retirement was for a short time vicar general in the extraprovincial Diocese of Bermuda.

See also

• Christianity portal

• List of Oxford University Boat Race crews

References

1. Who's Who 1992 London A & C Black 1991 ISBN 0-71-363514-2
2. People of Today 1992 London, Debrett's 1991 ISBN 1-870520-09-2
3. Crockford's clerical directory 1976 Lambeth, Church House, 1975 ISBN 0-19-200008-X
4. Michael De-La-Noy: Obituary: The Right Rev Gerald Ellison. Independent, 20 October 1992.
5. "Bishop Suffragan Of Willesden: Both Primates Present At Consecration" (News), The Times, London, 22 September 1950; pg. 6; Issue 51803; col C
6. "Bishop Of Chester Nominated: Rt. Rev. G. A. Ellison" (News), The Times, London, 12 January 1955; p. 8.
7. The Times, London, 25 October 1973; pg. 23; Issue 58922; col A Court Circular Bishop of London sworn to the Privy Council
8. "Ellison, Gerald Alexander". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

External links

• Bishop Ellison's papers are at Lambeth Palace Library

Church of England titles
Preceded by Michael Gresford Jones	Bishop of Willesden 1950–1955	Succeeded by George Ingle
Preceded by Douglas Crick	Bishop of Chester 1955–1973	Succeeded by Hubert Whitsey
Preceded by Robert Stopford	Bishop of London 1973–1981	Succeeded by Graham Leonard