Arthur Alston

Arthur Fawssett Alston (30 December 1872 – 20 February 1954)[1] was an Anglican bishop, the third Bishop of Middleton (a suffragan bishop in the Church of England Diocese of Manchester) from 1938 until 1943.[2]

Arthur Alston
Bishop of Middleton
Diocese	Diocese of Manchester
In office	1938–1943
Predecessor	Cecil Wilson
Successor	Edward Mowll
Other posts	Archdeacon of Hastings (1928–1938) Canon Residentiary of Manchester Cathedral (1938–1943)
Orders
Ordination	1896 (deacon); 1897 (priest)
Consecration	1938 by William Temple
Personal details
Born	30 December 1872 Sandgate, Kent, UK
Died	20 February 1954 (aged 81)
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Children	2 sons; 3 daughters
Alma mater	Clare College, Cambridge

St Simon's, Southsea

Born at Sandgate, Kent, the third son of William Evelyn Alston, an army medic[3] and E. R. Alston, from Sydney,[1] Alston was educated at Clare College, Cambridge (admitted 7 July 1891, matriculated that Michaelmas, graduated Bachelor of Arts {BA} 1894 and proceeded Cambridge Master of Arts {MA Cantab} 1898). He trained for the ministry at Ridley Hall, was ordained a deacon in 1896 and a priest in Peterborough in 1897.[3]

For eleven years following ordination, he served curacies: at St Katherine, Northampton (1896–1898); at Faringdon (1898–1905); and at St Simon's, Southsea (1905–1907). While in Farington, he married in 1900, and had three sons and two daughters[1] — one of those sons, Rex Alston, became a famous cricket commentator. He then held three Yorkshire incumbencies for thirteen years in succession: Vicar of St Matthew's, Hull (1907–1915); of St George's, Leeds (1915–1917[3]/18);[1] and of All Saints', Bradford (1918–1920).[3]

Moving to Sussex in 1920, Alston became Rector of St Leonards-on-Sea, becoming additionally Rural Dean of Hastings in 1926 and Archdeacon of Hastings in 1928; he resigned the rectory and rural-deanery in 1929, remaining archdeacon.[1] He was elected a Proctor in Convocation that year, serving until 1934;[3] he ceased to be Archdeacon of Hastings when in 1938 he moved to Lancashire to become Bishop of Middleton and a Canon Residentiary of Manchester Cathedral, in which posts he remained until his retirement in 1943.[1] He was consecrated a bishop on St Matthias' day (24 February) 1938, by William Temple, Archbishop of York, at York Minster.[4]

References

1. "Alston, Arthur Fawssett". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 21 March 2017. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
2. The Times, Monday, 2 August 1943; p. 6; Issue 49613; col C. Ecclesiastical News Suffragan Bishop Of Middleton to retire
3. "Alston, Arthur Fawssett (ALSN891AF)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
4. "Two bishops consecrated". Church Times (#3919). 4 March 1938. p. 261. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 21 March 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.