John Taylor Smith

Rt. Rev. John Taylor Smith, KCB, CVO, QHC (20 April 1860 – 28 March 1938) was an Anglican bishop and military chaplain. He was the Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone by the end of the 19th century and the Chaplain-General to the Forces from the year 1901 to 1925.

The Right Reverend John Taylor Smith KCB CVO
Chaplain-General to the Forces
Church	Church of England
In office	1901 to 1925
Predecessor	Cox Edghill
Successor	Alfred Jarvis
Other posts	Sub-Prelate of the Venerable Order of Saint John (1916–1938) Bishop of Sierra Leone (1897–1901)
Orders
Ordination	1885 (deacon) 1886 (priest)
Consecration	1897
Personal details
Born	20 April 1860[1] Kendal, Westmorland, England
Died	28 March 1938 (aged 77)
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglicanism

Early Life and Education

Taylor Smith was born in 1860 in Kendal, Westmorland, England. He is the son of John Smith.[1][2]

Ordained Ministry

Taylor Smith was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1885 and as a priest in 1886.[3][4] From 1885 to 1890, he served his curacy at St Paul's Church, Penge in the Diocese of Rochester.[5] He then moved to colonial Sierra Leone, and served as Sub-Dean of St. George's Cathedral, Freetown, and Diocesan Missioner from 1890 to 1897.[3] In 1897, he was consecrated to the episcopate as Bishop of Sierra Leone.[3] He was also an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC) from 1896 to 1901.[3]

On 1st of November 1901, John Taylor Smith was appointed Chaplain-General to the Forces, and therefore head of the Army Chaplains' Department.[6] His tenure included the First World War, and he oversaw the expansion of the Army Chaplains' Department from around 120 chaplains in 1914 to almost 3,500 in 1918.[7] He retired in 1925.[3]

Having been appointed a Sub-Prelate of the Venerable Order of Saint John in 1916, Taylor Smith continued in that role in retirement.[3] He died on the 28th of March 1938.[8]

Honors

Taylor Smith was appointed as the Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1906, and a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1921.[2] He created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1925.[2] As a clergyman, traditionally he would not have received the 'accolade' and thus was not entitled to style himself 'Sir'. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree in 1897.[3]

References

1. Burke, Sir Bernard, ed. (1914). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (76th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 2532.
2. Rootsweb
3. "SMITH, Rt Rev. John Taylor". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
4. The Clergy List, Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Directory. London, Hamilton & Co, 1889
5. Who was Who 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X.
6. "No. 27379". The London Gazette. 22 November 1901. p. 7653.
7. The Royal Army Chaplains Department – Clergy Under Fire, by Michael Snape. Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2008
8. Deaths The Times Wednesday, Apr 06, 1938; pg. 17; Issue 47962; col E