Spencer Leeson

Spencer Stottisbury Gwatkin Leeson[1] was an eminent[2] Headmaster[3] and Anglican bishop[4] in the mid 20th century.[5] He was an influential and popular figure in the Church of England in the early 1950s and, had he survived, may well have been appointed to an archbishopric.[6]

Life

Memorial Window to Leeson, Peterborough Cathedral

Plaque to Leeson in Peterborough Cathedral

He was born on 9 October 1892 and educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford.[7] Although he had just been awarded a 1st in Classical Moderations and was on his way to further academic distinction, he enlisted in the Army in August, 1914, soon after the outbreak of the Great War.[8] He was commissioned into the Middlesex Regiment, and his first posting was to Gibraltar, where he gained the rare experience of guarding American prisoners who had failed to reach their German fatherland. In March, 1915, Leeson was sent to Ypres but returned to England with influenza. He was in hospital when his battalion was in action, with over 500 casualties. In September, 1915, unfit for active service, he was attached to Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty and MI5. He was Mentioned in Despatches, gazetted in May, 1917. He had lengthy periods of absence resulting from a heart problem. Post-War he was Assistant Principal at the Board of Education then an Assistant Master at his old school. He was appointed Headmaster of Merchant Taylors’[9] in 1927 then Winchester College[10] eight years later. He was made deacon at Michaelmas 1939 (22 September) at Wolvesey chapel[11] and ordained priest on Trinity Sunday 1940 (19 May) at Winchester Cathedral — both times by Cyril Garbett, Bishop of Winchester.[12] He was Rector of St. Mary's Church, Southampton[13] and then Wiccamical Prebendary at Chichester Cathedral. Leeson had made such an immediate impression in Southampton that he was recommended for bishoprics. Added to that was his national reputation as an authority on education, particularly Church schools. Wakefield, Hereford and Peterborough dioceses all became vacant in 1949, and Leeson was eventually appointed to Peterborough.[14] He was ordained and consecrated a bishop that All Saints' Day (1 November) at Westminster Abbey[15] by Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury;[16] and held this post until his death on 27 January 1956.[17] By then, Leeson’s hyperactivity and zeal had damaged his health, so that when Archbishop Garbett of York announced his retirement in 1955, Leeson was not in the running.[18] Nevertheless, during the previous six years, at Peterborough, Leeson was one of the most eminent Church of England bishops.

Memorials

A memorial stained glass window was erected in the south aisle of Peterborough Cathedral to his memory.[19]

References

1. details
2. Open Library
3. Wykeham Day Address Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
4. List of incumbents
5. Ecclesiastical News. Canon Leeson For See Of Peterborough The Times Friday, 8 April 1949; pg. 4; Issue 51351; col G
6. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, OUP, article by W F Oakeshott, revised by RDH Custance
7. "Leeson, Spencer". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
8. See ‘What Did You Do in the Great War, Bishop’ by Tom Scherb, in Stand To!, number 99, and TNA WO374/41531 from which WW1 info has been sourced
9. School notes Archived 13 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
10. Time Magazine
11. "Ordinations". Church Times (#4001). 29 September 1939. p. 265. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 November 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
12. "Trinity ordinations". Church Times (#4035). 24 May 1940. p. 386. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 November 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
13. The Times, Monday, 21 January 1946; pg. 4; Issue 50355; col F Canon Leeson's New Appointment
14. TNA PREM5/370
15. "[photo caption]". Church Times (#4526). 4 November 1949. p. 729. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 12 April 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
16. "Right Rev Cyril Easthaugh". The Times (63268). 19 December 1988. p. 14.
17. Obituary- Dr. Spencer Leeson The Bishop of Peterborough The Times Saturday, 28 January 1956; pg. 9; Issue 53440; col A
18. TNA PREM5/418
19. Plaque in Peterborough Cathedral