The Right Reverend

Charles Corfe
ProvinceCanterbury
SeeSeoul
Appointed1889
Installed29 September 1890
Term ended1904
SuccessorArthur Turner
Orders
Ordination1866
Consecration1 November 1889
RankBishop
Personal details
Born1843
Died20 June 1921
NationalityEnglish
DenominationAnglican
Previous post(s)
Alma mater

Charles John Corfe (1843 – 20 June 1921)[1] was the inaugural Anglican Bishop in Korea from 1889[2] to 1904.

Biography

Corfe was one of the four "Bible Clerks" educated as an undergraduate at All Souls College, Oxford.[3] After graduating[4] he had a brief spell teaching at St. Michael's College, Tenbury before being ordained in 1866.[5] For the next 22 years he was a Royal Naval Chaplain.[6]

On All Saints' Day (1 November) 1889[7] he was consecrated by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, as missionary bishop of Chosun (Korea, then spelled Corea) in Westminster Abbey[8] and was awarded an honorary DD on his appointment in Korea.[9] In 1890, he established the Church of St Michael and All the Angels in Seoul and started three hospitals, two in Seoul and one in Jemulpo (Incheon). Until 1891, he was also the bishop of Manchuria before the area was converted to the Chinese diocese of North China. In 1897, he baptized the first Anglicans and performed the ritual in Korean.[8] He tendered his resignation to the Archbishop of Canterbury shortly before St James's Day (25 July) 1904, when he wrote a letter to his diocese; by 16 September, the Archbishop had accepted Corfe's resignation and named Arthur Turner his successor.[10] On his retirement he published an account of his pioneering efforts[11] entitled The Anglican Church in Corea.[12]

References

  1. ^ Bishop Corfe. (Obituaries) The Times Monday, 4 July 1921; p. 16; Issue 42763; col C
  2. ^ CONSECRATION OF THREE BISHOPS: Reading, Derby and Corea (sic) The Times Saturday, 2 November 1889; p. 9; Issue 32846; col C
  3. ^ History of the college Archived 4 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ The Times, Friday, 16 June 1865; p. 5; Issue 25213; col B University Intelligence
  5. ^ Malden Richard (ed) (1920). Crockford's Clerical Directory for 1920 (51st edn). London: The Field Press. p. 320.
  6. ^ "Who was Who" 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7
  7. ^ "Chapter II. English Church Mission to Corea History, 1889-1910", in Trollope, Mark Napier. The Church in Corea (London: Mowbray, 1915/Milwaukee: The Young Churchman, 1915; accessed at Project Cantebury, 5 March 2021)
  8. ^ a b Wickeri, Philip L. (2 February 2017), "Anglicanism in China and East Asia, 1819–1912", The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume III, Oxford University Press, pp. 318–337, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699704.003.0015, ISBN 9780199699704, retrieved 20 July 2018
  9. ^ University Intelligence. Oxford, 16 Oct.. (Official Appointments and Notices) The Times Thursday, 17 October 1889; p. 7; Issue 32832; col E
  10. ^ "Corea. Resignation of Bishop Corfe". Church Times. No. 2173. 16 September 1904. p. 354. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 5 March 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.
  11. ^ Details of book
  12. ^ Being documents ... issued by authority during the episcopate of the first Bishop of the Church of England in Corea between 1889 and 1905: Seoul, Hodge & Co, 1907
Church of England titles New title Bishop in Korea 1889 – 1904 Succeeded byArthur Turner


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