The Right Reverend

James Denton Thompson

Bishop of Sodor and Man
In office1912–1924 (death)
PredecessorThomas Wortley Drury
SuccessorCharles Leonard Thornton-Duesbury
Personal details
Born(1856-07-20)20 July 1856
Died31 October 1924(1924-10-31) (aged 68)
NationalityBritish
DenominationAnglican
Alma materLiverpool Institute
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Styles of
James Denton Thompson
Reference styleThe Right Reverend
Spoken styleMy Lord
Religious styleBishop

James Denton Thompson (20 July 1856 – 31 October 1924) was the Bishop of Sodor and Man[1] from 1912 until his death in 1924.[2]

Thompson was and educated at the Liverpool Institute and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.[3][4] He was ordained in 1883 [5] and held curacies at St James, Didsbury and St Saviour's, Liverpool.[6] From 1886 to 1889 he was Clerical Superintendent of the Church of England Scripture Readers’ Society. After this he held incumbencies in Bootle,[7] North Meols[8] and Birmingham before ordination to the episcopate.[9]

In Birmingham, one of the most important parishes outside London, Thompson enhanced his reputation as a persuasive orator. ‘He was a vigorous speaker and preacher, with a carrying voice and plenty of appropriate gesture, accustomed to address meetings of men of all grades, while his spiritual influence was unmistakeable’.[10]

Although regarded by the Archbishop of Canterbury as lacking in ‘refinement’, Prime Minister Asquith decided to recommend him for the see of Sodor and Man in November, 1911.[11] There, the great open-air services attended by visitors played to his strengths. However, tourism came to a temporary halt with the declaration of war in August, 1914. Thompson was a strong advocate of British participation in the Great War, even though he realised some of the horrors that lay ahead ‘Horrible beyond all exaggeration are the agonies of mind and body produced by any war, but no imagination can conceive a thousandth part of the horrors of this great and terrible conflict .... If we had preferred peace to honour, or safety to truth, or ease to chivalry, the moral characteristic of the British Empire would have been strained and tarnished for ever.’ [12] Thompson's support for the War never wavered despite the enormous casualties and he opposed those seeking a negotiated peace. ‘But there can be no peace without victory. Not until the power of German militarism is defeated and broken for ever can the world hope for peace. This menace to the freedom and progress of the race must be crushed out of existence before the War can come to an end.’ [13]

Thompson died suddenly in Harrogate in October, 1924.

References

  1. ^ Manx Notebook
  2. ^ The Times, Saturday, Nov 01, 1924; pg. 14; Issue 43798; col B "Obituary. Death Of Dr. Denton Thompson., A Central Churchman."
  3. ^ "Thompson, James Denton (THM879JD)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  4. ^ The Times, Tuesday, Jun 20, 1882; pg. 8; Issue 30538; col C University Intelligence
  5. ^ "The Clergy List, Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Directory" London, Hamilton & Co 1889
  6. ^ Malden Richard (ed) (1920). Crockford's Clerical Directory for 1920 (51st edn). London: The Field Press. p. 1404.
  7. ^ The Times, Thursday, Nov 13, 1890; pg. 10; Issue 33168; col F Ecclesiastical Appointments
  8. ^ British History On-Line
  9. ^ "Bishops of Sodor and Man". Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  10. ^ The Times obituary, 1 November 1924
  11. ^ Lambeth Palace Library, Davidson X (10)
  12. ^ Manx Church Magazine, September, 1914
  13. ^ Manx Church Magazine, February, 1916
Religious titles Preceded byThomas Wortley Drury Bishop of Sodor and Man 1912–1924 Succeeded byCharles Leonard Thornton-Duesbury
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