Ely Theological College

Last updated

Ely Theological College was a college in Ely, Cambridgeshire, for training clergy in the Church of England. Founded in 1876 [1] by James Woodford, Anglican Bishop of Ely, [2] the college had a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition. [3] Ely's "ritualistic" (i.e. "Catholic") tendencies were attacked by Mr Samuel Smith MP [4] in a House of Commons debate in 1899. [5]

Contents

Because of its reputation for strong Anglo-Catholicism the clergy trained there had little hope of rising to senior positions in the church; [6] the first one to become a diocesan bishop was Edward Wynn in 1941. (Eric Mascall in his autobiography expresses the opinion that there were few differences in doctrine or liturgy between Ely and the theological colleges of Cuddesdon and Lincoln. [6] ) The principal from 1891 to 1911 was B. W. Randolph (also a canon of the cathedral); he was succeeded by Charles John Smith (previously vice-principal) who maintained the customs established in Randolph's time. The vice-principal was then Harry Thomas, a former missionary who later became the suffragan bishop of Taunton. [7]

The college closed in 1964.

Notable alumni

Notes and references

  1. Dowland 1997, p. 5.
  2. Ollard 1919, p. 590.
  3. Symondson 2004, p. 82.
  4. Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by S. Smith
  5. "THIRD DAY'S DEBATE". Hansard. 9 February 1899. p. 345. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  6. 1 2 Mascall 1992, p. 102.
  7. Mascall 1992, pp. 102-103.
  8. "Brian Brindley". The Independent. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.

Coordinates: 52°23′45″N0°15′39″E / 52.395845°N 0.260971°E / 52.395845; 0.260971


Related Research Articles

Anglicanism Practices, liturgy and identity of the Church of England

Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation.

Anglo-Catholicism Anglicanism that emphasises its Catholic heritage

Anglo-Catholicism, Anglican Catholicism, or Catholic Anglicanism comprises people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches.

Pusey House, Oxford

Pusey House is an Anglican religious institution located in St Giles', Oxford, immediately to the south of Pusey Street. It is firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. Known as a "House of Piety and Learning", it is associated with, but is not part of, the University of Oxford.

Oxford Movement

The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church members of the Church of England which eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of some older Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy and theology. They thought of Anglicanism as one of three branches of the "one holy, catholic, and apostolic" Christian church. By the 1840s many participants decided that the Anglican Church lacked grace, and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Anglican Diocese of Sydney

The Diocese of Sydney is a diocese in Sydney, within the Province of New South Wales of the Anglican Church of Australia. The majority of the diocese is evangelical and low church in tradition.

Affirming Catholicism, sometimes referred to as AffCath, is a movement operating in several provinces of the Anglican Communion, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States. In the US, the movement is known as Affirming Anglican Catholicism (AAC). The movement represents a liberal strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is particularly noted for holding that Anglo-Catholic belief and practice is compatible with the ordination of women. It also generally supports ordination into the threefold ministry regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Independent Catholicism is a denominational movement of clergy and laity who self-identify as Catholic and form "micro-churches claiming apostolic succession and valid sacraments", in spite of not being affiliated to the historic Catholic churches such as the Roman Catholic and Old Catholic churches. The term "Independent Catholic" derives from the fact that "these denominations affirm both their belonging to the Catholic tradition as well as their independence from Rome."

Charles Gore

Charles Gore was the Bishop of Oxford. He was one of the most influential Anglican theologians of the 19th century, helping reconcile the church to some aspects of biblical criticism and scientific discovery, while remaining Catholic in his interpretation of the faith and sacraments. Also known for his social action, Gore became an Anglican bishop and founded the monastic Community of the Resurrection as well as co-founded the Christian Social Union. He was the chaplain to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, formerly a bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

John Charles Wright, was an Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, seen by some as responsible for reducing the influence of Anglo-Catholicism in the diocese.

Anglican doctrine

Anglican doctrine is the body of Christian teachings used to guide the religious and moral practices of Anglicans.

Westcott House, Cambridge

Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Its main activity is training people for ordained ministry in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. Westcott House is a founding member of the Cambridge Theological Federation. The college is considered by many to be Liberal Catholic in its tradition, but it accepts ordinands from a range of traditions in the Church of England.

Eric Lionel Mascall

Eric Lionel Mascall (1905–1993) was a leading theologian and priest in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. He was a philosophical exponent of the Thomist tradition and was Professor of Historical Theology at King's College London. His name was styled as E. L. Mascall in most of his writings.

Priesthood in the Catholic Church One of the three ordained holy orders of the Catholic Church

The priesthood is one of the three holy orders of the Catholic Church, comprising the ordained priests or presbyters. The other two orders are the bishops and the deacons. Church doctrine also sometimes refers to all baptised Catholics as the "common priesthood".

St Matthews Church, Westminster Church in London, United Kingdom

St Matthew's Church, Westminster, is an Anglican church in Westminster, London. Located in the heart of the capital, close to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Church House, St Matthew's has been closely associated with the recovery of the Catholic heritage of the Church of England from its early days. One of the foremost leaders of that movement, Frank Weston, Bishop of Zanzibar, served at St Matthew's from 1916-18.

Mark Sowerby

Mark Crispin Rake Sowerby is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2019, he has been the Principal of the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield; he was previously Bishop of Horsham, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Chichester.

The terms liberal Anglo-Catholicism and liberal Anglo-Catholic refer to people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm liberal Christian perspectives while maintaining the traditions culturally associated with Anglo-Catholicism.

Lichfield Theological College was founded in 1857 to train Anglican clergy to serve in the Church of England. It was located on the south side of the Cathedral Close in Lichfield, Staffordshire and closed in 1972.

St Clements Church, Cambridge Church in Cambridgeshire, England

St Clement's is a Church of England parish church in central Cambridge. The church is a Grade II* listed building.

Brian Brindley

The Rev. Brian Dominic Frederick Titus Brindley was a prominent Anglican priest who later became a Roman Catholic layman. He was Vicar of Holy Trinity in Reading until a scandal about homosexuality forced his resignation. He later converted to Roman Catholicism over the ordination of women, and wrote for church newspapers.