Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs
Encyclopedia
Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman-Biggs (2 February 1845 - 14 April 1922), until 1898 known as Huyshe Wolcott Yeatman, was an influential Anglican
clergyman who served as the only Suffragan Bishop of Southwark
, the 113th Bishop of Worcester
and, latterly, as the inaugural bishop of the restored see
of Coventry
in the modern era.
Yeatman was born at Manston House, Dorset
, the younger son of Harry Farr Yeatman JP
by his marriage to Emma, daughter and heiress of Harry Biggs, of Stockton House, Wiltshire
. He was educated at Winchester College
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, where he was a Dixie Scholar, and eventually (1905) an Honorary Fellow
. He was ordained in 1869 and after a curacy in Salisbury
became chaplain
to the bishop
in 1875. That same year he married firstly Lady Barbara Legge, daughter of the 4th Earl of Dartmouth
.
He was successively vicar of Netherbury
and Sydenham
before becoming Suffragan Bishop
of Southwark
in 1891, a post he was to hold for 14 years before elevation to the Bishopric of Worcester
in 1905. During his years there Yeatman-Biggs forged very close links with the Episcopal church
in the United States
. In 1898, he inherited the estate of his brother, General Yeatman-Biggs CB
, and assumed the additional name of Biggs by Royal licence.
In 1918 he took on the task of reviving the Coventry diocese
, during which time he came to national prominence when an unscrupulous adventurer accused him of influencing a vulnerable pensioner into leaving him her assets. Not only were the charges completely unfounded, the much smaller sum he had received was quite properly re-distributed to worthy Anglican causes.
After Yeatman-Biggs's death, a bronze effigy
of him was commissioned by Hamo Thornycroft
, and was the only artefact to survive the terrible bombing of the old Coventry Cathedral
in 1940.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman who served as the only Suffragan Bishop of Southwark
Bishop of Southwark (Anglican)
The Bishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester...
, the 113th Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
and, latterly, as the inaugural bishop of the restored see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Coventry
Bishop of Coventry
The Bishop of Coventry is the Ordinary of the England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichfield....
in the modern era.
Yeatman was born at Manston House, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the younger son of Harry Farr Yeatman JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
by his marriage to Emma, daughter and heiress of Harry Biggs, of Stockton House, Wiltshire
Stockton, Wiltshire
Stockton is a small village in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England .-Location and extent:The village is close to Codford, south of the A36 road, between the town of Warminster and the city of Salisbury....
. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, where he was a Dixie Scholar, and eventually (1905) an Honorary Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
. He was ordained in 1869 and after a curacy in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
became chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the bishop
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
in 1875. That same year he married firstly Lady Barbara Legge, daughter of the 4th Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 4th Earl of Dartmouth FRS, SA , styled The Honourable William Legge until 1801 and Viscount Lewisham between 1801 and 1810, was a British peer.-Background:...
.
He was successively vicar of Netherbury
Netherbury
Netherbury is a village in west Dorset, England, with a population of 1,276 . It is situated one mile south of Beaminster and five miles north of Bridport, just off the A3066 road.Netherbury consists of a church, a village hall, and a play park....
and Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
before becoming Suffragan Bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of Southwark
Bishop of Southwark (Anglican)
The Bishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester...
in 1891, a post he was to hold for 14 years before elevation to the Bishopric of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
in 1905. During his years there Yeatman-Biggs forged very close links with the Episcopal church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1898, he inherited the estate of his brother, General Yeatman-Biggs CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, and assumed the additional name of Biggs by Royal licence.
In 1918 he took on the task of reviving the Coventry diocese
Diocese of Coventry
The Diocese of Coventry is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Coventry, who sits at Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, and is assisted by one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Warwick. The diocese covers Coventry and Warwickshire.The diocese is...
, during which time he came to national prominence when an unscrupulous adventurer accused him of influencing a vulnerable pensioner into leaving him her assets. Not only were the charges completely unfounded, the much smaller sum he had received was quite properly re-distributed to worthy Anglican causes.
After Yeatman-Biggs's death, a bronze effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of him was commissioned by Hamo Thornycroft
Hamo Thornycroft
Sir William "Hamo" Thornycroft, RA was a British sculptor, responsible for several London landmarks.-Biography:...
, and was the only artefact to survive the terrible bombing of the old Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
in 1940.
Works
- The Efficiency and Inefficiency of a Diocese, London, SPCK, 1909
- Life in an English Diocese, London, SPCK, 1915