James Moorhouse
Encyclopedia
James Moorhouse was an Anglican bishop of Melbourne
and of Manchester
.
, England
, the only son of James Moorhouse, a book-lover and master-cutler, and his wife Jane Frances née Bowman. Educated in a private school at Sheffield until he was 16, Moorhouse afterwards went to the People's College in the evenings. He was widely read and already taking an interest in theological and philosophical books. His father intended the younger Moorhouse to become a partner in his cutlery business, but after spending two or three years at this work, Moorhouse asked that he might be sent to a university with a view to ordination. He never regretted the years he spent in business, as he realized that the experience of men he had gained was invaluable. Moorhouse knew little Latin, and no Greek or higher mathematics, so there was much to be learned before at the age of 23 he was able to enter St John's College, Cambridge
(graduated B.A.
, 1853 as a senior optime in the mathematical tripos; M.A., 1860; D.D.
, 1876).
Ordained as a priest in 1854, Moorhouse served as curate
at St Neots
and at Sheffield (1855-59) to Canon Sale. There he started a men's institute where young men could meet and discuss, and open their minds. He began the work single-handed and many of the men who came were rough specimens. When he left there were 400 students and a staff of voluntary teachers. Moorhouse then became curate to Canon Harvey at Hornsey, the beginning of a great friendship, and in 1861 he was appointed select preacher before the university of Cambridge. His sermons, which made a great impression, were published in that year under the title, Some Modern Difficulties Respecting the Facts of Nature and Revelation. He was much gratified to receive an invitation from his old college, St John's, to sit for a fellowship, but was obliged to decline the honour as on 12 September 1861 he had married Mary Lydia Sale, the daughter of his former vicar. He was soon afterwards appointed to the living at St John's, Fitzroy Square, London. His income was small and the parish was a drab one, but his preaching attracted well-to-do people from other parts of London, who took sittings in his church. This, however, did not lead to any neglect of the poorer members of his congregation. He opened classes for young men and himself took the classes in English, the Greek Testament and political economy. Nothing pleased him better than a discussion on some point with one of the keener-minded men of his audience. On other occasions he would play football with members of his class. In 1867 he became vicar of Paddington
, and during the following nine years established a reputation as one of the most eloquent and weighty of metropolitan preachers. He was then appointed prebendary canon of St Paul's Cathedral
in 1874.
, vacated by Charles Perry
. Consecrated at Westminster Abbey
on 22 October 1876, Moorhouse arrived in Victoria
, and was installed on 11 January 1877 at St James's Cathedral, William Street, Melbourne
.
When Moorhouse arrived at Melbourne he found much work was needed. Before the discovery of gold 25 years before, Melbourne was a small provincial town, it was now an established city with a quarter of a million inhabitants. Much as the churches had done it had been difficult to keep pace with such progress, and Moorhouse realized that men of ability should be encouraged to become clergymen, and that they should be properly trained. Trinity College had recently been built and affiliated with the University, and Moorhouse decided that if possible all candidates for orders should reside there for three years and take a degree. He had been presented with £1000 by his parishioners when he left London, and this was now given to the fund founded to meet the expenses of the students while at college. It is interesting to know that practically within the span of Moorhouse's life Trinity College contributed six bishops to the Anglican church. He travelled the country widely and made friends wherever he went, and especially stressed the need for the religious instruction of children. His difficulties were great and he found the dissensions between the various religious bodies a greater bar than the opposition of sceptics. Writing in the late 1870s he said, "The hatred of Rome here is incredible. I could have gained my object long ago but for that. . . . Nothing will induce me to join in the bigoted howl against Rome." In 1881, however, he was able to assure a friend in England that the prospects of religious instruction in schools were much brighter. His broad-mindedness appealed to many outside his own denomination. He began delivering a series of lectures in the autumn of each year on the Bible, on the gospel and city life of Corinth, on religion and science. At first given in one of the churches his audiences grew until it was necessary to engage the town hall, which held about three thousand. Without aiming at popularity Moorhouse filled this hall with people of all classes and creeds, who listened with the greatest intentness to all he said.
Moorhouse had realized that it was necessary that there should be a worthy cathedral at Melbourne. After much discussion the site was chosen as the corner of Swanston
and Flinders Streets
and William Butterfield
as the architect, but the raising of the money became a great problem. He was heartened by a gift of £10,000 from Sir William Clarke
, and even more by the receipt of £5000 from an anonymous Presbyterian, who was subsequently found to be Francis Ormond
. The foundation stone of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
was laid on 13 April 1880 and the building was completed except for the spires in 1891. Another important question of the time was the framing of the constitution of the Church in Australia. A general synod was held at Sydney, and in the absence of the bishop of Sydney in England, Moorhouse was chosen to be chairman. The problems to be dealt with held many difficulties and at the previous synod held five years before, time had been wasted and tempers tried, without result. There can be no question that the eloquence and earnestness of Moorhouse had much to do with the success of the meeting. He was able to report: "We worked like brothers without a single casual or vexatious objection. . . . I believe we have settled our constitution on primitive lines, and in such a way that no deadlock can arise in the future."
Moorhouse's journeys about the country had taught him how severely people suffered in times of drought. He became one of the pioneers of irrigation, and gave courses of lectures showing what had been done in other countries. When asked to issue a special form of prayer for rain he said people were quite at liberty to use the prayer in the prayer-book, but that they should remember that it was their own lack of foresight which allowed so much water to run to waste, and it was their duty to remedy their own neglect. The story that his reply was that "he would pray for rain if they would dam their rivers" is not correct. When asked of the truth of this in later years, Moorhouse said he regretted he had not had the wit at the moment to put it so crisply. His many activities were putting some strain on him when he received a cablegram offering him the see of Manchester. He accepted this offer and left Victoria to the regret of all who had been associated with him.
An enthusiastic lecturer, debater and participant in the public life of Australia, he was elected chancellor of the University of Melbourne
in 1884.
. He left Melbourne on 10 March 1886 and was enthroned as the third bishop of Manchester on 18 May 1886 when nearly 60 years of age, but his energy was not abated. He made visitation tours of the 600 parishes in his diocese and became familiar with their peculiar difficulties. There had been strife in connexion with ritual in the diocese which had caused much ill-feeling, and here he successfully strove for peace. His preaching and lecturing lost none of its force and fervour, but after he reached 75 years of age in 1901 he began to suffer from bronchitis and loss of sleep.
, Somerset; His wife died in August 1906. He had no children, but his wife's niece, Miss Edith Sale, was able to occupy the place of a daughter and be a companion to him. He kept up his habit of reading but took no further part in church work. He died on 9 April 1915. The more important of his books include Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Subject of Growth in Wisdom (1866), The Expectation of the Christ (1878), The Teaching of Christ (1891), Dangers of the Apostolic Age (1891), and Church Work its Means and Methods (1894). His portrait at the time of his leaving Manchester was painted by Sir George Reid
. A marble bust by Percival Ball
is at the national gallery, Melbourne
.
Moorhouse was tall and big framed, a good cricketer and footballer in his youth and an excellent boxer. He was unpretentious in manner, and at Melbourne he at first astonished some people by smoking a pipe and going on his walks accompanied by a bulldog. He was thoroughly broadminded and interested in current events, with a keen eye for humbug and priggishness. His sternness of feature and apparent coldness concealed from those who did not know him his great kindness of heart and strength of feeling. He was a tremendous worker and student, he had a clear logical mind, a sense of humour, great sincerity, and a natural gift of eloquence. These combined made him a remarkable preacher and lecturer and a great representative of his Church. He had a considerable influence on the life of Melbourne from 1876 to 1886 and those who had met him never forgot him.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Early life and career
Moorhouse was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the only son of James Moorhouse, a book-lover and master-cutler, and his wife Jane Frances née Bowman. Educated in a private school at Sheffield until he was 16, Moorhouse afterwards went to the People's College in the evenings. He was widely read and already taking an interest in theological and philosophical books. His father intended the younger Moorhouse to become a partner in his cutlery business, but after spending two or three years at this work, Moorhouse asked that he might be sent to a university with a view to ordination. He never regretted the years he spent in business, as he realized that the experience of men he had gained was invaluable. Moorhouse knew little Latin, and no Greek or higher mathematics, so there was much to be learned before at the age of 23 he was able to enter St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
(graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, 1853 as a senior optime in the mathematical tripos; M.A., 1860; D.D.
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, 1876).
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
and at Sheffield (1855-59) to Canon Sale. There he started a men's institute where young men could meet and discuss, and open their minds. He began the work single-handed and many of the men who came were rough specimens. When he left there were 400 students and a staff of voluntary teachers. Moorhouse then became curate to Canon Harvey at Hornsey, the beginning of a great friendship, and in 1861 he was appointed select preacher before the university of Cambridge. His sermons, which made a great impression, were published in that year under the title, Some Modern Difficulties Respecting the Facts of Nature and Revelation. He was much gratified to receive an invitation from his old college, St John's, to sit for a fellowship, but was obliged to decline the honour as on 12 September 1861 he had married Mary Lydia Sale, the daughter of his former vicar. He was soon afterwards appointed to the living at St John's, Fitzroy Square, London. His income was small and the parish was a drab one, but his preaching attracted well-to-do people from other parts of London, who took sittings in his church. This, however, did not lead to any neglect of the poorer members of his congregation. He opened classes for young men and himself took the classes in English, the Greek Testament and political economy. Nothing pleased him better than a discussion on some point with one of the keener-minded men of his audience. On other occasions he would play football with members of his class. In 1867 he became vicar of Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, and during the following nine years established a reputation as one of the most eloquent and weighty of metropolitan preachers. He was then appointed prebendary canon of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
in 1874.
Bishop of Melbourne
Moorhouse's distinguished record and many notable publications led to an offer of the see of MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, vacated by Charles Perry
Charles Perry (bishop)
Charles Perry was the first Anglican bishop of Melbourne, Australia.-Early life:Perry was born in Hackney, Middlesex, the third son of John Perry, sheriff of Essex and shipbuilder, and his second wife, Mary, daughter of George Green...
. Consecrated at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
on 22 October 1876, Moorhouse arrived in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, and was installed on 11 January 1877 at St James's Cathedral, William Street, Melbourne
William Street, Melbourne
William Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north-south from Flinders Street to Victoria Street, and is located in the western half of the Hoddle Grid....
.
When Moorhouse arrived at Melbourne he found much work was needed. Before the discovery of gold 25 years before, Melbourne was a small provincial town, it was now an established city with a quarter of a million inhabitants. Much as the churches had done it had been difficult to keep pace with such progress, and Moorhouse realized that men of ability should be encouraged to become clergymen, and that they should be properly trained. Trinity College had recently been built and affiliated with the University, and Moorhouse decided that if possible all candidates for orders should reside there for three years and take a degree. He had been presented with £1000 by his parishioners when he left London, and this was now given to the fund founded to meet the expenses of the students while at college. It is interesting to know that practically within the span of Moorhouse's life Trinity College contributed six bishops to the Anglican church. He travelled the country widely and made friends wherever he went, and especially stressed the need for the religious instruction of children. His difficulties were great and he found the dissensions between the various religious bodies a greater bar than the opposition of sceptics. Writing in the late 1870s he said, "The hatred of Rome here is incredible. I could have gained my object long ago but for that. . . . Nothing will induce me to join in the bigoted howl against Rome." In 1881, however, he was able to assure a friend in England that the prospects of religious instruction in schools were much brighter. His broad-mindedness appealed to many outside his own denomination. He began delivering a series of lectures in the autumn of each year on the Bible, on the gospel and city life of Corinth, on religion and science. At first given in one of the churches his audiences grew until it was necessary to engage the town hall, which held about three thousand. Without aiming at popularity Moorhouse filled this hall with people of all classes and creeds, who listened with the greatest intentness to all he said.
Moorhouse had realized that it was necessary that there should be a worthy cathedral at Melbourne. After much discussion the site was chosen as the corner of Swanston
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Flinders Streets
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
and William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
as the architect, but the raising of the money became a great problem. He was heartened by a gift of £10,000 from Sir William Clarke
William John Clarke
Sir William John Clarke was an Australian pastoralist, cattle-breeder and philanthropist.-Early life:Clarke was the eldest son of William John Turner Clarke and his wife Eliza, née Dowling and was born in Van Diemen's Land...
, and even more by the receipt of £5000 from an anonymous Presbyterian, who was subsequently found to be Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond
Francis Ormond was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist, member of the Parliament of Victoria and philanthropist in the areas of education and religion....
. The foundation stone of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
was laid on 13 April 1880 and the building was completed except for the spires in 1891. Another important question of the time was the framing of the constitution of the Church in Australia. A general synod was held at Sydney, and in the absence of the bishop of Sydney in England, Moorhouse was chosen to be chairman. The problems to be dealt with held many difficulties and at the previous synod held five years before, time had been wasted and tempers tried, without result. There can be no question that the eloquence and earnestness of Moorhouse had much to do with the success of the meeting. He was able to report: "We worked like brothers without a single casual or vexatious objection. . . . I believe we have settled our constitution on primitive lines, and in such a way that no deadlock can arise in the future."
Moorhouse's journeys about the country had taught him how severely people suffered in times of drought. He became one of the pioneers of irrigation, and gave courses of lectures showing what had been done in other countries. When asked to issue a special form of prayer for rain he said people were quite at liberty to use the prayer in the prayer-book, but that they should remember that it was their own lack of foresight which allowed so much water to run to waste, and it was their duty to remedy their own neglect. The story that his reply was that "he would pray for rain if they would dam their rivers" is not correct. When asked of the truth of this in later years, Moorhouse said he regretted he had not had the wit at the moment to put it so crisply. His many activities were putting some strain on him when he received a cablegram offering him the see of Manchester. He accepted this offer and left Victoria to the regret of all who had been associated with him.
An enthusiastic lecturer, debater and participant in the public life of Australia, he was elected chancellor of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in 1884.
Bishop of Manchester
In 1885, Moorhouse was appointed Bishop of ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He left Melbourne on 10 March 1886 and was enthroned as the third bishop of Manchester on 18 May 1886 when nearly 60 years of age, but his energy was not abated. He made visitation tours of the 600 parishes in his diocese and became familiar with their peculiar difficulties. There had been strife in connexion with ritual in the diocese which had caused much ill-feeling, and here he successfully strove for peace. His preaching and lecturing lost none of its force and fervour, but after he reached 75 years of age in 1901 he began to suffer from bronchitis and loss of sleep.
Late life and legacy
Moorhouse retired in 1903 to TauntonTaunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset; His wife died in August 1906. He had no children, but his wife's niece, Miss Edith Sale, was able to occupy the place of a daughter and be a companion to him. He kept up his habit of reading but took no further part in church work. He died on 9 April 1915. The more important of his books include Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Subject of Growth in Wisdom (1866), The Expectation of the Christ (1878), The Teaching of Christ (1891), Dangers of the Apostolic Age (1891), and Church Work its Means and Methods (1894). His portrait at the time of his leaving Manchester was painted by Sir George Reid
George Reid (Scottish artist)
-Early life and education:Reid was born in Aberdeen in 1841. He developed an early passion for drawing, which led to his being apprenticed in 1854 for seven years to Messrs Keith & Gibb, lithographers in Aberdeen...
. A marble bust by Percival Ball
Percival Ball
Percival Ball was an English sculptor active in Australia.Ball was born in Westminster, London, the son of Edward Henry Ball, carver, and his wife Louisa, née Percival. He later studied at the Royal Academy of Arts schools in England winning several gold medals and prizes. Between 1865 and 1882 he...
is at the national gallery, Melbourne
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
.
Moorhouse was tall and big framed, a good cricketer and footballer in his youth and an excellent boxer. He was unpretentious in manner, and at Melbourne he at first astonished some people by smoking a pipe and going on his walks accompanied by a bulldog. He was thoroughly broadminded and interested in current events, with a keen eye for humbug and priggishness. His sternness of feature and apparent coldness concealed from those who did not know him his great kindness of heart and strength of feeling. He was a tremendous worker and student, he had a clear logical mind, a sense of humour, great sincerity, and a natural gift of eloquence. These combined made him a remarkable preacher and lecturer and a great representative of his Church. He had a considerable influence on the life of Melbourne from 1876 to 1886 and those who had met him never forgot him.
External links
- James Moorhouse Australian Dictionary of National Biography online