William Thomas Gaul
Encyclopedia
William Thomas Gaul was Rector of All Saints Church, Du Toit's Pan
, Kimberley
, afterwards of St Cyprian's Church
, Kimberley, Rural Dean of Griqualand West
, and Archdeacon
in what was still the Diocese of Bloemfontein
, before being elected the second Bishop of Mashonaland
, where he styled himself "the smallest bishop with the largest diocese in Christendom." He officiated at the funeral of Cecil John Rhodes
and helped draft the Rhodes Trust Deed
.
.
where he served inter alia on the staff of the short-lived St Cyprian's Theological College in Bloemfontein, was involved at the Good Shepherd "half-caste" school, Bloemfontein, and presided at St Patrick's, Thaba N'chu.
Of Canon Gaul, Alpheus Williams says he was “small, gallant, imaginative, humorous, sporting and adventurous. When he came to Kimberley in 1880 he soon became a force in the land – a vivid, straight-forward, amusing personality, beloved by rich and poor.” Many congregated to listen to his “clear ringing voice, preaching help for everyday life. His voice was a carrying one, crisp and concise…he was a real shepherd of his flock and rounded them up systematically. He was friendly with all sects, Jew and Gentile.” Williams added that “he was solicitous for the betterment of the coloured people” – being the founder of the Perseverance School
, “one of the most important institutions of its kind in the country”.
as Bishop of Mashonaland. He was consecrated Bishop at Bloemfontein Cathedral on the Feast of St Mark (April 25) 1895.
Gaul retired from Mashonaland in 1907 and went to live in England; but he returned to South Africa in 1912, settling in Cape Town, where he died on Ascension Day 1927.
Du Toit's Pan
Du Toit's Pan, now usually Dutoitspan, refers to one of the earliest diamond mining camps at what is now Kimberley, South Africa. It was renamed Beaconsfield, which existed as a separate borough from Kimberley itself until Kimberley and Beaconsfield were amalgamated as the City of Kimberley in...
, Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, afterwards of St Cyprian's Church
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...
, Kimberley, Rural Dean of Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
, and Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
in what was still the Diocese of Bloemfontein
Anglican Diocese of the Free State
The Anglican Diocese of the Free State is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.-History:The first service North of the Orange River to be taken by an Anglican clergyman was conducted in 1850 by Robert Gray, the first Bishop of Cape Town. In 1863, Edward Twells was consecrated the...
, before being elected the second Bishop of Mashonaland
Anglican Diocese of Mashonaland
The Anglican Diocese of Mashonaland was formed in 1891 and its first Bishop was The Rt Rev George Wyndham Hamilton Knight-Bruce. He was succeeded by the Rt Revd William Thomas Gaul , formerly Rector of St Cyprian's Church in Kimberley...
, where he styled himself "the smallest bishop with the largest diocese in Christendom." He officiated at the funeral of Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes
Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...
and helped draft the Rhodes Trust Deed
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
.
Early years
Gaul was born in 1850 in Derry, Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
Bloemfontein
Going to South Africa in 1874, Gaul went to the Diocese of BloemfonteinAnglican Diocese of the Free State
The Anglican Diocese of the Free State is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.-History:The first service North of the Orange River to be taken by an Anglican clergyman was conducted in 1850 by Robert Gray, the first Bishop of Cape Town. In 1863, Edward Twells was consecrated the...
where he served inter alia on the staff of the short-lived St Cyprian's Theological College in Bloemfontein, was involved at the Good Shepherd "half-caste" school, Bloemfontein, and presided at St Patrick's, Thaba N'chu.
Kimberley
In 1880 he was appointed to the Parish of All Saints, Dutoitspan (Beaconsfield), on the Diamond Fields. In August 1884 the Vicar General of the Diocese of Bloemfontein, Archdeacon D.G. Croghan, appointed Canon W.T. Gaul as Rector of St Cyprian's Kimberley (taking his place at All Saints, as Rector of Beaconsfield, was the Revd Fr C.F. Tobias LLB). In Gaul's appointment, Croghan noted, St Cyprian's assumed first place amongst the Anglican parishes in Kimberley.Of Canon Gaul, Alpheus Williams says he was “small, gallant, imaginative, humorous, sporting and adventurous. When he came to Kimberley in 1880 he soon became a force in the land – a vivid, straight-forward, amusing personality, beloved by rich and poor.” Many congregated to listen to his “clear ringing voice, preaching help for everyday life. His voice was a carrying one, crisp and concise…he was a real shepherd of his flock and rounded them up systematically. He was friendly with all sects, Jew and Gentile.” Williams added that “he was solicitous for the betterment of the coloured people” – being the founder of the Perseverance School
Perseverance School
The Perseverance School, Kimberley, was founded as such in 1883 but might be seen as having arisen from the St Cyprian's Mission School dating back to the early 1870s...
, “one of the most important institutions of its kind in the country”.
Mashonaland
In 1895 Archdeacon Gaul was elected to succeed the Rt Revd G.W.H. Knight-BruceGeorge Wyndham Knight-Bruce
The Rt Rev George Wyndham Hamilton Knight-Bruce DD was an eminent Anglican Bishop in the late nineteenth century.-Education and early appointments:...
as Bishop of Mashonaland. He was consecrated Bishop at Bloemfontein Cathedral on the Feast of St Mark (April 25) 1895.
Gaul retired from Mashonaland in 1907 and went to live in England; but he returned to South Africa in 1912, settling in Cape Town, where he died on Ascension Day 1927.