58:. Here, he made a name for himself, particularly with the development of the Church of England's Men's Society. He believed that the contemporary view of the Church of England was that it was for women and children, and he succeeded in attracting vast numbers of men to his church whose families followed. A gifted fund-raiser, he provided a medical service and a parish centre among other facilities for his poor parishioners. These activities brought him to the attention of not only the hierarchy but also of leading politicians. He was first considered for a bishopric when Lichfield became vacant in 1913, but he was not recommended by the Archbishop of Canterbury who wrote ‘Watts-Ditchfield with all his gifts is on a distinctly low plane. Not a graduate or a man of any mental calibre ... though a real power with working man and a very nice fellow’. Nevertheless, when the diocese of Chelmsford was created the following year, Watts-Ditchfield was appointed as its first bishop.
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He was a vocal supporter of
British involvement in the Great War but provoked controversy by permitting a woman to preach in a church, which at that time was frowned upon, and by emphasising ‘our own sins’ such as intemperance, class divisions, housing deficiencies. At a time when the unity of the
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Amongst others he wrote "Fishers of Men", 1899; "Liturgies for Men's
Services", 1901; "Here and Hereafter", 1911; "The Church in Action", 1913; "Reservation", 1917; and "The Church and Her Problems", 1920,
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Watts-Ditchfield, although not a graduate, had been a lecturer in
Pastoral Theology at Cambridge just before the War and, during the later stages of the War, was a leading figure in the National Mission.
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nation was essential in the middle of a war, whatever the merits of Watts-Ditchfield's convictions, they seemed inappropriate, and were denounced as a ‘Flood of nonsense’.
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He died in post in 1923. There is a statue to him within
Chelmsford Cathedral.
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C J Bearman, article in Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography, OUP
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24:(17 September 1861 – 14 July 1923) was an eminent 20th century
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152:Crockford's Clerical Directory for 1920 (51st edn)
91:Monday, 16 July 1923; pg. 14; Issue 43394; col B
208:Chelmsford Diocesan Chronicle, September, 1916
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226:Chelmsford Diocesan Chronicle, March, 1916
603:and Archdeacon-designate of West Ham
749:Academics of the University of Cambridge
243:Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy
154:. London: The Field Press. p. 264.
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764:20th-century Church of England bishops
744:Alumni of the University of Manchester
641:Provost of Chelmsford (1929–2000; see
16:Bishop of Chelmsford from 1914 to 1923
7:
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42:in 1891, he began his career with a
482:St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell
86:Obituary First Bishop Of Chelmsford
687:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
638:(1914–1922; renamed West Ham)
199:Lambeth Palace Library, Davidson X
190:Lambeth Palace Library, Davidson X
105:web site accessed 28 November 2009
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36:Victoria University of Manchester
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539:Archdeacon of Charing Cross
240:Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921).
56:St James-the-Less, Bethnal Green
548:Bishop suffragan of Richborough
769:Church of England bishop stubs
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556:Bishop suffragan of Ebbsfleet
565:Dean-designate of Chelmsford
535:Bishop-designate of Bradwell
754:Holders of a Lambeth degree
574:Archdeacon of West Ham
466:Diocesan Office, Chelmsford
22:John Edwin Watts-Ditchfield
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461:Bishopscourt, Margaretting
31:and distinguished author.
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620:Archdeacon of Chelmsford
592:Archdeacon of Colchester
272:Church of England titles
259:Bibliographic directory
115:“Who was Who” 1897–2007
611:Archdeacon of Stansted
601:Archdeacon of Southend
472:Retreat House, Pleshey
169:9 October 2011 at the
759:Bishops of Chelmsford
676:This article about a
583:Archdeacon of Barking
445:Diocese of Chelmsford
345:John Watts Ditchfield
334:Bishops of Chelmsford
649:Archdeacon of Harlow
517:Bishop of Colchester
508:Bishop of Chelmsford
504:Guli Francis-Dehqani
456:Chelmsford Cathedral
403:Guli Francis-Dehqani
285:Bishop of Chelmsford
636:Archdeacon of Essex
148:Malden Richard (ed)
50:after which he was
643:Dean of Chelmsford
477:Waltham Abbey
263:Project Canterbury
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678:Church of England
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651:(1989–2024)
616:Jonathan Croucher
526:Bishop of Barking
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292:Succeeded by
127:978-0-19-954087-7
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689:expanding it
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607:Kate Peacock
513:Roger Morris
489:(since 1983)
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385:John Gladwin
355:Henry Wilson
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739:1923 deaths
734:1861 births
588:Ruth Patten
579:Chris Burke
487:Area scheme
370:John Trillo
365:John Tiarks
279:New diocese
728:Categories
597:Mike Power
396:Peter Hill
380:John Perry
375:John Waine
350:Guy Warman
295:Guy Warman
289:1914–1923
73:References
552:Rob Munro
89:The Times
398:(Acting)
167:Archived
150:(1920).
117:London,
48:Highgate
40:ordained
26:Anglican
533:, area
524:, area
515:, area
121:, 2007
681:bishop
248:London
125:
44:curacy
29:priest
683:is a
261:from
52:Vicar
38:and
685:stub
537:and
470:The
123:ISBN
544:AEO
54:of
730::
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645:)
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