James Prince Lee
| The Right Reverend James Prince Lee | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Manchester | |
 Mezzotint by Thomas Lupton (after a contemporary portrait by Sir John Watson Gordon) | |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Elected | 11 November 1847 |
| Installed | 11 February 1848 |
| Term ended | 24 December 1869 |
| Successor | James Fraser |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1830 |
| Consecration | 23 January 1848 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
28 July 1804 London |
| Died |
24 December 1869 (aged 65) Mauldeth Hall, Heaton Norris, Lancashire |
| Buried | Heaton Mersey churchyard |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Residence | Mauldeth Hall |
| Parents | Stephen and Sarah Lee |
| Spouse | Susannah Penrice |
| Children | Two daughters: Sophia ; Susannah[1] |
| Alma mater | |
James Prince Lee (28 July 1804 – 24 December 1869) was an English clergyman and schoolmaster who became Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham, and later the first Bishop of Manchester.
Early life
Born in London, he was educated at St Paul's School, London and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he displayed exceptional ability as a classical scholar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1828; later graduating with a Master of Arts in 1831 and Doctor of Divinity in 1861.[2][3] He married Susannah, elder daughter of George Penrice, of Elmbridge, Worcestershire, on 25 December 1830, and they had two daughters.[2] After his ordination in the Anglican ministry in 1830, he served an assistant master under Dr Arnold at Rugby School, who thought highly of him.[2][3] In 1837, he became Rector of Ayot St Peter, Hertfordshire, and in 1838 headmaster of King Edward's School, Birmingham, where he had among his pupils E. W. Benson, J. B. Lightfoot and B. F. Westcott. There is also a house named after him. He was also appointed an Honorary Canon of Worcester in 1847.[2][3]
Episcopal career
On 23 October 1847, he was nominated the first bishop of the newly constituted Anglican Diocese of Manchester by Queen Victoria, on the advice of Lord John Russell.[3][4][5] His election took place on 17 November 1847,[5] followed by consecration on 23 January 1848, and enthronment at Manchester Cathedral on 11 February 1848.[4]
Lee's schoolmasterly manner was an irritation to his clergy.[3] However, he carried out great work in church extension.[3] During his twenty-one years' tenure of the see, he consecrated 130 churches. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1849.[6] He took a foremost part in founding the Manchester free library in 1852, and bequeathed his own valuable collection of books to Owens College.[2][3]
He died at his home, Mauldeth Hall,[7] Stockport, in 1869, and was buried in Heaton Mersey churchyard. His memorial sermon was preached by the Rev. Edward Benson (afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury) and was published with biographical details by J. F. Wickenden and others.
References
- ↑ Who married the Rev. John Booker and the Rev. Charles Evans respectively; South Manchester Reporter; 28 February 2013; p. 19
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Lee, James Prince (LY824JP)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lee, James Prince". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. - 1 2 Fryde et al. 1986, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 260.
- 1 2 Horn, Smith & Mussett 2004, "Bishop of Manchester", Volume 11, p. 121.
- ↑ DServe Archive Persons Show
- ↑ "Mauldeth Hall". Parks & Gardens UK. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
Bibliography
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd, reprinted 2003 ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Horn, J. M.; Smith, D. M.; Mussett, P. (2004). "Bishop of Manchester". Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Manchester, Ripon, and Sodor and Man Dioceses. Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857. Volume 11. British History Online.
- Sutton, Charles William (1892). "Lee, James Prince". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography. 32. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Further reading
- University of Manchester Library. "Lee, Prince, Collection". Guide to Special Collections. University of Manchester. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- Owens College (1870) A Catalogue of the MSS. and Printed Books, bequeathed to Owens College, Manchester by the late Right Rev. James Prince Lee. (Manchester, [1870]).