Peter Hancock

The Right Reverend Peter Hancock
Bishop of Bath and Wells
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of Bath and Wells
In office	2014–present
Predecessor	Peter Price
Other posts	Bishop of Basingstoke (2010–2014)
Orders
Ordination	1980 (deacon) 1981 (priest)
Consecration	21 September 2010
Personal details
Born	26 July 1955 Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Residence	Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset
Spouse	Jane
Children	Four
Alma mater	Selwyn College, Cambridge

Peter Hancock (born 26 July 1955) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2014, he has served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells in the Church of England. Previously, from 2010 to 2014, he was the Bishop of Basingstoke, an suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Winchester.

Early life and education

Hancock was born on 26 July 1955 on the Isle of Wight.^[1][2] His family moved to Fareham, Hampshire, when he was 11. He undertook an undergraduate degree at Selwyn College, Cambridge before training for ordained ministry at Oak Hill Theological College.^[3]

Ordained ministry

Hancock was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1980 and as a priest in 1981.^[4] He was a curate at Christchurch, Portsdown between 1980 and 1983, and at Saint Aldhelm, Radipole until 1987. From 1987 to 1999 he was Vicar of St Wilfrid's Cowplain^[5] before becoming Archdeacon of The Meon — a post he held until his ordination to the episcopate.^[6]

Episcopal ministry

Hancock was consecrated as a bishop at St Paul's Cathedral on 21 September 2010,^[7] and welcomed as Bishop of Basingstoke at Winchester Cathedral on 2 October 2010.^[8]

On 10 December 2013, it was announced that Hancock would become Bishop of Bath and Wells in 2014.^[9] Initially it was announced that, unlike his predecessors, he would not live in the Bishop's Palace. However that decision was later reversed.^[10] His election as Bishop of Bath and Wells was confirmed on 4 March 2014^[11] and he was installed at Wells Cathedral on 7 June 2014.^[12][13]

Personal life

Hancock is married to Jane.^[14] They have two adult daughters and two adult sons; Claire, Richard, Charlotte, and William.^[14]

Views

In his first interview after being installed as the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Hancock spoke against same-sex marriage.^[15] In an article in the Bath Chronicle, he said "We will therefore need to think, pray and consider very deeply what it might mean to share the gospel across the diocese, what it might mean to foster spiritual and numerical growth in Church and community, and how we can so order our life as a diocese to enable the Church to grow and flourish in new ways."^[16]

Styles

• The Reverend Peter Hancock (1980–1997)
• The Reverend Canon Peter Hancock (1997–1999)
• The Venerable Peter Hancock (1999–2010)
• The Right Reverend Peter Hancock (2010–present)

References

1. Debretts — Peter Hancock
2. Ventnor blog
3. Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition), Church House Publishing (ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0).
4. "Peter Hancock". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 9 October 2016. (subscription required)
5. ”Pompey Chimes” (Diocese of Portsmouth newspaper) July/August 2010
6. Diocese of Winchester
7. Winchester Diocese — Three new bishops consecrated...
8. Diocese of Portsmouth — New Bishop of Basingstoke
9. Diocese of Bath and Wells – Next Bishop of Bath and Wells announced (Accessed 10 December 2013)
10. "Determination of objection to regulation transaction: House of Residence of Bishop of Bath and Wells" (PDF). Archbishops' Council. 1 May 2014.
11. Diocese of Bath and Wells – Bishop's Synod address (24 March 2014) & Welcome to Christ Church Winchester, 9 March 2014 (both accessed 4 April 2014)
12. Diocese of Bath and Wells – Bishops (Accessed 7 March 2014)
13. "New Bishop of Bath and Wells Peter Hancock installed". BBC News. 7 June 2014.
14. Number 10 — Official Announcement
15. "Bishop Attacks Gay Marriage". Bristol Post. 9 June 2014.
16. "Bath Chronicle". 9 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.