Rodney Eden

George Rodney Eden (called Rodney;[1][2] 9 September 1853 – 7 January 1940) was an Anglican bishop, Bishop of Dover (a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Canterbury)[3] and then Bishop of Wakefield (diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Wakefield).[4]

Rodney Eden as Bishop of Dover in 1895

Background

He was born in Sunderland,[5] the son of John Patrick Eden, Rector of Sedgefield and an honorary canon of Durham Cathedral;[5][6] they were descended from Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet (of West Auckland). He was educated at Reading School and Pembroke College, Cambridge.[7] His daughter Dorothy — herself mentioned in dispatches during World War I[8] — married a clergyman, Clement Ricketts, who became Bishop of Dunwich. Eden died at Harpenden and was buried at Great Haseley.[7]

Career

He began his ecclesiastical career as Chaplain to Joseph Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham. After being Vicar at Bishop Auckland (where the Bishop of Durham lives) — in latter years he was also Rural Dean[5] — he began what his Times obituary described as "nearly forty years of quiet but efficient service to the episcopate".[8]

Rt Rev Rodney Eden, Lord Bishop of Wakefield

While serving as Bishop suffragan of Dover in the Diocese of Canterbury, he was also Archdeacon of Canterbury and (therefore) a canon residentiary of Canterbury Cathedral; he was translated to Wakefield in 1897, where he was the diocesan bishop until his retirement in 1928.[5] He served as Chair of the Education Committee of the Church of England National Assembly.

References

3. The Times, Saturday, 23 August 1890; pg. 6; Issue 33098; col D New Bishop of Dover
4. The Times, Friday, 5 November 1897; pg. 12; Issue 35353; col C Ecclesiastical Intelligence Enthronement of the Bishop of Wakefield
5. "Eden, George Rodney". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 29 April 2016. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
6. Durham Record Office — Index to obituaries in the 'Durham Directory' (Accessed 29 April 2016)
7. "Eden, George Rodney (EDN872GR)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
8. The Times, Monday, 8 January 1940; pg. 9; Issue 48507; col D Obituary The Rt Rev GH Eden

Sources

• Taylor, Kate. Wakefield Diocese (2012)

Church of England titles
Preceded by Edward Parry	Bishop of Dover 1890–1897	Succeeded by William Walsh
Preceded by Walsham How	Bishop of Wakefield 1897–1928	Succeeded by James Seaton