Martin Wharton
John Martin Wharton, CBE (born 6 August 1944) is a British Anglican bishop, a retired Bishop of Newcastle.
Martin Wharton | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Newcastle | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Newcastle |
| In office | 1997–30 November 2014 (retired) |
| Predecessor | Andrew Graham |
| Successor | Christine Hardman |
| Other post(s) | Area Bishop of Kingston (1992–1997) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1972[1] |
| Consecration | 3 November 1992 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 August 1944 Ulverston, Lancashire |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | John Wharton & Marjorie Skinner |
| Spouse | Marlene Duckett (1970—present) |
| Children | One daughter, two sons |
| Alma mater | Van Mildert College, Durham |
Early life and education
Wharton was born in Ulverston, Lancashire, the son of John Wharton and Marjorie Skinner. e was educated at Ulverston Grammar School and Van Mildert College, Durham where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in economics, politics and sociology in 1969. He was further educated at Linacre College, Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) and an Oxford Master of Arts (MA Oxon) in 1971, as well as at Ripon Hall, Oxford.[2]
Career
Ordained ministry
Wharton was curate of St Peter's Church, Spring Hill, Birmingham, from 1972 to 1975 and of St John the Baptist, Croydon (now Croydon Minster), from 1975 to 1977. Between 1977 and 1983 he was Director of Pastoral Studies at Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford. He was additionally a curate of the Church of All Saints, Cuddesdon from 1979 to 1983. Between 1983 and 1992 he was the Director of Ministry and Training in the Diocese of Bradford and a residentiary canon of Bradford Cathedral. In 1992, Wharton was consecrated a bishop by George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Southwark Cathedral on 3 November 1992,[3] to become area Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames; he held that post until 1997, when he was appointed the 11th Bishop of Newcastle.
Other work
Wharton is a trustee of St Hilda's Trust, of the Northumbria Historic Churches Trust and The Hild Bede Trust. He is also trustee of the Shepherds Law Hermitage Trust and the Newcastle Diocesan Society. He served for ten years as Chair of Governors of St Chad's College, Durham. The college made him an honorary fellow in 2010.
Views
On 11 February 2017, Wharton was one of fourteen retired bishops to sign an open letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to General Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the Church's canons or practises around sexuality.[4] By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures;[5] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[6]
Personal life
Since 1970, he has been married to Marlene Olive Duckett. They have one daughter and two sons.
Wharton was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the Church of England and to the community in the North East.[7]
Styles
- The Reverend Martin Wharton (1972–1983)
- The Reverend Canon Martin Wharton (1983–1992)[8]
- The Right Reverend Martin Wharton (1992—2011)
- The Right Reverend Martin Wharton CBE (2011–present)
References
- ^ Diocese of Newcastle — Bishop Martin 10 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ St Chad's — Fellows 26 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Bradford man rejoins his old diocesan". Church Times. No. 6752. 10 July 1992. p. 2. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 17 April 2019 – via UK Press Online archives. & "picture caption". Church Times. No. 6770. 13 November 1992. p. 4. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 17 April 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
- ^ Retired Bishops' Letter — The Letter 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 11 February 2017; the fourteen bishops were David Atkinson, Michael Doe, Tim Ellis, David Gillett, John Gladwin, Laurie Green, Richard Harries, Stephen Lowe, Stephen Platten, John Pritchard, Peter Selby, Tim Stevens, Wharton, and Roy Williamson.)
- ^ Retired Bishops' Letter — New Signatures 18 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 17 February 2017; the nine bishops were Gordon Bates, Ian Brackley, John Davies, Peter Maurice, David Rossdale, John Saxbee, Martin Shaw, Oliver Simon, and David Stancliffe.
- ^ The Grauniad — Church of England in turmoil as synod rejects report on same-sex relationships (Accessed 17 February 2017)
- ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. p. 8.
- ^ The Independent — Church appointments, 11 July 1992
Sources
- . Archived from the original on 11 December 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.