Neville Gorton

Neville Vincent Gorton^[1] (1 March 1888 – 30 November 1955) was an Anglican cleric who served as the fourth bishop of the restored see of Coventry^[2] in the modern era.

Gorton was born on 1 March 1888, the son of Anglican Rev. Canon C. V. Gorton,^[3] and educated at Marlborough College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was an exhibitioner and Aubrey Moore student.^[4] Gorton was a career school-master who after taking holy orders spent 20 years at Sedbergh School, during which time he married Ethel Ingledew Daggett, with whom he had two sons (including the production designer Assheton Gorton^[5]) and one daughter^[6] rising to the rank of housemaster. He was then appointed head of Blundell's School^[7] where he was to remain until the call to face the challenges of a severely bombed diocese.

A passionate advocate of Christian Unity,^[8] Gorton's vision was for a “People’s cathedral”.^[9] Gorton himself was a curious mixture of conventional (he passionately opposed the remarriage of divorced people in church) and lateral thinker – his wide experience with boys gave him a very realistic view of “sin”. A master of the short, pithy sermon, he was a much admired churchman.^[10] He died in office on 30 November 1955 aged 67.^[11]

Sir Basil Spence, the architect of the new Coventry Cathedral, considered Gorton to be a saint, writing "I have never met such a 'good' man, and one who had no sense of possessiveness whatsoever; he desired nothing except the things of the spirit."^[12]

Notes

^ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 1969, pg 655
^ "The Times", Friday, 13 November 1942; p. 7; Issue 49392; col C Ecclesiastical News New Bishop Of Coventry
^ Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain, Charles Roger Dod and Robert Phipps Dod, 1954, pg 60
^ “Who was Who” 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
^ "Assheton Gorton obituary". TheGuardian.com. October 2014.
^ “Who was Who” 1897–1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
^ Margetson, John (1998). Gorty: Neville Gorton's years at Blundell's 1934-42. Letheringham Books. ISBN 0-9534580-0-8.
^ "The Anglican Church and Christian Unity" Gorton,N London, Longmans, 1948
^ Article in Time Magazine
^ ”Neville Gorton:Bishop of Coventry- Reminiscences by some of his friends” Moyle, F.W (Ed) London, SPCK, 1957
^ The Cathedral Church of St. Michael and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Coventry. Order of service for the burial of Neville Vincent Gorton ... Bishop of Coventry; Monday, 5 December 1955, at 12 noon.
^ Spence, Basil (1962). Phoenix at Coventry: The building of a Cathedral. London: Geoffrey Bles. p. 41.