On Easter Day, 20th April 2014, the Church of England Dioceses of Bradford, Ripon & Leeds and Wakefield, will be merged to form a new Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. The bishops of those former dioceses will no longer sit in Parliament as Lords Spiritual. Here – in the last of three parts – is a (very) brief history of the Bishops of Bradford as parliamentarians. Parts one (Ripon) & two (Wakefield) can be viewed here & here.
Part Three: The Bishops of Bradford
Since the formation of the Diocese of Bradford in 1920, there have been ten diocesan bishops of Bradford.
Perowne and Blunt
Its first bishop was Rt Rev Arthur Perowne, who served until his translation to Worcester in 1931. Bishop Perowne was born into a distinguished ecclesiastical family (his father John James Stewart Perowne, was also a Bishop of Worcester). Bishop Perowne was introduced to the House of Lords in November 1923, and whilst there is no record of him making any speeches in his eight years as a member, after his translation to Worcester he spoke in support of better regulation of clubs serving alcohol. Continue reading “Lords Spiritual No Longer, Part Three: The Bishops of Bradford”
The Church of England in Parliament 
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