Alfred Rose (bishop)

Alfred Carey Wollaston Rose (1884 – 9 April 1971)[1][2] was the sixth Bishop of Dover in the modern era,[3][2] from 1935[4] to 1956.[5]

Alfred Rose
Bishop of Dover
Diocese	Diocese of Canterbury
In office	1935–1956
Predecessor	John Macmillan
Successor	Lewis Meredith
Other posts	Vicar of Brighton (1928–1935) Assistant Bishop of Canterbury (1956–1971)
Orders
Ordination	1909
Consecration	1935 by Cosmo Gordon Lang
Personal details
Birth name	Alfred Carey Wollaston Rose
Born	1884
Died	9 April 1971 (aged 86) Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	A. Rose (a vicar)
Spouse	Lois née Garton
Children	four sons, inc. Clive
Alma mater	Worcester College, Oxford

The son of A. Rose, Vicar of Wilstead, Bedfordshire,[2] he was educated at Marlborough, and Worcester College, Oxford. Rose began his ministry with a curacy at St Mary, Somers Town, London (1909–1914); after which he served as a temporary RN Chaplain during World War I (1914–1919).[2] He had been appointed on the day War was declared. He had various experiences, on HMS LONDON, a support ship for the Gallipoli campaign, on the troopship HMS TYNE and finally on the Iron Duke-class battleship HMS MARLBOROUGH which had been repaired after being hit by a torpedo at the Battle of Jutland. Just before his demobilisation in February, 1919, Rose was recognised as ‘Excellent type of chaplain. Cheery with great influence’. [6]

When peace returned, he became Sub-Warden of the Bishop's Hostel, Lincoln (1919–1920) and then Warden (1921–1927), during which time he also served as Vicar of Haigh, Lancashire (1920–1921) and a prebendary of Lincoln Cathedral (1927–1928). He then became Vicar of St Peter's Church, Brighton and Rural Dean of the city, and examining chaplain to Winfrid Burrows and George Bell, Bishops of Chichester (1928–1935) and an Honorary Chaplain to the King (George VI; 1933–1935) before his ordination to the episcopate.[7]

His appointment to become Bishop of Dover, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Canterbury, was announced on 16 November 1934[8] and he was consecrated a bishop by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral on the Feast of the Circumcision (1 January) 1935.[9] After serving in that role for 21 years — working with four archbishops (Lang, Temple, Fisher, and Ramsey) and twice acting up as diocesan bishop[10] — , he retired at the end of 1956,[11] going first to briefly serve as chaplain (vicar) of Palermo, Sicily.[12] Throughout his retirement, he continued to serve the Church as an Assistant Bishop within the Diocese of Canterbury and as a Sub-Prelate of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. He died, aged 86, in Canterbury on Good Friday, 9 April 1971.[10]

Geoffrey Fisher, former Archbishop of Canterbury, paid tribute to him as a man who won the trust of people ‘...wherever he went by his personal graces, his intense interest in them and all that concerned them, his ready humour and engaging laughter, his well stocked mind, his unfailing spirit of personal integrity, of pastoral devotion and faith.’ [13]

Rose married Lois née Garton in 1920 and they had four sons,[2] one of whom, Clive Rose, was a diplomat who served as Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council.

References

1. Deaths The Times Monday, 12 April 1971; p. 12; Issue 58144; col A.
2. "Rose, Alfred Carey Wollaston". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 6 January 2017. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
3. National Church Institutions Database of Manuscripts and Archives
4. New Bishop of Dover — Vicar of Brighton Appointed The Times Monday, 12 November 1934; p. 14; Issue 46909; col F.
5. Bishop of Dover to Resign The Times Monday, 22 October 1956; p. 8; Issue 53668; col F.
6. TNA ADM6/444/416 has information re RN service
7. Documents held by The National Archives
8. "Canterbury diocese. New Bishop of Dover". Church Times (#3747). 16 November 1934. p. 538. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
9. "Canterbury cathedral. Consecration of the Bishop of Dover". Church Times (#3754). 4 January 1935. p. 10. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
10. "In memoriam: Bishop Alfred Rose and Clerical obituary". Church Times (#5644). 16 April 1971. p. 15. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
11. "Bishop of Dover's retirement". Church Times (#4889). 26 October 1956. p. 1. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
12. "Bishop for Sicily". Church Times (#4901). 18 January 1957. p. 1. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via UK Press Online archives.
13. The Times obituary, 20.4.1971. Letter from Lord Fisher of Lambeth.