Henry Langley (bishop)

Henry Archdall Langley (15 October 1840 – 5 August 1906) was an influential Irish-born Anglican priest, of considerable physical strength,[1] who migrated to Australia in 1853, and became the first Bishop of Bendigo from 1902 until his death in 1906.[2]

The Very Reverend

Henry Langley
Henry Archdall Langley,
First Bishop of Bendigo
Born
Henry Archdall Langley

15 October March 1840
Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ireland
Died5 August 1906 (aged 65)
Bendigo, Victoria
Alma materMoore Theological College
TitleBishop of Bendigo
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Mary Langley (1842-1923), née Strachan
​
​
(m. 1867)​
Children6 sons; 6 daughters
Parent(s)Henry Langley (1802-1882); Isabella Edwards Langley, née Archdall (1800-1874)
ChurchAnglican
Orders
Ordination1865 (deacon); 1866 (priest)
Personal details
DenominationAnglican

Many of his twelve children made important contributions to Australian society in the domains of business, education, medicine; also, two of them became Anglican bishops.

Family
A STRONG MAN.

    The announcement of the death of the Right Rev. Henry Archdall Langley,
first Bishop of Bendigo, on Sunday recalls interesting stories of his career.
    He was a man of fine physique, and could hold his own where display of
muscular skill was wanted.
    During a Y.M.C.A. picnic some years ago in Melbourne, a crowd rushed an
excursion steamer, endangering the lives of the women and children on board.
The rev. gentleman, a strong stalwart man, seizing the situation, stood right on
the gang plank, and with his big body as a barrier, his strong, muscular arms to
aid him, and a judicious exercise of commonsense, to say nothing of his pluck
and indomitable will, he was able to keep back hundreds of men and lads, in-
cluding many roughs, from getting aboard the steamer at an awkward time.
    He dared them to pass him, and he literally kept them at bay.
    On another occasion, when he was connected with St. Mary's, Balmaln,
Sydney, a Sunday school picnic had proceeded somewhere down the harbour;
and a boat load of larrikins, intent on annoying the happy picnickers, attempted
to land at the spot, where the Sunday school people were enjoying themselves.
    A conspicuous figure was seen ashore, standing with his coat off, armed with
a big umbrella,and threatening that if the push set their foot on the picnic ground
they would have to take the consequences. And the man who spoke was
capable of using his weapon with good effect. He succeeded in beating off the
larrikins, who, though they had numbers on their side, were not anxious to try
conclusions of a physical sort with the stalwart curate.
    The curate was none other than the future Bishop of Bendigo, Bishop Langley,
who was appointed to Bendigo on the creation of the see in 1901, and who was
noted for his straightforward, earnest, evangelical views. He was an exceedingly
liberal Churchman, and connected with all philanthropic movements, irrespective
of denominational basis. He was held in esteem by all churches, and earned the
title of "The Nonconformist Bishop". At the same time he was highly respected
in the Church of England. He visited Adelaide in June, 1904, and delivered a mem-
orable address at the Y.M.C.A. silver jubilee meeting in the Exhibition Building.
His subject was appropriately entitled, "Strong men".

                        from The (Adelaide) Register, Tuesday 7 August 1906.[3]

He came to Australia in 1853 when his entire family emigrated from Ireland: the economic and social consequences of the Great Famine having greatly affected both boys' formal education at Trinity College, Dublin.[4]

Parents

Born in Dungarvan, on 15 October 1840, Henry Archdall Langley was the third son of Henry Langley (1802-1882), and Isabella Edwards Langley, née Archdall (1800-1874),[5][6] of Ballyduff, Co. Waterford, Ireland.

Siblings

He had two brothers and three sisters:

  • Rev. Dr. John Douse Langley (1836-1930), who became the second Bishop of Bendigo.[7]
  • Henry Archdall Langley who predeceased Langley's birth, dying of croup aged 16 months.
  • Frances Elizabeth Uzzell (1842-1920),[8] née Langley, who married William Frederick Boulton Uzzell (1834-1885), the incumbent at St. Paul's Church, Carcoar, New South Wales, in October 1867.[9]
  • Aphra Maria Isabella Glasson (1843-1925),[10] née Hill, née Langley , who married Frederick Mellin Hill (-1870), JP in September 1864.[11]
    Then, following Hill's death in 1870,[12] and the death of their daughter, Catherine Isabella Hill, aged 6, in August 1871,[13] Aphra married Richard Glasson (1837-1895) in July 1872.[14]
  • Catherine Isabella Pearse (1845-1927), née Langley, who married William Pearse (1841-1927) in March 1866.[15]

Children

Henry Langley had six sons and six daughters with his Australian born wife, Elizabeth Mary Langley (1842-1923), née Strachan:[16]

Education

Langley was educated at Moore Theological College, Sydney, under Robert Lethbridge King (1868–1878), graduating in 1865.[30][31]

Cleric

He was ordained deacon by Frederic Barker, Archbishop of Sydney, in 1865, and priest in 1866.

He was curate of All Saints' Church Bathurst from 1865 to 1867. He later held incumbencies at Holy Trinity Church, Orange (1867-1869), St. Mary's Church Balmain (1870-1875), St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney (1876), St. Matthew's Church Windsor (NSW) (1877-1878), and at the newly built St. Matthew's Church Prahran in 1878.

During his time at Prahran, he was responsible for founding St. Alban's Church, Armadale, as a "chapel of ease to that parish" in 1885; and, in 1935, the Golden Anniversary memorial service was conducted by Canon H.T. Langley, "son of the founder, who as a lad was the first to ring the bell of the church".[32][33]

He was Archdeacon of Gippsland from 1890 until 1894. In 1894 he became Archdeacon of Melbourne;[34] a post he held until his ordination to the episcopate.[35]

Bishop of Bendigo

In 1901, the Anglican ecclesiastical province of Victoria, already divided into the dioceses of Melbourne (established 1847) and Ballarat (established 1875), was further divided into three more sub-divisions — viz., that of Bendigo, Gippsland, and Wangaratta — and Langley was appointed as the first Bishop of Bendigo, serving for four and a half years from 5 March 1902 until his death on 5 August 1906.[36]

Not only was Langley the very first Bishop of Bendigo, but he was also the very first graduate from Moore Theological College to be appointed as Bishop.[37]

  • Canon Langley (1901)
  • Bishop-Elect (c.1902)
  • Bishop Langley (1902)

Bishopscourt, Bendigo

The "See House", situated at the corner of Napier Street and Lyons Street, White Hills, and designed by the Bendigo architects William Charles Vahland (1828–1915) and John Beebe (1866–1936), was expressly built for Langley.[38] Generally known at the time as "Bishopscourt" — now known as "Langley Hall" — its Dedication Stone was laid in September 1904,[39] and the Bishop and his family moved in in mid-March 1905.[40]

  • Bishopscourt (1904)
  • Bishopscourt (1904)
  • Bishopscourt (1904)
  • Bishopscourt (1904)

Following the resignation of Langley's brother in 1919, the bishop's residence moved from White Hills to Forest Street, beside All Saints' Cathedral,[41] and the former Bishopscourt building was leased to the Red Cross.[42] A convalescent home for returned soldiers suffering shell shock and other "physical" injuries was opened in the building on 3 December 1919 by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, the wife of the Governor General, and the President (and founder) of the Australian branch of the Red Cross.[43] It continued to function as a convalescent home until 1926. For a time Langley Hall was used for the Bendigo Theological College, associated with the Australian College of Theology,[44] under the direction of Rev. Frederick Alfred Philbey (1887-1947).[45]

In 1932, Langley Hall was converted into St. Luke's Toddlers' Home,[46] run by the Mission of St James and St John, which continued to operate until 1979, when it moved to a different location, and became St. Luke's Family Care. The building, unused for a time, was completely refurbished, and has operated as bed and breakfast accommodation, as "Langley Hall", since 2000.

  • "Langley Hall" (2017)
  • "Langley Hall" (2017)

Death

The first Victorian Anglican bishop to die while still in office,[47] he died of a cerebral haemorrhage, eleven days after collapsing at his residence.[48][49]

A memorial plaque to Langley, was installed at St. Matthew's Church, Prahran; it was dedicated on 14 November 1907.[50]

  • Memorial Plaque (1907)

Successor

On his death in 1906 he was succeeded as Bishop of Bendigo by his older brother Rev. Dr. John Douse Langley.[51]

Langley's brother had not been the first choice: the diocese's intended replacement, who had been unanimously elected to the vacant see (entirely without his knowledge or permission), was the (then) Bishop of Gippsland, Arthur Wellesley Pain (1841-1920). Pain refused to leave Gippsland, and continued to serve as Bishop of Gippsland until his retirement in 1917.[52] Langley's brother was one of four candidates: the others were Dr. William Charles Sadlier (1867-1935), later Bishop of Nelson, Canon George M'Murray, formerly of Ballarat, of St. Mary's, Auckland, and William Tucker (1856-1934), later the Dean of Ballarat.[53]

References
  1. Bendigo's Bishop: An Interview, The (Adelaide) Evening Journal, (Thursday, 16 June 1904), p.1.
  2. ADB
  3. A Strong Man, The Maitland Daily Mercury, (Wednesday, 15 August 1906), p.7.
  4. Langley, Rt. Rev. John Douse, pp.190-191 in Johns, F., Johns's Notable Australians and Who is Who in Australasia; A Dictionary of Biography Containing Records of the Careers of Men and Women of Distinction in the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand, Fred Johns, (Adelaide), 1908; Death of Bishop Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 10 November 1930), p.8.
  5. Deaths: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 6 March 1882), p.1.
  6. Deaths: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 28 August 1874), p.8.
  7. Death of Bishop Langley, The Age, (Monday, 10 November 1930), p.6.
  8. Deaths: Uzzell, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Thursday, 30 September 1920), p.4.
  9. Marriages, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, (Tuesday, 22 October 1867), p.1; Deaths: Uzzell, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, (Saturday, 4 April 1885), p.746.
  10. Deaths: Glasson, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 26 September 1925), p.14.
  11. Marriages: Hill—Langley, The (Sydney) Empire, [Wednesday, 7 September 1864), p.1.
  12. Deaths, The (Sydney) Evening News, (Friday, 27 May 1870), p.2.
  13. Deaths: Hill, The Sydney Mail, (Saturday, 23 September 1871), p.957.
  14. Marriages: Glasson—Hill, The Sydney Mail, (Saturday 31 August 1872), p.284; Deaths: Glasson, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 25 December 1895), p.1.
  15. Marriage: Pearse—Langley, The (Sydney) Empire, (Thursday, 5 April 1866), p.1; Deaths: Pearse, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 12 May 1927), p.10; Deaths: Pearse, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 24 September 1927), p.14.
  16. Marriages: Langley—Strachan, The (Sydney) Empire, (Thursday, 27 June 1867), p.1; Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 2 April 1923), p.1; Death of Mrs. Langley, The Maitland Daily Mercury, (Monday, 2 April 1923), p.4.
  17. Mainly About Somebody, The Southern Districts Advocate, (Monday, 16 June 1930), p.5; Deaths: Langley, The West Australian, (Thursday, 3 January 1952), p.18.
  18. Marriages: Carrington—Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 11 July 1895), p.1; Deaths: Carrington, The Argus, (Tuesday, 18 February 1941), p.4.
  19. Obituary: Mr. Aylmer J. Langley, The Argus, (Monday, January 1943), p.5.
  20. Aylmer married Minnie Aimee Mills, on 22 July 1903 (Marriages: Langley—Mills, The Age, (Saturday, 8 August 1903), p.5.); and Minnie was also the elder sister of Lillie Kate Mills (1876-1967) who married Aylmer's brother, Frank, on 25 April 1908 (Marriages: Langley—Mills, (Saturday, 23 May 1908), p.13).
  21. Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 15 January 1951), p.14.
  22. Births: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 9 July 1875), p.8; http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96519058 Archdeacon Langley Dies, The (Lismore) Northern Star, (Monday, 14 July 1952), p.1.]
  23. Births: Langley, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, (Saturday, 14 April 1877), p.473; Hansen, I. V. Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 29 November 2017 – via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  24. Woman's Realm: Social Notes, The Australasian, (Saturday, 23 December 1933), p.11; Obituary, The Argus, (Wednesday, 20 December 1933), p.6.
  25. Births: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 4 August 1879), p.9; Pearce—Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 9 January 1909), p.12; Deaths: Pearce, The Argus, (Friday, 13 June 1919), p.1.
  26. Wedding: Archdall-Pearce—Langley, The Mount Alexander Mail, (Monday, 31 May 1915) p.2; Marriages: Archdall-Pearce—Langley, The Argus, (Saturday, 19 June 1915), p.11; The Late Canon L. A. Pearce, The (Bowral) Southern Mail, (Friday, 21 October 1949), p.5.
  27. Marriages: Langley—Mills, (Saturday, 23 May 1908), p.13; Deaths: Langley, The Age. (Saturday, 23 March 1946), p.11; Death of a Grand Sportsman and Gentleman, The Dandenong Journal, (Wednesday, 27 March 1946), p.14.
  28. Births: Langley, The Australasian Sketcher, (Monday, 30 June 1884), p.110.
  29. Langley—Smith, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 29 April 1911), p.13; Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Wednesday, 21 May 1947), p.9; Obituary: Dr. A. T. Langley, The Age, (Wednesday, 21 May 1947), p.2.
  30. Langley, Rt Rev. Henry Archdall, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 26 May 2012
  31. Religious Memoranda: Church of England, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 23 June 1866), p.5.
  32. St. Alban's, Armadale: Jubilee Celebrations, (Monday, 14 October 1935), p.11.
  33. St. Alban's Church, Armadale, The Argus, (Saturday, 5 November 1877), p.4.
  34. Notes of the Month, The Church of England Messenger for Victoria and Ecclesiastical Gazette for the Diocese of Melbourne, (Friday, 10 August 1894), p.133; "Ecclesiastical news", The Times (London, England), 21 September 1894, p. 8.
  35. First Bishop of Bendigo, The Bendigo Independent, (Wednesday, 1 January 1902), p.2.
  36. The Bendigo Diocese: Bishop Langley's Installation, The (Melbourne) Leader, (Saturday, 8 March 1902), p.24.
  37. Nunn, H.W., A Short History of the Church of England in Victoria 1847-1947, Editorial Committee of the Centenary Celebrations, Melbourne Diocese, (Melbourne), 1947, p.64.
  38. The See House, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Thursday, 8 September 1904), p.2.
  39. Diocese of Bendigo: The Bishop's Residence, The Bendigo Independent, (Thursday, 8 September 1904), p.4.
  40. Bendigo, The Age, (Thursday, 16 February 1905), p.6; About People, The Bendigo Independent, (Tuesday, 21 March 1905), p.3.
  41. Bendigo, The Age, (Monday, 8 November 1920), p.8.
  42. Bendigo: Bishopscourt as Convalescent Home, The Ballarat Star, (Wednesday, 10 September 1919), p.8.
  43. "Diggers" Convalescent Home, (Thursday, 4 December 1919), p.7.
  44. Australian College of Theology: Successful Victorian Students, The Age, (Monday, 7 February 1927), p.11.
  45. Personal, The Shepparton Advertiser, (Thursday, 23 September 1926), p.9; Bendigo and District, The Argus, (Friday, 24 September 1926), p.18; Personal, The (Melbourne) Weekly Times, (Saturday, 22 September 1928), p.9; Personal, The Argus, (Saturday, 14 September 1929), p.18.
  46. Bendigo Synod, The Argus, (Wednesday, 26 August 1931), p.8; Bendigo and District, The Argus, (Thursday, 7 January 1932), p.3; Bendigo, The Age, (Thursday, 21 January 1932), p.5; Bendigo Toddlers' Home, The Age, (Monday, 6 June 1932), p.9; Toddlers' Home at Bendigo The Argus, (Monday, 6 June 1932), p.9.
  47. Letter, The Traralgon Record, (Friday 17 August 1906), p.4.
  48. Death of Bishop Langley, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5.
  49. An Appreciation, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5; References in the Churches, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5; Death of Bishop Langley, The Bendigo Independent, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.3; Death of the Bishop of Bendigo, The Prahran Telegraph, (Saturday, 11 August 1906), p.3; The Late Bishop Langley. The Bendigo Independent, (Monday, 13 August 1906), p.3; Changes in the Episcopate, The Ovens and Murray Advertiser, (Saturday, 18 August 1906), p.6.
  50. Memorial Tablet, The Malvern Standard, (Saturday, 16 November 1907), p.2
  51. The Bishop of Bendigo, The Watchman, (Saturday, 1 December 1906), p.8.
  52. Bishop of Bendigo: Dr. Pain Elected, The Argus, (Thursday, 16 August 1906), p.4; Bishop Pain: Remains Bishop of Gippsland, The Gippsland Times, (Monday, 27 August 1906), p.3.
  53. The Bishop of Bendigo, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Tuesday, 27 November 1906), p5; The Bishop of Bendigo, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 1 December 1906), p.13.
Church of England titles
Preceded by
Inaugural appointment		 Bishop of Bendigo
1902–1906		 Succeeded by
John Douse Langley
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