SUDDEN DEATH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10621, 13 October 1896, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.

... . ♦ Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. (Received October 13, at 0.35 a.m.) London, October 12. Dr Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, was seized with apoplexy at Hawarden Ohnrcb directly tbe morning service began. He was removed to tbe rectory, where artificial respiration was resorted to. All efforts, however, failed to restore him to consciousness, and he died in a quarter of an hour in the presence of bis wife and Mrs Gladstone. Tbe attack was brought on by weakness of the heart as the result of excessive fatigue induced by the recent inspection of Irish churches.

Daring tbe Litany tbe 'congregation ' offered up prayera for the Archbishop, and a great sensation was caused when the Rev. Stephen Gladstone announced his death. Tbe service was immediately closed.

Mr Gladstone, who was not well, was not present, and was greatly shocked. Upon being told of his death he exclaimed: "He died like a soldier."

Touching references were made in the evening at many cathedrals, churches, and dissenting pnlpits, especially by Dr Parker.

I Benson, the Most Rev. Edward White, D.D., Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, and Metropolitan, son of Edward White Benson, „_q., of Birmingham Heath, and formerly of York, was born near Birmingham in 18--9. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmiugh.ra, and at Trinity Collese, Cambridge, of which he was successively Scholar and Fellow, and where ho graduated B. A. in 1852, as a First Class in classical honours, and Senior Chancellor's Medallist, obtaining niso the place of a Senior Optime in the mathematical tripos. He graduated M.A. iv 1555, B.D. in 1863. and D.D. in 1867, Hon. D.C.L. (Oxford), 1881. He was for some years an assistant master in Rugby School, and he held the head mastership of Weisling—n College from its first openina: in 185S down i to 1872, when he was appointed a Canon Residentiary and Chancellor of Lincoln C-thedr-l,.having been a prebendary of the same cathedral for three I years previously. He was select preacher to the I University of Cambridge aud to the University of ' Oxford, hon. chaplain to the Queen (1573), and chaplain in ordinary (1875-77) For several years he was examining chaplain te the late Binhop of ; Lincoln. In December 187H he was nominated by j the Crown, on the recommendation of the Earl of I Beaconsfield, to the newly-founded bishopric, of i Truro, aud he received episcopal consecration in St. Paul's Cathedral, April 25, 1877. During his occupation of the see he began the i building of a new cathedral at Truro (with Mr J. L. Pearson as architect), of which the outward shell is to cost £90,000, most of that sum having been gathered through the energy of the bishop. In December IS*; Dr Benson was appointed by the Crown, on sir Gladstone's recommendation, to the Archbishopric of Canterbury, in succession to Dr-Tait. Dr"Benson ha 3 published a number of his sermons. He married, in 1859, Mary, daughter of the late Kcv. William Sidgwick, of skipton, Yorkshire.—"Men and Women of the Time."