| Administrative History | John Walmsley (1867-1922) was born in Hereford and educated at Hereford Cathedral School, Brasenose College Oxford and Wycliffe Hall. As a small boy in Hereford he once heard Bishop Crowther speak at a CMS meeting. Walmsley was himself ordained deacon in 1890 and was appointed curate in the parish of Stokenham, Devon. He was later appointed vice-principle at Wycliffe Hall Oxford but in 1898 moved to Nottinghamshire where he again took up work as a parish priest. His reputation for hard work and strength of character drew the attention of his bishop who suggested him for the challenging position of Bishop of Sierra Leone on the death of Bishop Elwin. Walmsley accepted the invitation and was enthroned Ninth Bishop of Sierra Leone in 1910. The challenges he faced, the vastness of the diocese and the many tours he undertook weakened his constitution and he eventually succumbed to blackwater fever and died in Sierra Leone in 1922.
Reference: John Walmsley, Ninth Bishop of Sierra Leone
A Memoir for His Friends Arranged by E.G. Walmsley, M.A. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1923. |
| Custodial History | Deposited with the CMS October 1992 |