Ivor Watkins


Ivor Stanley Watkins was an Anglican bishop who served in two posts between 1946 and his death.
Born in 1896 he was educated at Hereford Cathedral School. During the Great War,he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was a stretcher-bearer,was gassedand spent some considerable time in hospital where he learnt the 3-Card trick which he used to entertain children. Post-War he briefly attended the emergency ordination school at Knutsford before gaining a place at Trinity Hall,Cambridge where he was awarded a degree in History and Theology. He was made deacon on Trinity Sunday 1924 at St John's Bedminster and ordained priest that Advent at Bristol Cathedral — both times by George Nickson, Bishop of Bristol. Following a Curacy in Bedminster he rose steadily in the Church hierarchy being successively Vicar of St Gregory’s Horfield, Rural Dean then Archdeacon of Bristol before elevation to that diocese's suffragan bishopric as Bishop of Malmesbury. He was consecrated a bishop on All Saints' Day 1946 at Westminster Abbey. Watkins was considered for promotion to several Diocesan bishoprics over the next ten years. He was regarded as a 'somewhat advanced' Anglo-Catholic. When the vacancy at Wakefield arose in 1948,Clement Attlee,the Prime Minister at that time responsible for recommending nominations to bishoprics,wrote
'I do not consider this man suitable for appointment to a See. I think he is narrow-minded'
Watkins' name was prominent tofill vacancies at Portsmouth in 1949,Gloucester in 1953 and Durham,Lincoln and Peterborough in 1955-6. Archbishop Ramsey,newly translated from Durham to York,wanted Watkins to succeed him at Durham but the Archbishop of Canterbury opposed the nomination. Instead Watkins was appointed to Guildford. In his short time at Guildford,Watkins proved very successful. He 'won the hearts and minds of both clergy and laity by his active and diligent pastoral ministry.