Oswin Gibbs-Smith


Oswin Harvard Gibbs-Smith, CBE was Dean of Winchester in the third quarter of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Gibbs-Smith was born on 15 November 1901. He was educated at King's College School, Cambridge, and then Westminster School, a public school within the precincts of Westminster Abbey, London. He studied at King's College, Cambridge and at Clare College, Cambridge. He trained for Holy Orders at Cuddesdon College, an Anglo-Catholic theological college.

Ordained ministry

Gibbs-Smith was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1924 and as a priest in 1925. He then spent a short spell as an Assistant Master at Harrow School. He began his ecclesiastical career with a curacy at St Margaret's Church, Ilkley. Following this he was Vicar of John Keble Church, Mill Hill, and Rector of Christchurch, St Marylebone. He was the Archdeacon of London and a Canon Residentiary of St Paul's Cathedral between 1947 and 1961. He served as Dean of Winchester from 1961 to 1969.

Personal life

In 1949, Gibbs-Smith married Nora Gregg. Together they had two children: one son and one daughter.

Honours

In 1953, Gibbs-Smith was made a Freeman of the City of London. In the 1961 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the Bath.