The Henson Journals

[77]

Wednesday, December 12th, 1917.

1227th day

I had so heavy a cold that work was difficult. However I succeeded in writing to the Archbishop of Canterbury on the subject of the choice of my successor here. My confidence in the suitableness of Headlam had been shaken by the evident repugnance of Hadow to the notion of his becoming the new Dean. "You are only echoing Gee" I said: and he rejoined immediately. "No: I have had experience of working with Headlam myself: & I think he's impossible". Yet: the theological faculty of King's College have unanimously asked Headlam to return to his former position as their Dean: &, if I may judge from Newsom, Watson, Beeching, and Knowling, who all worked under him in London, his colleagues become attached to him. So I did put in a word for him in my letter to the Archbishop.

I journeyed to Tynemouth, and, in the Methodist chapel hard by the Town Hall I addressed a meeting on "Housing". The roads were so dark that I could never have found my way to the place of meeting had not a munition–maiden, whose name she told me was Jessie Green, given me her arm, & steered me. She works from 7.30 a.m to 5 p.m, with 1½ hours off for meals, and earns £1 weekly. The Mayor of Tynemouth had brought together some folk to meet me, among whom was Warshauer, whom I recall as prominent in the now–defunct "New Theology" movement. The minister of the Chapel told me that he was an Ilford boy, & had taken from my preaching in Ilford his first serious impressions of religion.

[78]

To the Archbishop of Canterbury

December 12th 1917

My dear Lord Archbishop,

Last Saturday I received from the P.M. the proposal that he shd submit my name to the King for the appointment to the bpk. of Hereford: & in consenting thereto I used these words wh. will serve to express to you my motive:–

It has for some while been apparent to me that, if a place on the Episcopal Bench were offered to me, I cd not rightly refuse it in view of the difficult & embarrassing circumstances in wh. the C. of E. now stands: &, therefore, though my five years residence in Durham has been happy & not inactive, & though my retirement from my present position will cause me very real pain & regret, I hold it plain that I ought to consent to the proposal wh. you have been good enough to make to me.

I supposed that this correspondence was severely private, but it wd appear that somebody in Downing St. communicates with the Press. Since the "Times" has an announcement on its front page, & the matter seems to be common property, I make no scruple of writing to your Grace, & telling you where I stand.

This will give me an opportunity of saying a few things about this Deanery, wh. I shd like to say, & wh. possibly it might be worth saying.

There are aspects of my present position, wh. are not altogether [79] easy to correlate. On the one hand, the Dean of Durham is the most prominent ecclesiastic next to the Bishop, & his connexion with the University in the past had given him a less professionally clerical character than is usual. Perhaps the weakness of the present Bishop emphasizes the normal prominence of the Dean. It is the fact that a great door of influence on the general life of this part of England is open to any Dean of Durham who can win the confidence, & touch the imagination of the people.

On the other hand, the Dean ought to be able to guide & develope this great foundation. The Grammar School is of primary importance, & it wd be the better for having in the Head of its Governing Body a man who had personal knowledge of the working of a great public school, & was himself a good scholar. In no respects have I been less really efficient than in these. As it happens, I did the school a great service by insisting on, and carrying through, the building of the new House; but now my inefficiency is growingly apparent to myself. I shd like to see in my successor a man who wd be zealous for the School, & able to serve it. Durham ought to be the Uppingham of the North. Perhaps even more important is the new Dean's competence to organize here a great centre of clerical training. Now that the theological degrees are open to Nonconformists, there is a good prospect of many candidates for their ministries coming to Durham. In any re–arrangement of capitular revenues, the endowments of Durham ought to go towards the establishment of a great theological school. If the Dean & two or more canonries were tied to professorships, we should have in Durham an educational equipment not inferior to Ch. Ch. Oxford. [80] The patronage of the professorships shd be transferred to the Crown, in order to secure popular confidence. We might compensate the Bishop by bringing both the Archdeacons into the Chapter. These he wd, of course, continue to nominate. This is a far cry: but near at hand is the reconstruction of the University in Durham after the War: & in this process a competent Dean might be the dominant factor.

It is then, I wd desire to press on your Grace, really important that, in the selection of my successor, these considerations shd have weight. It wd be very unfortunate, indeed, if a man came here who cd neither win the attention of the people, nor guide the development of the institution. If a choice bet: the two sets of qualities must be made, then, in my judgement, the last is more really important than the first.

I do not know whether it wd be seemly or serviceable to mention names, & I will not do more than venture a few comments on one man who will certainly come into the minds of many people here as a possible Dean of Durham. Dr Headlam does seem to me to have many of the requisite qualities. He wd probably be eager to make Durham a centre of clerical training: & he wd bring to the attempt a very considerable experience. I incline to think that his brusqueness (not to use a harsher word) wd probably be mitigated by his tenure of the office: & with Dr Gee's departure, much of the repugnance to him locally wd, perhaps, disappear. Personally I cannot think of any one whom I wd rather see appointed as my successor.

Now, having liberated my soul, I must ask forgiveness for [81] inflicting so much on your Grace. Nor wd I have done so: but your kindness encourages me to think that you will not resent the liberty I have taken.

For myself, I am really very unhappy at leaving Durham, and, though I cannot doubt that I ought to go to Hereford, I shrink from the Episcopate with a kind of terror. Perhaps, at the last moment, His Majesty may object, or something will "turn up" to save me from myself!

I am, my dear Lord Archbishop, Yours sincerely & dutifully,

H. Hensley Henson

My "post" consisted almost entirely of congratulatory letters inspired by the little paragraph in yesterday's "Times". Among these I was glad to receive those from:

• The Master of the Temple
• Canon Charles
• Fawkes
• Knight (Kirshbaum)
• Lord Reay
• T.A. Lacey
• Dunbar–Buller
• Gow

The Mayor of Tynemouth expressed his regret at my departure in very kind words, which seemed to have the ring of sincerity. "You must come back again", he said. Blackitt said the same yesterday, intimating his desire to poison our present saintly Bishop in order to hasten the day!!! Well, it is pleasant to be assured that my neighbours have a kindly feeling towards me. Five years ought to give them materials for forming a judgment.

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