The Henson Journals

[85]

Wednesday, December 19th, 1917.

1234th day

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I walked to Lambeth by way of the Embankment. So bitter was the cold that, though I walked fast, I could not get warm, & arrived at the Palace still half–frozen. A dense fog grew upon the city as I advanced, so that it was not possible to see across the street. I found the Archbishop at breakfast, & was shown in to him, where he was taking his meal with Mrs Davidson, Miss Mills, Sir Lewis Dibdin, & Mr Bell, the chaplain. Afterwards I had an interview with him. He seemed depressed & morose. I think he anticipates considerable trouble over my appointment. He told me that he was receiving numerous letters calling upon him to see the King, & insist upon this scandalous nomination being cancelled, & that he should refuse to consecrate!! However, I arranged with him that the consecration shd take place in Westminster Abbey on [86] February 2nd, and that Ralph should be the preacher. He told me that the deanery would be ipso facto vacated by my consecration: and bade me attend the next meeting of bishops on Jan. 31st & Feb. 1st. I came away from the Palace with an uncomfortable suspicion that the Archbishop wd like to throw me over if he decently could! He rages against Lloyd–George, whose manner of conducting his Prime Minister's business, he describes as equally unprecedented, dilatory, and scandalous. He has installed in Downing Street an army of inexperienced & arrogant neophytes, who perform their work inefficiently & offensively. These defects are at their worst in the particular case of the ecclesiastical patronage. I suspect that the Abp's amour propre has been wounded by his own arrangements having been more or less set aside. He mentioned that Hereford had been suggested to two other persons, & I told him that both those persons – the Bps of Bristol & Southwark – had told me the fact, & sounded me with respect to accepting the vacated see. I could not afford Bristol: & I could not sustain the labour of Southwark. This somewhat impressed his Grace, & we parted civilly, but with less than our usual cordiality.

From Lambeth I walked to Westminster, where I called on Lee, & saw Mr Dashwood, his partner. To Lee I gave written authority to act for me in getting the documents etc. from the Crown. Then I returned to St Paul's Deanery. Ella & I proceeded to Hereford, where we were courteously received by the Dean & Lady Butler.

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