The Henson Journals
Mon 30 January 1922
Volume 31, Page 132
[132]
Monday, January 30th, 1922.
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I left the castle at 7.45 a.m., and travelled easily to London arriving shortly after 2 p.m. Leaving my bags in Park Lane, I went to Westminster, and spent the afternoon at the Church Property Ctee. The Archdeacon of Oakham and Prebendary Hay gave evidence on the proposed Dilapidations measure. The Bishop of Bristol walked with me after the Committee had ended, and I tried to learn from him what precisely was intended by the Commission on Doctrine which he and others are asking the Archbishop to appoint. But he could give me no intelligible answer.
Mr Parry Evans came to see me at 6 p.m. at the Athenaeum, and we discussed the question of his coming to Bishop Auckland to succeed Lord Thurlow. He was ready to accept at once, and didn't think it necessary to postpone his decision until he had visited the parish. He is a tall, spare man, not by any means handsome, but certainly not conspicuously plain! On the whole I was rather relieved by his appearance!! Lord Thurlow's many excellences have not included an impressive physique! I dined with Headlam in the club and afterwards wrote to my wife.
That creature Harold Begbie's book, "Painted Windows" is in the club. I took it, and glanced through it. Certainly the account of the Bishop of Durham is sufficiently unflattering. It does not seem particularly well–informed, and the only writing of the Bishop's which is quoted is his speech to the Diocesan Conference last June, which was published in the "Diocesan Gazette". One statement is equally injurious and unfounded. He says that the Bishop in early days earned the nickname 'Cocksley Cocksure' in controversy with Dr Headlam. I asked Headlam whether he was aware of this, and he replied that we never had any controversy, & that the said nickname was unknown. It is the case that when I came to Durham as Dean some local paper called me "Cocksley Cockson", and provided me with a comic coat of arms. That was a poor enough witticism but it was not meant to be unkind.