The Henson Journals

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Wednesday, November 13th, 1929.

LAMBETH

Mrs Creighton told me that her first visit to a Bishop's house was that which she made to Bishop Baring in Auckland Castle. She recalled the Bishop as a kindly old gentleman possessed with the notion that ladies, like children, ought to be amused. He provided his female guests with puzzles. She succeeded in evading hers at first, but, when he perceived that she was unprovided, he insisted on repairing the omission to her annoyance, since she wanted to converse. She told me also that Creighton originally smoked a pipe, but afterwards fell a victim to the cigarette.

Bishop Wilberforce of Newcastle & Chichester used to smoke cigarettes voraciously when fishing on holiday, but when his holiday was over, he cast the habit aside completely – "There's an end of that till this time next year", he would say, as he threw his last 'fag' into the sea, on the steamer returning from Norway. There was a queer strain in all the Wilberforces.

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After breakfast I walked to the Club & hence, after reading the papers, to the Church House. In Dean's Yard I fell in with the new Lord Chancellor (Sankey) and had some talk with him. He said that he wholly agreed with me that Disestablishment was the only way out of our present impasse; that it must come soon: & had better come now. I asked him whether Cantuar had approached him about the promised Commission, &, when he answered in the negative, I begged him, if he were approached, to do what he could to help.

The proceedings in the Assembly were dreary beyond words. I lunched at the Deanery, where I talked with Gamble, who also holds with me. In the afternoon I went over to the House of Lords & took the oath. The only peers I had speech with were Danesfort & Muir–Mackenzie. The change of Government has altered the appearance of the House wonderfully, and all for the worse.

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I dined with the Broderers' Company, and sate between the Master & my host Lord Middleton. We dined in Hotel Victoria. It was the pleasantest dinner of the kind which I have ever attended. Lord Brentford (Jix) was on the other side of the Master, & was elaborately civil to me. I sent him a note in the course of the evening: "I wish you would give thought to the possibility of arranging disestablishment by consent". He asked me to drive to Lambeth with him, but I had already accepted the offer of Mr Kellaway to carry me tither. However, I said to him, "If you care to exchange ideas with me, I shall be very willing to do so". He thanked me with some ardour for "the Bishoprick". One unusual, perhaps unique, feature of the dinner was the singing of "The Master's Song" by the Master. The Master (Colonel Cecil Allen D.S.O.) had been in the choir at Uppingham, & sang excellently. He told me that he was a nephew (or grand–nephew) of the famous Sir Henry Bessemer.

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