Christopher Bethell

Christopher Bethell (21 April 1773 – 19 April 1859) was Bishop of Bangor.

Bethell was the second son of the Reverend Richard Bethell, the rector of St Peter's Wallingford, Berkshire, who died 12 January 1806 having married his wife Ann in 1771 (she was the daughter of James Clitherow of Boston House, Middlesex). He was born at Isleworth, Surrey and educated at King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1796, MA in 1799 and DD in 1817; obtained a fellowship and was second member's prizeman in 1797.^[1]

Bethell was rector of Kirby Wiske, Yorkshire, from 1808 to 1830; Dean of Chichester from 5 April 1814 and a prebendary of Exeter from 22 June 1830. Lord Liverpool nominated him as the Bishop of Gloucester on 11 March 1824. The Duke of Wellington transferred him to the more lucrative see of Exeter on 8 April 1830 and again, on 28 October in the same year, to the still more lucrative see of Bangor, which he held up to the time of his death.

Bethell was during the whole of his life identified with the High Church party. He was the author of several theological works, the principal of which is A General View of the Doctrine of Regeneration in Baptism (1821). His other works are chiefly charges and sermons. His ignorance of the Welsh language was a very great hindrance to his usefulness in the Diocese of Bangor, where 195,000 out of 200,000 people understood little more than their native tongue.

Bethell died at his episcopal residence in Bangor on 19 April 1859 and was buried in Llandegai churchyard on 27 April. At the time of his death he was the oldest of the active Welsh bishops.

References

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^ "Bethell, Christopher (BTL791C)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

Attribution

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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Bethell, Christopher". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 4. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Church of England titles
Preceded by Combe Miller	Dean of Chichester 1814–1824	Succeeded by Samuel Slade
Preceded by Henry Ryder	Bishop of Gloucester 1824–1830	Succeeded by James Henry Monk
Preceded by William Carey	Bishop of Exeter 1830–1830	Succeeded by Henry Phillpotts
Church in Wales titles
Preceded by Henry Majendie	Bishop of Bangor 1830–1859	Succeeded by James Colquhoun Campbell

v t e Deans of Chichester
High Medieval	Odo Richard Matthew Richard John de Greneford Jordan de Meleburn Seffride Matthew de Chichester Nicholas de Aquila Seffride Simon de Perigord Walter Thomas de Lichfield Geoffrey Walter de Glocestria Thomas de Berghstede
Late Medieval	William de Grenefeld John de St Leophardo Henry de Garland Walter de Segrave William Lenn Roger de Freton Richard le Scrope William de Lullyngton John de Maydenhith John Haselee Henry Lovel Richard Talbot William Milton John Patten/Waynflete John Crutchere John Waynfleet John Cloos
Early modern	John Prychard Geoffrey Symson John Young William Fleshmonger Richard Caurden Giles Eyre Bartholomew Traheron Thomas Sampson William Pye Hugh Turnbull Richard Curteys Anthony Rushe Martin Culpepper William Thorne Francis Dee Richard Steward George Aglionby Bruno Ryves Joseph Henshaw Joseph Gulston Nathaniel Crew Thomas Lambrook George Stradling Francis Hawkins William Hayley Thomas Sherlock John Newey Thomas Hayley James Hargraves William Ashburnham Thomas Ball Charles Harward
Late modern	Combe Miller Christopher Bethell Samuel Slade George Chandler Walter Hook John Burgon Francis Pigou Richard Randall John Hannah Arthur Duncan Jones Walter Hussey Robert Holtby John Treadgold Nicholas Frayling Stephen Waine Edward Dowler

v t e Bishops of Gloucester and of Gloucester and Bristol
Gloucester (1541)	John Wakeman John Hooper See dissolved, 1552 & re-erected, 1554 James Brooks Richard Cheyney John Bullingham Godfrey Goldsborough Thomas Ravis Henry Parry Giles Thomson Miles Smith Godfrey Goodman Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) William Nicholson John Pritchett Robert Frampton Edward Fowler Richard Willis Joseph Wilcocks Elias Sydall Martin Benson James Johnson William Warburton James Yorke Samuel Hallifax Richard Beadon George Huntingford Henry Ryder Christopher Bethell James Henry Monk
Gloucester and Bristol	James Henry Monk Charles Baring William Thomson Charles Ellicott
Gloucester (1897)	Charles Ellicott Edgar Gibson Arthur Headlam Clifford Woodward Wilfred Askwith Basil Guy John Yates Peter Ball David Bentley Michael Perham Martyn Snow (acting) Rachel Treweek

v t e Bishops of Exeter
Bishops of Crediton	Werstan (bishop at Tawton) Putta (bishop at Tawton) Eadwulf Æthelgar Ælfwold I Sideman Ælfric Ælfwold II Ælfwold III Eadnoth Lyfing of Winchester Leofric see translated to Exeter
High Medieval	Leofric Osbern FitzOsbern William Warelwast Robert Warelwast Robert of Chichester Bartholomew Iscanus John the Chanter Henry Marshal Simon of Apulia William Briwere Richard Blund Walter Branscombe Peter Quinel Thomas Bitton
Late Medieval	Walter de Stapledon James Berkeley John Godeley John Grandisson Thomas de Brantingham Edmund Stafford John Catterick Edmund Lacey John Hales George Neville John Booth Peter Courtenay Richard Foxe Oliver King Richard Redman
Early modern	John Arundel Hugh Oldham John Vesey Myles Coverdale John Vesey James Turberville William Alley William Bradbridge John Woolton Gervase Babington William Cotton Valentine Cary Joseph Hall Ralph Brownrigg Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) John Gauden Seth Ward Anthony Sparrow Thomas Lamplugh Sir Jonathan Trelawney Bt Ofspring Blackall Lancelot Blackburne Stephen Weston Nicholas Clagett George Lavington Frederick Keppel John Ross William Buller Reginald Courtenay
Late modern	John Fisher George Pelham William Carey Christopher Bethell Henry Phillpotts Frederick Temple Edward Bickersteth Herbert Edward Ryle Archibald Robertson Lord William Cecil Charles Curzon Robert Mortimer Eric Mercer Hewlett Thompson Michael Langrish John Ford (acting) Nick McKinnel (acting) Robert Atwell Mike Harrison

v t e Bishops of Bangor
Early & High Medieval	Deiniol Elfodd Mordaf Dyfan Revedun Hervey le Breton David the Scot Meurig Arthur of Bardsey Gwion Rotoland Alan Robert of Shrewsbury Cadwgan of Llandyfai Hywel ap Ednyfed Richard Anian
Late Medieval	Gruffydd ap Iorwerth Einion Sais Matthew de Englefeld Ithel ap Robert Thomas de Ringstead Alexander Dalby Gervase de Castro Hywel ab Goronwy John Gilbert Geoffrey Herdeby John Swaffham Lewis Aber Richard Young Lewis Byford Gruffydd Young Benedict Nichols William Barrow John Clederowe Thomas Cheriton John Stanberry James Blakedon Richard Edenham Henry Deane Thomas Pigot John Penny Thomas Skevington John Capon John Bird
Early modern	Arthur Bulkeley William Glyn Maurice Clenock Rowland Meyrick Nicholas Robinson Hugh Bellot Richard Vaughan Henry Rowlands Lewis Bayly David Dolben Edmund Griffith William Roberts Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) William Roberts Robert Price Robert Morgan Humphrey Lloyd Humphrey Humphreys John Evans Benjamin Hoadly Richard Reynolds William Baker Thomas Sherlock Charles Cecil Thomas Herring Matthew Hutton Zachary Pearce John Egerton John Ewer John Moore John Warren William Cleaver John Randolph Henry Majendie Christopher Bethell James Colquhoun Campbell Daniel Lewis Lloyd Watkin Williams
Church in Wales	Watkin Williams Daniel Davies Charles Green (Archbishop of Wales) David Edwardes Davies John Jones Gwilym Williams (Archbishop of Wales) Cledan Mears Barry Morgan Saunders Davies Anthony Crockett Andy John (Archbishop of Wales)

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