Charles Inglis | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Nova Scotia | |
 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| See | Nova Scotia |
| In office | 1787–1816 |
| Previous post | Rector ofTrinity Church, New York |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 1787 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1734 |
| Died | 24 February 1816 (aged 81) |
Charles Inglis (1734 – 24 February 1816) was an IrishAnglican clergyman and ardentTory who was consecrated the first Anglican bishop in North America for theDiocese of Nova Scotia. He died atKingston, Nova Scotia. He is buried in the crypt ofSt. Paul's Church (Halifax).
He was born in 1734, the youngest of three sons of the Reverend Archibald Inglis,[1] therector ofGlencolmcille andKilcar, a remote parish in southwestCounty Donegal, on the west coast of the Irishprovince ofUlster. He was subsequently orphaned at the age of 11. He married Mary Vining in 1764, connecting him to one of the most powerful families in Delaware. She died in childbirth shortly afterwards. He married for the second time on May 31, 1773, Margaret Crooke (d. 1783); they had two sons and two daughters. His son,John (c. 1781 – 1850), became the third bishop of Nova Scotia in 1825.
Inglis became rector of Killybegs, Donegal, but in 1755 he sailed to America and worked as a teacher under the auspices of theSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In 1758 the Bishop of London ordained him as a priest. Rev. Inglis spent several years inDelaware before moving toTrinity Church in New York in 1765, where his oldest child Charles is buried.[2]
In 1776, in response toThomas Paine'sCommon Sense, Inglis wrote a treatise,The True Interest of America Impartially Stated.[3]
Following the British occupation of New York in 1777, Inglis was promoted from curate to rector of Trinity Church.[4] As a Loyalist, it is recorded that Inglis prayed aloud forKing George III whileGeorge Washington was in the congregation. The church was quickly surrounded by militia.[5][6] Inglis' home was plundered.[7] In November 1783, upon the evacuation of Loyalists from New York, Inglis returned to England. However, his whole congregation of Trinity Church went to Nova Scotia.[8][9] The new rector (1784) of Trinity Church wasSamuel Provoost, the firstEpiscopal Bishop of New York (1787).
On 11 August 1787,George III created theDiocese of Nova Scotia byLetters Patent, and named Inglis its first bishop. He preached atSt. Paul's Church (Halifax).[6][10] The independence of the thirteen colonies which would form theUnited States had led to the creation of a new, autonomous,Anglican church there, withSamuel Seabury as the first bishop, but Inglis was the firstChurch of England bishop in North America, though technically his Episcopal see was "theProvince of Nova Scotia".[6][10]
Eager to increase the status ofAnglicanism in the colonies, Inglis, supported the 1789 foundation of King's College[11] (now theUniversity of King's College, founded as "moral" successor of King's college of New York, laterColumbia University) inWindsor, Nova Scotia, as an exclusive academy for sons of the Anglican elite. In 1783, when the outcome of the American Revolution was obvious, Inglis, along with other Nova Scotian elites, wrote to the colonial government in Nova Scotia to petition for the establishment of a college,
The founding of a College or Seminary of learning on a liberal plan in that province where youth may receive a virtuous education and can be qualified for the learned professions, is a measure of the greatest consequence, as it would diffuse religious literature, loyalty and good morals among His Majesty’s subjects there. If such a seminary is not established the inhabitants will have no means of educating their sons at home, but will be under the necessity of sending them to Great Britain or Ireland, which will be attended with an expense that few can bear, or else to some of the states of this continent, where they will soon imbibe principles that are unfavourable to the British tradition.[12][13]
He also backed several missionary efforts to turn the majority of the population from their dissenting religious beliefs. These efforts were largely unsuccessful.
Bishop Inglis died on 24 February 1816 atKingston, Nova Scotia. He is buried in the crypt ofSt. Paul's Church (Halifax).
There is a silver plaque in honour of Charles InglisSt Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.[14] He became aDoctor of Divinity.
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| New diocese | Anglican Bishop of Nova Scotia 1787–1816 | Succeeded by |
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