Martin Wharton | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Newcastle | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Newcastle |
| In office | 1997–30 November 2014 (retired) |
| Predecessor | Andrew Graham |
| Successor | Christine Hardman |
| Other post(s) | AreaBishop of Kingston (1992–1997) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1972[1] |
| Consecration | 3 November 1992 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-08-06)6 August 1944 (age 80) Ulverston, Lancashire |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | John Wharton & Marjorie Skinner |
| Spouse | Marlene Duckett (1970—present) |
| Children | One daughter, two sons |
| Alma mater | Van Mildert College,Durham |
John Martin Wharton,CBE (born 6 August 1944) is a BritishAnglican bishop, a retiredBishop of Newcastle.
Wharton was born inUlverston, Lancashire, the son of John Wharton and Marjorie Skinner. He was educated atUlverston Grammar School andVan Mildert College, Durham where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in economics, politics and sociology in 1969. He was further educated atLinacre College, Oxford, where he received aBachelor of Theology (BTh) and anOxford Master of Arts (MA Oxon) in 1971, as well as atRipon Hall, Oxford.[2]
Wharton was curate ofSt Peter's Church, Spring Hill, Birmingham, from 1972 to 1975 and ofSt John the Baptist, Croydon (now Croydon Minster), from 1975 to 1977. Between 1977 and 1983 he was Director of Pastoral Studies atRipon College Cuddesdon,Oxford. He was additionally a curate of theChurch of All Saints, Cuddesdon from 1979 to 1983. Between 1983 and 1992 he was the Director of Ministry and Training in theDiocese of Bradford and a residentiary canon ofBradford Cathedral. In 1992, Wharton was consecrated a bishop byGeorge Carey,Archbishop of Canterbury, atSouthwark Cathedral on 3 November 1992,[3] to becomeareaBishop of Kingston-upon-Thames; he held that post until 1997, when he was appointed the 11th Bishop of Newcastle.
Wharton is a trustee ofSt Hilda's Trust, of theNorthumbria Historic Churches Trust andThe Hild Bede Trust. He is also trustee of theShepherds Law Hermitage Trust and theNewcastle Diocesan Society. He served for ten years as Chair of Governors ofSt Chad's College, Durham. The college made him an honorary fellow in 2010.
On 11 February 2017, Wharton was one of fourteen retired bishops to sign anopen letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report toGeneral Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the Church's canons or practises around sexuality.[4] By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson,Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures;[5] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[6]
Since 1970, he has been married to Marlene Olive Duckett. They have one daughter and two sons.
Wharton was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to the Church of England and to the community in the North East.[7]
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames 1992–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Newcastle 1997–2014 | Succeeded by |
