Bishop Frederick Goldsmith (1853 – 1932)

Flower Festival 2012:

purple and red flower in a black swan vaseArranged by Margaret Rodgers and given in memory of Barney Rodgers.

Frederick William Goldsmith was born in London on 3 August 1853.  He attended Merchant Taylors’ School (where his father taught) and won a scholarship to St John’s College, Oxford, becoming a BA in 1876 and MA in 1879.  In 1877 he was ordained and in 1880 married Edith Emma Frewer; there were no children.

From 1885-87 he was Vicar of Halling in Kent.  He was also private chaplain to Sir Spencer Maryon Wilson whose family had close connections with Hampstead.

In April 1888 Goldsmith went to Western Australia as Dean of Perth, serving until 1904.  In 1903 Perth Synod had set up the new diocese of Bunbury in south western Australia and in 1904 Goldsmith became its first Bishop with jurisdiction over the new diocese of North Western Australia until 1909.

Worn out by the responsibility and travelling both in Australia and England he resigned in 1917 to take up the living of St John’s Hampstead.  He retired in 1926 and moved to Eastbourne.  He was most remembered for his energy, organising ability, care of people and his deep piety.

goldsmith-large click once on the image

This page was last updated on July 18th, 2012.

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