John Bird Sumner

Infobox Archbishop of Canterbury|
Full name = John Bird Sumner


caption =
birth_name =
began = 1848
term_end = September 6 1862
predecessor = William Howley
successor = Charles Thomas Longley
birth_date = 1780
birthplace = Kenilworth, Warwickshire
death_date = September 6 1862
deathplace =
tomb = St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church, Addington, LondonAnglican Portal

John Bird Sumner (1780 – September 6 1862) was a bishop in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury.

Life

Sumner was the elder brother of Bishop Charles Sumner. He was born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and educated at Eton College and Cambridge University. In 1802 he became a master at Eton and was ordained the following year. He was elected a fellow of Eton in 1817 and in 1818 the school presented him to the living of Maple Durham, Oxfordshire. After being a prebendary of the Durham diocese for some years, he was consecrated Bishop of Chester in 1828. During his episcopate many churches and schools were built in the diocese.

His numerous writings were much esteemed, especially by the Evangelical party, to which he belonged. His best known writings are his "Treatise on the Records of Creation and the Moral Attributes of the Creator" (London, 1816) and "The Evidence of Christianity derived from its Nature and Reception" (London, 1821). In 1848 he was elected Archbishop of Canterbury and in this capacity he dealt impartially with the different church parties.

In the well-known Gorham Case he came into conflict with Bishop Henry Phillpotts of Exeter (1778-1869), who accused him of supporting heresy and refused to communicate with him. He supported the Divorce Bill in parliament but opposed the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill and the bill for removing Jewish disabilities.

He was president of the Canterbury Association that founded Christchurch, New Zealand.