Henry Langley (bishop)

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|title =A Strong Man.

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    The announcement of the death of the Right Rev. Henry Archdall Langley,

first Bishop of Bendigo, on Sunday recalls interesting stories of his career.

    He was a man of fine physique, and could hold his own where display of

muscular skill was wanted.

    During a Y.M.C.A. picnic some years ago in Melbourne, a crowd rushed an

excursion steamer, endangering the lives of the women and children on board.

The rev. gentleman, a strong stalwart man, seizing the situation, stood right on

the gang plank, and with his big body as a barrier, his strong, muscular arms to

aid him, and a judicious exercise of commonsense, to say nothing of his pluck

and indomitable will, he was able to keep back hundreds of men and lads, in-

cluding many roughs, from getting aboard the steamer at an awkward time.

    He dared them to pass him, and he literally kept them at bay.

    On another occasion, when he was connected with St. Mary's, Balmaln,

Sydney, a Sunday school picnic had proceeded somewhere down the harbour;

and a boat load of larrikins, intent on annoying the happy picnickers, attempted

to land at the spot, where the Sunday school people were enjoying themselves.

    A conspicuous figure was seen ashore, standing with his coat off, armed with

a big umbrella, and threatening that if the push set their foot on the picnic ground

they would have to take the consequences. And the man who spoke was

capable of using his weapon with good effect. He succeeded in beating off the

larrikins, who, though they had numbers on their side, were not anxious to try

conclusions of a physical sort with the stalwart curate.

    The curate was none other than the future Bishop of Bendigo, Bishop Langley,

who was appointed to Bendigo on the creation of the see in 1901, and who was

noted for his straightforward, earnest, evangelical views. He was an exceedingly

liberal Churchman, and connected with all philanthropic movements, irrespective

of denominational basis. He was held in esteem by all churches, and earned the

title of "The Nonconformist Bishop". At the same time he was highly respected

in the Church of England. He visited Adelaide in June, 1904, and delivered a mem-

orable address at the Y.M.C.A. silver jubilee meeting in the Exhibition Building.

His subject was appropriately entitled, "Strong men".

                        from The (Adelaide) Register, Tuesday 7 August 1906.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122695594 A Strong Man, The Maitland Daily Mercury, (Wednesday, 15 August 1906), p.7.]

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He came to Australia in 1853 when his entire family emigrated from Ireland: the economic and social consequences of the Great Famine having greatly affected both boys' formal education at Trinity College, Dublin.[https://archive.org/stream/johnssnotableau00johngoog#page/n194/mode/2up Langley, Rt. Rev. John Douse, pp.190-191 in Johns, F., Johns's Notable Australians and Who is Who in Australasia; A Dictionary of Biography Containing Records of the Careers of Men and Women of Distinction in the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of New Zealand, Fred Johns, (Adelaide), 1908]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4218959 Death of Bishop Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 10 November 1930), p.8.]

Born in Dungarvan on 15 October 1840, Henry Archdall Langley was the third son of Henry Langley (1802-1882) and Isabella Edwards Langley, née Archdall (1800-1874),[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13506335 Deaths: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 6 March 1882), p.1.][http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13341226 Deaths: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 28 August 1874), p.8.] of Ballyduff, County Waterford, Ireland.

He had two brothers and three sisters:

• John Douse Langley (1836-1930) who became the second Bishop of Bendigo.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203279481 Death of Bishop Langley, The Age, (Monday, 10 November 1930), p.6.]
• Henry Archdall Langley who predeceased Langley's birth, dying of croup aged 16 months.
• Frances Elizabeth Uzzell (1842-1920),[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/239699962 "Deaths: Uzzell"], The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 30 September 1920, p. 4. née Langley, who married William Frederick Boulton Uzzell (1834-1885), the incumbent of St Paul's Church, Carcoar, New South Wales, in October 1867.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18721137 Marriages, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser], 22 October 1867, p.1; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/163274289 Deaths: Uzzell, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser], 4 April 1885, p. 746.
• Aphra Maria Isabella Glasson (1843-1925),[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28064481 Deaths: Glasson, The Sydney Morning Herald], 26 September 1925, p.14. née Hill, née Langley, who married Frederick Mellin Hill (-1870), JP in September 1864.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60554850 Marriages: Hill—Langley, The (Sydney) Evening News], 7 September 1866, p. 1.
  Then, following Hill's death in 1870,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107128836 Deaths, The (Sydney) Evening News, (Friday, 27 May 1870), p.2.] and the death of their daughter, Catherine Isabella Hill, aged 6, in August 1871,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/164371448 Deaths: Hill, The Sydney Mail, (Saturday, 23 September 1871), p.957.] Aphra married Richard Glasson (1837-1895) in July 1872.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/162668014 Marriages: Glasson—Hill, The Sydney Mail, (Saturday 31 August 1872), p.284]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14030619 Deaths: Glasson, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 25 December 1895), p.1.]
• Catherine Isabella Pearse (1845-1927), née Langley, who married William Pearse (1841-1927) in March 1866.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60597155 Marriage: Pearse—Langley, The (Sydney) Empire, (Thursday, 5 April 1866), p.1]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16383402 Deaths: Pearse, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 12 May 1927), p.10]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16406112 Deaths: Pearse, The Sydney Morning Herald, (24 September 1927), p.14.]

Langley had six sons and six daughters with his Australian-born wife, Elizabeth Mary Langley (1842-1923), née Strachan:[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60841818 Marriages: Langley—Strachan, The (Sydney) Empire, (Thursday, 27 June 1867), p.1]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1887141 Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 2 April 1923), p.1]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/123797096 Death of Mrs. Langley, The Maitland Daily Mercury, (Monday, 2 April 1923), p.4.]

• Frederick Archdall Langley (1868-1952), a banker.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/209844382 Mainly About Somebody, The Southern Districts Advocate, (Monday, 16 June 1930), p.5]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/49008397 Deaths: Langley, The West Australian, (Thursday, 3 January 1952), p.18.]
• Isabella Charlotte Alice Carrington, née Langley (1869-1941).[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13980519 Marriages: Carrington—Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 11 July 1895), p.1]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8154446 Deaths: Carrington, The Argus, (Tuesday, 18 February 1941), p.4.]
• Aylmer John Langley (1872-1943), a banker.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11343173 Obituary: Mr. Aylmer J. Langley, The Argus, (Monday, January 1943), p.5.]Aylmer married Minnie Aimee Mills, on 22 July 1903 ([http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197218960 Marriages: Langley—Mills, The Age, (Saturday, 8 August 1903), p.5.]); and Minnie was also the elder sister of Lillie Kate Mills (1876-1967) who married Aylmer's brother, Frank, on 25 April 1908 ([http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10668130 Marriages: Langley—Mills, (Saturday, 23 May 1908), p.13]).
• Hilda Sarah Langley (1874-1951), principal of St Catherine's School, Toorak.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23054877 Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Monday, 15 January 1951), p.14.]
• William Leslie Langley (1875-1952), Archdeacon of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13356799 Births: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 9 July 1875), p.8]; http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96519058 Archdeacon Langley Dies, The (Lismore) Northern Star, (Monday, 14 July 1952), p.1.]
• Henry Thomas Langley (1877-1968), Dean of Melbourne.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/162684204 Births: Langley, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, (Saturday, 14 April 1877), p.473]; {{cite book|url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/langley-henry-thomas-10785|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography|first=I. V.|last=Hansen|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|accessdate=29 November 2017|via=Australian Dictionary of Biography}}
• Minnie Ruth Langley (1878-1933), principal of St Catherine's School, Toorak.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/141384677 Woman's Realm: Social Notes, The Australasian, (Saturday, 23 December 1933), p.11]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11722363 Obituary, The Argus, (Wednesday, 20 December 1933), p.6.]
• Aphra Victoria Pearce, née Langley (1879-1967).[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13451178 Births: Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 4 August 1879), p.9]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15027559 Pearce—Langley, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 9 January 1909), p.12]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1478013 Deaths: Pearce, The Argus, (Friday, 13 June 1919), p.1.]
• Nona Bertha Archdall-Pearce, née Langley (1881-1964).[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119660916 Wedding: Archdall-Pearce—Langley, The Mount Alexander Mail, (Monday, 31 May 1915) p.2]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1525562 Marriages: Archdall-Pearce—Langley, The Argus, (Saturday, 19 June 1915), p.11]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119222020 The Late Canon L. A. Pearce, The (Bowral) Southern Mail, (Friday, 21 October 1949), p.5.]
• Francis Ernest Langley (1882-1946): a medical practitioner who also played Australian rules football for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1900 to 1906.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10668130 Marriages: Langley—Mills, (Saturday, 23 May 1908), p.13]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206796403 Deaths: Langley, The Age. (Saturday, 23 March 1946), p.11]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/214793039 Death of a Grand Sportsman and Gentleman, The Dandenong Journal, (Wednesday, 27 March 1946), p.14.]
• Doris Elizabeth Langley (1884-1958).[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60620184 Births: Langley, The Australasian Sketcher, (Monday, 30 June 1884), p.110.]
• Arthur Theodore Langley (1886-1947), a medical practitioner.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221775081 Langley—Smith, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 29 April 1911), p.13]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22427593 Deaths: Langley, The Argus, (Wednesday, 21 May 1947), p.9]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206016089 Obituary: Dr. A. T. Langley, The Age, (Wednesday, 21 May 1947), p.2.]

Langley was educated at Moore Theological College, Sydney, under Robert Lethbridge King (1868–1878), graduating in 1865.Langley, Rt Rev. Henry Archdall, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U187985, accessed 26 May 2012][https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13133213 Religious Memoranda: Church of England, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 23 June 1866), p.5.]

He was ordained deacon by Frederic Barker, Archbishop of Sydney, in 1865, and priest in 1866.

He was curate of All Saints' Church Bathurst from 1865 to 1867. He later held incumbencies at Holy Trinity Church, Orange (1867-1869), St. Mary's Church Balmain (1870-1875), St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney (1876), St. Matthew's Church Windsor (NSW) (1877-1878), and at the newly built St. Matthew's Church Prahran in 1878.

During his time at Prahran, he was responsible for founding St. Alban's Church, Armadale, as a "chapel of ease to that parish" in 1885; and, in 1935, the Golden Anniversary memorial service was conducted by Canon H.T. Langley, "son of the founder, who as a lad was the first to ring the bell of the church".[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203859781 St. Alban's, Armadale: Jubilee Celebrations, (Monday, 14 October 1935), p.11.][https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7871480 St. Alban's Church, Armadale, The Argus, (Saturday, 5 November 1877), p.4.]

He was Archdeacon of Gippsland from 1890 until 1894. In 1894 he became Archdeacon of Melbourne;[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197128417 Notes of the Month, The Church of England Messenger for Victoria and Ecclesiastical Gazette for the Diocese of Melbourne, (Friday, 10 August 1894), p.133]; "Ecclesiastical news", The Times (London, England), 21 September 1894, p. 8. a post he held until his ordination to the episcopate.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227555585 First Bishop of Bendigo, The Bendigo Independent, (Wednesday, 1 January 1902), p.2.]

In 1901, the Anglican ecclesiastical province of Victoria, already divided into the dioceses of Melbourne (established 1847) and Ballarat (established 1875), was further divided into three more sub-divisions — viz., that of Bendigo, Gippsland, and Wangaratta — and Langley was appointed as the first Bishop of Bendigo, serving for four and a half years from 5 March 1902 until his death on 5 August 1906.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196570918 The Bendigo Diocese: Bishop Langley's Installation, The (Melbourne) Leader, (Saturday, 8 March 1902), p.24.]

Not only was Langley the very first Bishop of Bendigo, but he was also the very first graduate from Moore Theological College to be appointed as Bishop.Nunn, H.W., A Short History of the Church of England in Victoria 1847-1947, Editorial Committee of the Centenary Celebrations, Melbourne Diocese, (Melbourne), 1947, p.64.

File:Langley-(1901).tiff|Canon Langley (1901)

File:Henry Archdall Langley (c1902).tiff|Bishop-Elect (c.1902)

File:Henry Archdall Langley (1902).tiff|Bishop Langley (1902)

The "See House", situated at the corner of Napier Street and Lyons Street, White Hills, and designed by the Bendigo architects William Charles Vahland (1828–1915) and John Beebe (1866–1936), was expressly built for Langley.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/100523754 The See House, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Thursday, 8 September 1904), p.2.] Generally known at the time as "Bishopscourt" — now known as "Langley Hall" — its Dedication Stone was laid in September 1904,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226697932 Diocese of Bendigo: The Bishop's Residence, The Bendigo Independent, (Thursday, 8 September 1904), p.4.] and the Bishop and his family moved in during mid-March 1905.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/192229100 Bendigo, The Age, (Thursday, 16 February 1905), p.6]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227767229 About People, The Bendigo Independent, (Tuesday, 21 March 1905), p.3.]

File:Bishopscourt, Bendigo (1904)-(Front Entrance).jpeg|Bishopscourt (1904)

File:Bishopscourt, Bendigo (1904)-(Section).jpeg|Bishopscourt (1904)

File:Bishopscourt, Bendigo (1904)-(Ground Floor Plan).jpeg|Bishopscourt (1904)

File:Bishopscourt, Bendigo (1904)-(First Floor Plan).jpeg|Bishopscourt (1904)

Following the resignation of Langley's brother in 1919, the bishop's residence moved from White Hills to Forest Street, beside All Saints' Cathedral,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206932052 Bendigo, The Age, (Monday, 8 November 1920), p.8.] and the former Bishopscourt building was leased to the Red Cross.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212668528 Bendigo: Bishopscourt as Convalescent Home, The Ballarat Star, (Wednesday, 10 September 1919), p.8.] A convalescent home for returned soldiers suffering shell shock and other "physical" injuries was opened in the building on 3 December 1919 by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, the wife of the Governor General, and the President (and founder) of the Australian branch of the Red Cross.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203687171 "Diggers" Convalescent Home, (Thursday, 4 December 1919), p.7.] It continued to function as a convalescent home until 1926. For a time Langley Hall was used for the Bendigo Theological College, associated with the Australian College of Theology,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204205945 Australian College of Theology: Successful Victorian Students, The Age, (Monday, 7 February 1927), p.11.] under the direction of Rev. Frederick Alfred Philbey (1887-1947).[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/179501707 Personal, The Shepparton Advertiser, (Thursday, 23 September 1926), p.9]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3810991 Bendigo and District, The Argus, (Friday, 24 September 1926), p.18]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224737720 Personal, The (Melbourne) Weekly Times, (Saturday, 22 September 1928), p.9]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4037084 Personal, The Argus, (Saturday, 14 September 1929), p.18.]

In 1932, Langley Hall was converted into St. Luke's Toddlers' Home,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4377463 Bendigo Synod, The Argus, (Wednesday, 26 August 1931), p.8]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4427643 Bendigo and District, The Argus, (Thursday, 7 January 1932), p.3]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203181836 Bendigo, The Age, (Thursday, 21 January 1932), p.5]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203746442 Bendigo Toddlers' Home, The Age, (Monday, 6 June 1932), p.9]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4455956 Toddlers' Home at Bendigo The Argus, (Monday, 6 June 1932), p.9.] run by the Mission of St James and St John, which continued to operate until 1979, when it moved to a different location, and became St. Luke's Family Care. The building, unused for a time, was completely refurbished, and has operated as bed and breakfast accommodation, as "Langley Hall", since 2000.

File:White Hills Langley Hall 001.JPG|"Langley Hall" (2017)

File:White Hills Langley Hall 002.JPG|"Langley Hall" (2017)

The first Victorian Anglican bishop to die while still in office,[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59664432;Melbourne Letter, The Traralgon Record, (Friday 17 August 1906), p.4.] he died of a cerebral haemorrhage, eleven days after collapsing at his residence.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89516430 Death of Bishop Langley, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5.][http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89516431 An Appreciation, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89516434 References in the Churches, The Bendigo Advertiser, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.5]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227750355 Death of Bishop Langley, The Bendigo Independent, (Monday, 6 August 1906), p.3]; [http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/144512542 Death of the Bishop of Bendigo, The Prahran Telegraph, (Saturday, 11 August 1906), p.3]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227763582 The Late Bishop Langley. The Bendigo Independent, (Monday, 13 August 1906), p.3]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/200563401 Changes in the Episcopate, The Ovens and Murray Advertiser, (Saturday, 18 August 1906), p.6.]

A memorial plaque to Langley, was installed at St. Matthew's Church, Prahran; it was dedicated on 14 November 1907.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66381133 Memorial Tablet, The Malvern Standard, (Saturday, 16 November 1907), p.2]

File:Langley-(Memorial)-(1907).jpg|Memorial Plaque (1907)

On his death in 1906 he was succeeded as Bishop of Bendigo by his older brother Rev. Dr. John Douse Langley.[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/111965319 The Bishop of Bendigo, The Watchman, (Saturday, 1 December 1906), p.8.]

Langley's brother had not been the first choice: the diocese's intended replacement, who had been unanimously elected to the vacant see (entirely without his knowledge or permission), was the (then) Bishop of Gippsland, Arthur Wellesley Pain (1841-1920). Pain refused to leave Gippsland, and continued to serve as Bishop of Gippsland until his retirement in 1917.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9672997 Bishop of Bendigo: Dr. Pain Elected, The Argus, (Thursday, 16 August 1906), p.4]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65253000 Bishop Pain: Remains Bishop of Gippsland, The Gippsland Times, (Monday, 27 August 1906), p.3.] Langley's brother was one of four candidates: the others were Dr. William Charles Sadlier (1867-1935), later Bishop of Nelson, Canon George M'Murray, formerly of Ballarat, of St. Mary's, Auckland, and William Tucker (1856-1934), later the Dean of Ballarat.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/237654658 The Bishop of Bendigo, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Tuesday, 27 November 1906), p5]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/237655121 The Bishop of Bendigo, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 1 December 1906), p.13.]

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{{Portal|Biography|Australia|Christianity}}

• [https://federation-house.wikispaces.com/Langley+Hall%2C+Bendigo Langley Hall, Bendigo, Federation-House.]

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{{Archdeacons of Melbourne}}

{{Anglican bishops of Bendigo}}

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