Nigel Cornwall

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Nigel Edmund Cornwall CBE, (13 August 1903 - 19 December 1984) was a British clergyman in the Anglican Church. He held the position of Bishop of Borneo from 1949 until 1962.

Cornwall was the son of Alan Whitmore Cornwall, who at one time was Archdeacon of Cheltenham. He was educated at Marlborough College and then at Oriel College, Oxford University, where he studied History. He graduated with a third-class degree in 1926. He worked in England for four years, first at Cuddesdon Theological College from 1926-27, then as Deacon in the Diocese of Durham also in 1927, followed by a period as Curate of St Columba's, Southwick, Sunderland from 1927-30 and then as a Priest in Durham in 1928.

His first posting abroad came in 1931 when he was appointed Chaplain to Bishop of Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), a position he held until 1938. He briefly returned to England for a year when he served as the Curate of St Wilfred's, Brighton from 1938-39. After that came postings as Missionary Priest of the Diocese of Masasi, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) from 1939-49 during which time he also served as Headmaster of St Joseph's College, Chidya from 1944-49.

Cornwall was consecrated as Bishop of Borneo on 1 November 1949 in London. Cornwall was the first Bishop to hold this post: following the devastation of World War II, the Diocese of Labuan and the Bishopric of Sarawak was joined together as the Diocese of Borneo. Cornwall served as Bishop, based in Kuching, for thirteen years until 1962, when this Diocese was again divided into the Diocese of Jesselton (later the Diocese of Sabah) which included Labuan, and the Diocese of Kuching which included Brunei.

He returned to England where he served as Commissary to the Bishop of Kuching, and as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Winchester, and Canon Residentiary of Winchester Cathedral from 1963-73. Cornwall retired in 1973.

Cornwall was awarded the CBE in 1955 and married Mary Dalton, daughter of Reverend C. R. Dalton, in 1959. They had no children. Mary died in 1981.

[edit] Bibliography

Cornwall, Nigel E. (1953) Borneo, past present and future Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), 61pp.
Cornwall, Nigel E. (1953) "Opportunity in Borneo" East and West Review 19(3), 74-80