Allan Becher Webb (also spelled Alan; 1839–1907) was the second Bishop of Bloemfontein, afterward Bishop of Grahamstown and, later, Dean of Salisbury.[1]
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Webb was born in 1839 in Calcutta. He was educated at Rugby and subsequently at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, becoming a Fellow and Tutor at University College. From 1864 to 1867 he was vice principal at Cuddesdon. He married the sister of George Hugh Bourne, the hymn-writer, who served as his chaplain (1879–1898).[2]
Webb's first posting was as Rector of Avon Dassett.
On St Andrew's Day (30 November) 1870 Webb responded to an appeal from Bishop Robert Gray of Cape Town to accept the Bishopric of Bloemfontein in the interior of South Africa. He was consecrated at Inverness Cathedral in Scotland and sailed for the Cape on 25 April 1871, arriving in Cape Town on 28 July.
One of Webb's first tasks was to oversee the planting of the Anglican Church on the Diamond Fields in the west of the Diocese of Bloemfontein. From this foundation would eventually spring (in 1911) the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman. Other major works included the establishment of the Community of St Michael and All Angels, a nursing order based in Bloemfontein and Kimberley, where Sister Henrietta Stockdale pioneered aspects of nursing and provided for the first state registration of nurses in the world. Under Webb the Brotherhood of St Augustine of Hippo grew in strength at Modderpoort in the eastern Free State.[3]
In 1883, on the advice of the Archbishop of Canterbury (Benson) and of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Town (West Jones), Webb accepted his unanimous election as the Bishop of Grahamstown. There the cathedral congregation had been split by controversy between St George's and a pro-cathedral of St Michael. Webb's arrival is referred to as the "era of pacification" and by the end of 1885 he had succeeded in reuniting the divided factions. The building of the St. Michael and St. George Cathedral commenced in the 1890s, the chancel being consecrated in 1893.[4]
Webb resigned from Grahamstown in 1898, going first as provost at Inverness Cathedral.
Webb latterly became Dean of Salisbury, where he died in 1907. A set of three stained glass windows in Salisbury Cathedral were dedicated to his memory.[5]
Webb was one of the first Anglican bishops to support and nurture corporate women's work in the church through the formation of sisterhoods: The Community of St Michael and All Angels in Bloemfontein and Kimberley (a foremost member being Sister Henrietta); and the Community of the Resurrection and St Peter's Home in Grahamstown (under the leadership of Mother Cecile).[5]
| Anglican Church of Southern Africa titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edward Twells |
Bishop of Bloemfontein 1870–1883 |
Succeeded by George Wyndham Hamilton Knight-Bruce |
| Preceded by Nathaniel James Merriman |
Bishop of Grahamstown 1883–1898 |
Succeeded by Charles Edward Cornish |
| Church of England titles | ||
| Preceded by George David Boyle |
Dean of Salisbury 1901-1907 |
Succeeded by William Page Roberts |
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