Frank Weston (13 September 1871 – 2 November 1924) was Anglican Bishop of Zanzibar from 1908[1] until his death 16 years later.
Born into a clerical family,[2] he was educated at Dulwich College and Trinity College, Oxford before being ordained priest in 1906. After a Curacy at St Matthew's, Westminster he was to spend the rest of his life in Zanzibar.[3][4] A staunch Anglo Catholic he was Chaplain then Principal of St Andrew's College.[5][6] before ascending to the Episcopate [7] Already known within the church as a man of principle[8] he was involved in one of the deepest disputes within the Anglican communion. It stemmed from a conference at Kikuyu where representatives from many Christian churches in East Africa, mainly in the more evangelical Anglican Dioceses of Mombasa and Uganda discussed how to repel the perceived threat from non-Christian groups.[9] The consensus seemed to be that a loose alliance of different groups (Methodist, Presbyterian etc.) was the best way of moving forward, which would have involved measures such as the "exchange of pulpits" and the admission of non-Anglicans to Communion in Anglican churches. During the Kikuyu controversy, Weston accused the proponents )such as William George Peel, the Bishop of Mombasa) of heresy.[10] A report by the Archbishop's Commission later prohibited Anglicans from receiving Nonconformist sacraments, while stating that it was acceptable in exceptional circumstances for non-conformists to receive Communion in an Anglican church.
The onset of war caused the issue to fade from prominence and Weston himself served with distinction during the conflict, being awarded an OBE for his role as Major commanding the Zanzibar Carrying Corps.[11] The post-war years saw him become increasingly influential and he died, aged 63, much mourned and widely praised.[12]
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Edward Hine |
Bishop of Zanzibar 1908 – 1924 |
Succeeded by Thomas Howard Birley |
Bibliography