Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

ARCHBISHOP VERNON-HARCOURT, Archbishop of York 1807-1847

Tony Vernon, Lord Vernon

As the third surviving son of the first Lord Vernon, Archbishop Vernon-Harcourt depended on good family and political connections to make progress in the Church and to provide for a family of sixteen children. Appointed Bishop of Carlilse with the help of his father-in-law, the Marquess of Stafford, at the age of 34, he was made Archbishop of York at the age of 50 and remained in post till his death aged 90 in 1847. He had to combine responsibility for one of the largest dioceses in the Church of England with his duties in parliament and at court. More supportive of reform of both parliament and the church than most of his fellow bishops, he took steps to improve the training of ordinands in the diocese of York and encouraged the building of over 100 new churches to cope with population growth in the industrial towns of the West Riding. He played a leading role in the development of the Yorkshire Music Festivals.

The Archbishop was a Patron of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and laid the foundation stone of the Museum. He was a member from 1822 till his death in 1847. Five of his sons were members including William Vernon-Harcourt, who played a key role in the early years of the YPS.

The speaker is the Archbishop’s great-great-great grandson and the 11th Lord Vernon and has written a biography of the Archbishop.

2.30pm in the Tempest Anderson Lecture Theatre in the Yorkshire Museum

All welcome.  This is a free event although donations are also welcome.

Image by Thomas Phillips – artuk.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53688746