Robert Selby Taylor

For other people named Robert Taylor, see Robert Taylor (disambiguation).
This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Selby Taylor, not Taylor.

Robert Selby Taylor CBE OGS (1 March 1909 – 23 April 1995)[1] was an Anglican bishop in the 20th century.

Selby Taylor was educated at Harrow and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1933,[2] his first post was a curacy at St Olave's Church, York. He then emigrated to Africa to become a Missionary Priest in the Diocese of Northern Rhodesia, rising to become principal of its diocesan theological college and then in 1951 bishop of the diocese.[3] Translated to Pretoria[4] a decade later and Grahamstown in 1959 he was appointed Archbishop of Cape Town in 1964. Ten years later he announced his retirement[5] but in 1979 he was petitioned to return to a part of his first diocese and serve as Bishop of Central Zambia.[6]

In 1983 he was honoured by The Queen (made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire) and in 1991, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred on him the Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity to mark his fifty years of service in the episcopate.[6] A Sub Prelate of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, he died on 23 April 1995.[7] A Chair at the University of Cape Town is named in his honour[8] and in 2009 events were held to honour his centenary.[9] Many of his papers are stored at the University of the Witwatersrand.[10] He was a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd.

  1. ^ Who's Who 2008. A&C Black. 10 December 2007. ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ^ Oxford University Press (1976). Crockford's Clerical Directory: A Reference Book of the Clergy of the Provinces of Canterbury and York and of Other Anglican Provinces and Dioceses. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-200008-8. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  3. ^ Anglican churches in Zambia Archived 2004-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ New Bishop of Pretoria, The Times, Tuesday, Oct 30, 1951; pg. 4; Issue 52145; col E
  5. ^ Archbishop of Cape Town to retire The Times Tuesday, Mar 12, 1974; pg. 16; Issue 59036; col C
  6. ^ a b Colin James (5 May 1995). "Obituary: The Most Rev Robert Selby Taylor". The Independent. London. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  7. ^ Brainy history
  8. ^ Ohio University Press
  9. ^ Anon (2009). "Celebrating the life of Robert Selby - Taylor". Diocese of Cape Town. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  10. ^ Wits Historical papers