Archbishop of Canterbury. He served in this position from August 1768 until his death in March 1783. Born the 7th son of Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis (1st creation), he received his education at Eton College in Eton, England and graduated from Christ's College in Cambridge, England in 1736 and was elected a fellow of the college. In 1742 he was ordained a priest in 1742 and in 1748 he received his Doctor of Divinity. His aristocratic connections allowed him to receive promotions quickly in the Church and in 1746 he was made chaplain to King George II and a canon of Windsor. In 1750 he became a canon at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and later that same year he became Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry thanks to the patronage of Secretary of State Thomas Pelham-Holles, the Duke of Newcastle. He also served as the Dean of Windsor at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England from 1765 until 1768 and the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral from 1766 until 1768. On the death of Archbishop Thomas Secker in August 1768, he became Archbishop of Canterbury. While his sociability and geniality made him popular, he was an uninspiring leader of the 18th-century church, whose lack of zeal paved the way for the differing responses of both the Evangelicals and the Oxford Movement in the early 19th century. He consistently supported the administration of English Prime Minister Lord North, and led efforts in support of dispossessed Anglican clergy in the American colonies during the American Revolution. He died at Lambeth Palace, the residence for the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the age of 70. He was the uncle of Charles Cornwallis, the British general whose surrender in October 1781 to the combined American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia ended the American Revolutionary War, and who later became the Governor-General of India.
Archbishop of Canterbury. He served in this position from August 1768 until his death in March 1783. Born the 7th son of Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis (1st creation), he received his education at Eton College in Eton, England and graduated from Christ's College in Cambridge, England in 1736 and was elected a fellow of the college. In 1742 he was ordained a priest in 1742 and in 1748 he received his Doctor of Divinity. His aristocratic connections allowed him to receive promotions quickly in the Church and in 1746 he was made chaplain to King George II and a canon of Windsor. In 1750 he became a canon at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and later that same year he became Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry thanks to the patronage of Secretary of State Thomas Pelham-Holles, the Duke of Newcastle. He also served as the Dean of Windsor at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England from 1765 until 1768 and the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral from 1766 until 1768. On the death of Archbishop Thomas Secker in August 1768, he became Archbishop of Canterbury. While his sociability and geniality made him popular, he was an uninspiring leader of the 18th-century church, whose lack of zeal paved the way for the differing responses of both the Evangelicals and the Oxford Movement in the early 19th century. He consistently supported the administration of English Prime Minister Lord North, and led efforts in support of dispossessed Anglican clergy in the American colonies during the American Revolution. He died at Lambeth Palace, the residence for the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the age of 70. He was the uncle of Charles Cornwallis, the British general whose surrender in October 1781 to the combined American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia ended the American Revolutionary War, and who later became the Governor-General of India.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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