Edward Gordon Selwyn

Edward Gordon Selwyn (6 July 1885 – 11 June 1959) was an English Anglican priest and theologian, who served as Warden of Radley College from 1913 to 1919; Rector of Red Hill, near Havant. He was Dean of Winchester from 1931 to 1958. He wrote sermons and other books and was the editor of the liberal Anglo-Catholic journal Theology during the first fourteen years of its existence, 1920–34.

Early life

Selwyn was born on 6 July 1885 in Liverpool, the eldest son of the Rev. Edward Carus Selwyn, Headmaster of Uppingham School (died 1918), and his wife Lucy Ada, née Arnold. He had four brothers and two sisters. He was son-in-law to Sir Edwyn Hoskyns, bishop of Southwell. His mother died at the age of 36, leaving seven very young children. Gordon was only nine years old.

Ecclesiastical life Selwyn was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge; he prepared for holy orders at Cuddesdon College before being ordained in 1909. He became a Fellow and Lecturer at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, until 1913 when he became Warden of Radley College. He was sent to Italy, proving to be ‘Excellent Chaplain, has done very good work’, and later to Kiev. He was Mentioned in Despatches. An obituarist would write about his time as a TCF ‘... that service was more precious to him than any other distinction in life'

In 1931 Selwyn became Dean of Winchester, a post which he held until his retirement in 1958, his death following shortly after in 1959.

Selwyn was very keen to become a bishop. Like many contemporary bishops, he had a clerical background, a distinguished academic record and had published many books. Although supported by several archbishops for promotion, his candidature failed to impress prime ministers who were then responsible for making the final recommendation to the Crown. The problem centred on his perceived deficiencies in professional relationships, exemplified in correspondence between Archbishop Fisher and the Prime Minister regarding the vacancy at Bath & Wells in 1946. It was noted that Selwyn had outstanding ability but that there had not always been ‘harmony’ in the posts he had held. Thus, Selwyn was proposed for vacancies at Lincoln (1942 and 1946) Bath and Wells (1943 and 1945), Salisbury (1946), Gloucester (1946) and Hereford (1949) but he was never recommended by a Prime Minister.

Family life In 1910, Selwyn married Phyllis Eleanor Hoskyns, daughter of Rt Revd Sir Edwyn Hoskyns, the Bishop of Southwell. They had a daughter and three sons, Lucy, Edward, Christopher and Jasper.

Selwyn died on 11 June 1959 at Shawford near Winchester, he was aged 73. Selwyn's particular contribution, apart from his editorial role, involved an attempt to uphold the rationality of belief in the Incarnation without accompanying commitment to the dogma of the Virgin Birth.

Other works 1915: The Teaching of Christ: an attempt to appreciate the main lineaments of the teaching of Christ in their historical proportion. London: Longmans, Green 1919: First Christian Ideas; by Edward Carus Selwyn; edited, with an introductory memoir, by his eldest son. London: John Murray 1920: Theology: a monthly journal of historic Christianity (editor) (published bimonthly since 1976) 1923: The First Book of the Irenicum of John Forbes of Corse: a contribution to the theology of re-union; translated and edited with introduction, notes & appendices, by Edward Gordon Selwyn. Cambridge: University Press 1925: The Approach to Christianity. London: Longmans, Green 1934 The Story of Winchester Cathedral Raphael Tuck & Sons 1936: Thoughts on Worship & Prayer. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (based on four lectures given in 1935) 1937: History of Christian Thought: a volume of essays; edited by Edward Gordon Selwyn. London: Centenary Press A Short History of Christian Thought: a volume of essays; 2nd ed., rev. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1949 1938: The White Horseman, and other sermons. London: S.P.C.K. 1940: The Epistle of Christian Courage: studies in the First Epistle of St. Peter. London: A. R. Mowbray 1946: The First Epistle of St. Peter: the Greek text; with introduction, notes and essays by Edward Gordon Selwyn. London: Macmillan