Geoffrey Rowell

Douglas Geoffrey Rowell (; 13 February 1943 – 11 June 2017) was an Anglican bishop and historian. He served as Bishop of Basingstoke and then as the third Bishop in Europe until his retirement on 8 November 2013.

Early life and education Rowell was born on 13 February 1943 in Alton, Hampshire, England. He was the eldest son of Cecil Victor Rowell (1908–1997), an engineer, and Kate Rowell (née Hunter; 1905–1995), a teacher of sick children. Having passed the eleven-plus, he was educated at Eggar's Grammar School, the state grammar school in Alton. He was then awarded a Hampshire County Council scholarship and finished his schooling at Winchester College, then an all-boys independent boarding school.

Rowell was educated at Eggar's Grammar School, a state grammar school, and then, having received a Hampshire County Council scholarship, at Winchester College, then an all-boys independent boarding school. His doctoral supervisor was David Newsome.

Career Rowell was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1968 and as a priest in 1969. becoming Bishop of Basingstoke, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of Winchester.

From 1999, Rowell was an episcopal patron of Project Canterbury, an online archive of Anglican texts.

Rowell was commissioned as Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe (often called "Bishop in Europe") on 18 October 2001 at St Margaret's, Westminster, and enthroned at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar, on 1 November 2001.

Views Rowell opposed the ordination of women: "Although his opposition was expressed in terms of its effects on ecumenical relations, his Tractarian ideal of the church based on close male friendships meant there was little space for women in leadership."

Turkish controversies In 2004, Rowell disagreed publicly with parishioners in Turkey over his plans to lease a historic and recently renovated church building for use as a nightclub. The plan was defeated after popular complaints.

In January 2007, Rowell suspended the chaplain of Istanbul, Ian Sherwood, and the entire chaplaincy council. Rowell was a member of the men-only, high-church dining club, Nobody's Friends, and wrote its official history in 2000.