Martin Gainsborough

Jonathan Martin Gainsborough (born 1966) is a British Anglican bishop. Since February 2023, he has served as the Bishop of Kingston, an area bishop in the Diocese of Southwark. His maternal grandfather is Bishop John Hunter, who served in the Church in South Africa.

Early life and education

Gainsborough was born in 1966. He was educated at Dulwich College, an all-boys independent school in London. He studied history at the University of Bristol, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989, and later at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1991, a Master of Science (MSc) degree in 1995, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 2001.

Career Academic career Following his doctorate, he was a British Academy postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Politics and International Studies of the University of Warwick from 2001 to 2003. He was then a lecturer in Southeast Asian politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, before moving to the University of Bristol as a lecturer in development politics in 2005. After that he was canon theologian at Bristol Cathedral from 2016 until 2018, and then as Bishop's Chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol until his appointment to the episcopate. He was consecrated a bishop on 2 February 2023 by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, during a service at Canterbury Cathedral.

Gainsborough is Chair of Trustees of St Augustine's Theological College, Chair of Council of Lambeth Research Degrees in Theology, and a member of the Church of England's Environment Working Group. Gainsborough also leads the Diocese of Southwark's Covenant Agreement work with the Diocese of Jerusalem.

In 2025 Gainsborough ran the 267 mile Pennine Way with his Border Collie, Jem, covering the equivalent of ten marathons in ten days and raising £40,000 for the Kingston-Matabeleland Link, which he leads.