Martyn Jarrett

Martyn Jarrett
Robin Myerscough · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Martyn Jarrett
Birth date	1944
Birth place	Leeds
Occupation	Anglican bishop
Religion	Anglicanism
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge, Cranmer Hall, Durham

Martyn Jarrett was an English Anglican bishop who served as Bishop of Beverley and provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. He played a prominent role in debates within Anglicanism during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, engaging with institutions such as Lambeth Palace, General Synod, and the Anglican Communion Office. Jarrett's ministry intersected with ecclesiastical figures and movements including Rowan Williams, George Carey, John Habgood, David Hope, and groups such as Forward in Faith, Church Society, and The Society.

Early life and education

Jarrett was born in Leeds and educated at local schools before reading theology at King's College, Cambridge, where he encountered tutors associated with Anglican theology and scholars from Cambridge University Press circles. He completed ministerial formation at Cranmer Hall, Durham and trained alongside ordinands who later served in dioceses including Durham, York, and Canterbury. His early influences included theologians connected to Oxford Movement legacies and liturgical revision debates tied to Alternative Service Book 1980 and Book of Common Prayer advocates.

Ecclesiastical career

Ordained in the Church of England, Jarrett served initial curacies in parishes within the Diocese of Leeds and the Diocese of York, collaborating with clergy from institutions like Ripon Cathedral and York Minster. He held incumbencies that placed him in contact with pastoral networks spanning Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda affiliates, Anglican Mainstream activists, and clergy engaged with Ecumenical relations involving the Roman Catholic Church, Methodist Church, and Church of Scotland. Jarrett's parish work connected him to liturgical committees and synodical bodies that later informed his episcopal responsibilities at Lambeth Palace and during meetings of the Anglican Consultative Council.

Episcopal ministry and leadership

Consecrated bishop to serve as provincial episcopal visitor, Jarrett became Bishop of Beverley for traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes in the Province of York. In that capacity he operated within the structures of the Church Commissioners, worked with diocesan bishops such as David Hope and Nicholas Reade, and participated in national assemblies including the General Synod and international gatherings like the Lambeth Conference. Jarrett engaged with controversies involving episcopal oversight, ordination of women debated alongside figures such as Barbara Harris in transatlantic comparisons, and provisions established through measures like the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993 and the House of Bishops decisions. His leadership intersected with organizations including Forward in Faith, Catholic Union, and Society of Mary and St. Wilfrid, and he maintained relations with bishops across provinces including Canterbury, Durham, Exeter, and Southwark.

Theological views and writings

Jarrett was widely regarded as a traditionalist within Anglican theology, articulating positions in dialogue with theologians and ecclesiastical writers such as G. K. Chesterton, Edward Pusey, John Henry Newman, N. T. Wright, Rowan Williams, and Michael Ramsey. His writings and addresses engaged liturgical themes resonant with the Oxford Movement and commented on sacramental theology in the context of debates over ordination and ecumenism with the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Jarrett contributed to pamphlets, synodical papers, and pastoral letters circulated among groups like Church Society and Anglican Mainstream, and spoke at conferences organized by institutions including St Mellitus College, Westcott House, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and Durham Cathedral.

Personal life and legacy

Jarrett's family life and private interests were rooted in communities across Yorkshire and Northern England, maintaining connections with parochial networks, cathedral chapters, and theological colleges such as Cranmer Hall, Durham and Westcott House, Cambridge. His legacy within the Church of England includes influence on provisions for alternative episcopal oversight, ongoing debates on women's ordination and sacramental discipline, and mentorship of clergy who later served in dioceses like Manchester, Carlisle, and Sheffield. Institutions and societies influenced by his ministry include Forward in Faith, The Society, and liturgical custodians at Lichfield Cathedral and Ripon Cathedral. Jarrett's episcopal tenure is remembered alongside contemporaries such as Michael Nazir-Ali, John Habgood, and David Hope for shaping the contours of late-20th-century Anglican Communion alignments and ecclesial arrangements.

Category:Anglican bishops