Geoffrey Tiarks

Who was Geoffrey Tiarks?

The Rt Rev Geoffrey Lewis Tiarks was Bishop of Maidstone in the latter part of the 20th century. He was also the godfather of Peter Phillips.

Born the son of the Rev Lewis Hermann Tiarks into an ecclesiastical family on 8 October 1909 he was educated at Marlborough College and St John's College, Cambridge.

Ordained at Southwark Cathedral in 1932 after a Curacy at St Peter’s Walworth he was for many years a Naval Chaplain. Following this he served the Church in Rondebosch from 1950 to 1953, as Vicar of Lyme Regis until 1961, as Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight to 1965 and finally, as Archdeacon of Portsmouth.

He retired to Dorset in 1976 and died on 14 January 1987. He had married Betty Lyne and had a son and a daughter.