Neville Gorton

Who was Neville Gorton?

Neville Gorton was the 4th bishop of the restored see of Coventry in the modern era.

Gorton was born on 1 March 1888, the son of an Anglican Canon and educated at Marlborough College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was an exhibitioner and Aubrey Moore student. Gorton was a career school-master who after taking holy orders spent 20 years at Sedbergh School, rising to the rank of housemaster. He was then appointed head of Blundell's School where he was to remain until the call to face the challenges of a severely bombed diocese.

A passionate advocate of Christian Unity Gorton's vision was for a “People’s cathedral”. Gorton himself was a curious mixture of conventional and lateral thinker- his wide experience with boys gave him a very realistic view of “sin”. A master of the short, pithy sermon he was a much admired churchman. He died in office on 30 November 1955.