View source for Harrington Lees

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| honorific-prefix = 
| name             = Harrington Lees
| honorific-suffix = 
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| title            = [[Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne|Archbishop of Melbourne]]
| diocese          = [[Anglican Diocese of Melbourne|Diocese of Melbourne]]
| term             = 1921{{snd}}1929 (d.)
| predecessor      = [[Lowther Clarke]]
| successor        = [[Frederick Head]]
| other_post       = 
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| ordination       = 1893 (deacon); 1894 (priest)
| ordained_by      = [[William Stubbs]] (Oxford)
| consecration     = 1921
| consecrated_by   = [[Randall Davidson]] (Canterbury)
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1870|3|17|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Ashton-under-Lyne]], [[Lancashire]], UK
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1929|1|10|1870|3|17|df=y}}
| death_place      = 
| buried           = 
| nationality      = 
| religion         = [[Anglicanism|Anglican]]
| residence        = 
| parents          = 
| spouse           = 
| children         = 
| profession       = 
| education        = 
| alma_mater       = [[St&nbsp;John's College, Cambridge]]
}}
'''Harrington Clare Lees''' (17 March 1870{{snd}}10 January 1929) was the [[Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne]] from 1921 until his death.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography
|last=McKie 
|first=J. D
|authorlink= 
|year=1986
|id=A100053b
|title= Lees, Harrington Clare (1870 - 1929)  
|accessdate=2009-09-11 }}</ref>

==Family==
Lees was born in [[Ashton-under-Lyne]], [[Lancashire]], [[United Kingdom]], the eldest son of William Lees, a cotton farmer and Justice of the Peace,<ref name=dab>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Harrington Clare|Last=Lees|shortlink=0-dict-biogL.html#lees1 |accessdate=2009-09-11 }}</ref> and his wife, Emma (daughter of William Clare). Lees married twice, firstly to Winifred May, daughter of the Revd J. M. Cranswick, and secondly to Joanna Mary, daughter of Herbert Linnell. He had no children.<ref name=adb/>

==Education==

Lees was educated at [[The Leys School]] (a Methodist school) and [[St John's College, Cambridge]], where he graduated [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] with a second class in the theological tripos in 1892, and [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge)|MA]] in 1896.<ref>{{acad|id=LS889HC|name=Lees, Harrington Clare}}</ref>

==Career==
Lees was made [[deacon]] on [[Trinity&nbsp;Sunday]] (28&nbsp;May) 1893<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations on Trinity Sunday | archive = 1893_06_02_593 | issue = 1584 | date = 2 June 1893 | page = 593 | accessed = 20 March 2021 }}</ref> and ordained [[priest]] the following Trinity&nbsp;Sunday (20&nbsp;May 1894) — both times by [[William Stubbs]], [[Bishop of Oxford]], at [[St&nbsp;Mary&nbsp;Magdalen's Church, Oxford]].<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations on Sunday last | archive = 1894_05_25_565 | issue = 1635 | date = 25 May 1894 | page = 565 | accessed = 20 March 2021 }}</ref> He was a [[curate]] at [[Reading, Berkshire]], chaplain at Turin and curate at [[Childwall]], until in 1900 he became [[vicar]] of St&nbsp;John's [[Kenilworth]].<ref name=adb/>
In 1907 Lees became vicar of [[Christ Church, Beckenham]], and in 1919 vicar of [[Swansea]]. In this year he was offered the bishopric of [[Bendigo, Victoria]], [[Australia]], but refused it. In August 1921 he was appointed Archbishop of Melbourne; was consecrated a bishop on [[All&nbsp;Saints' Day]] (1&nbsp;November) by [[Randall Davidson]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], at [[St&nbsp;Paul's Cathedral]], [[London]];<ref>{{Church Times | title = A Consecration at St&nbsp;Paul's | archive = 1921_11_04_439 | issue = 3067 | date = 4 November 1921 | page = 439 | accessed = 20 March 2021 }}</ref> and enthroned at [[St&nbsp;Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne]], on 15 February 1922.<ref name=adb/>

Lees soon showed himself to be a vigorous worker and a good preacher. He was at Melbourne for less than seven years before he died, but his episcopate was marked by the undertaking of the completion of St&nbsp;Paul's Cathedral and by a great increase in the social work of the church; more especially in connexion with the various homes conducted by the [[mission of St&nbsp;James and St&nbsp;John]] and the [[Church of England]] free kindergartens. He visited England in 1928 and died suddenly at Bishopscourt, [[East Melbourne, Victoria|East Melbourne]], on 10&nbsp;January 1929.<ref name=adb/>

Lees' portrait by [[John Longstaff]] is in the chapter house at Melbourne.{{citation needed|date= October 2023}}

Lees never spared himself and overwork was a contributing cause of his comparatively early death from coronary vascular disease.<ref name=adb/> He had bright personality and was much like by everyone, whether in an industrial parish like Swansea or as archbishop of Melbourne. At synod he was an excellent chairman, speaking little himself, but giving his rulings with decision. In the evangelistic tradition of the diocese, he belonged to no party and his ability, humanity and broad outlook, made him an excellent leader of his church.<ref name=adb/>

==Publications==

Lees' published works include: 
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''St Paul's Epistles to Thessalonica'' (1905)
*''The Work of Witness and the Promise of Power'' (1908)
*''The Joy of Bible Study'' (1909)
*''The King's Highway'' (1910)
*''St Paul and his Converts'' (1910), third impression (1916)
*''Christ and his Slaves'' (1911)
*''The Sunshine of the Good News'' (1912)
*''The Divine Master in Home Life'' (1915)
*''The Practice of the Love of Christ'' (1915)
*''The Eyes of his Glory'' (1916)
*''St Paul's Friends'' (1917)
*''The Love that Ceases to Calculate'' (1918)
*''God's Garden and Ours'' (1918)
*''Failure and Recovery'' (1919)
*''The Starting Place of Victory'' (1919)
*''The Promise of Life The Life that is in Christ Jesus'' (1919)
*'' The Divine Master in Home Life''
{{div col end}}
Lees was also a contributor to [[James Hastings|Hastings]]' ''A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels''.<ref name=dab/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Harrington Lees}}

{{Archbishops of Melbourne}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Harrington Clare}}
[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1929 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Anglican archbishops of Melbourne]]
[[Category:People from Ashton-under-Lyne]]