View source for Stuart Blanch

{{Short description|Archbishop of York from 1975 to 1983}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| honorific-prefix = {{pre-nominal styles|size=100%|MRevd|&RHon}}
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominal styles|country=GBR|size=100%|PC}}
| archbishop_of = Archbishop of York
| image =bishop-Stuart-Blanch.jpg
| imagesize =150px
| alt =| caption =Blanch as [[Bishop of Liverpool]]
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| enthroned = 1975
| ended = 1983
| predecessor = [[Donald Coggan]]
| successor = [[John Habgood, Baron Habgood|John Habgood]]
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|2|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Blakeney, Gloucestershire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|6|3|1918|2|2|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Banbury]], [[Oxfordshire]], England
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}}
'''Stuart Yarworth Blanch, Baron Blanch''', {{post-nominal styles|country=GBR|PC}} (2 February 1918 – 3 June 1994) was an [[Anglican]] clergyman. Little interested in religion in his youth, he became a committed Christian at the age of 21, while serving in the [[Royal Air Force]] during the Second World War.

He was [[ordination|ordained]] as a priest in 1949, and spent three years as a curate and five years as a vicar in and around [[Oxford]] where he had studied for the priesthood. He was vice principal of [[Wycliffe Hall, Oxford]] from 1957 to 1960, the founding head of [[Rochester Theological College]] from 1960 to 1966, [[Bishop of Liverpool]] from 1966 to 1975, and [[Archbishop of York]] from 1975 to 1983.

Blanch was [[evangelical]] in outlook, but gained the trust of [[high church]] Anglicans, and also of [[Roman Catholic]]s and [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformist]]s. He was well known as a lecturer and published ten books, most of them scholarly and theological.

==Life and career==

===Early years===
Blanch was born at Viney Hill Farm, [[Blakeney, Gloucestershire]] in the [[Forest of Dean]], the youngest of three sons of a farmer, William Edwin Blanch, and his wife, Elizabeth, ''née'' Yarworth.<ref name=dnb>Williams, R H L. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/54752 "Blanch, Stuart Yarworth, Baron Blanch (1918–1994)"], ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, 2004, Retrieved 17 May 2012 {{subscription required}}</ref> William Blanch was killed in a shooting accident in 1923 and his widow and youngest child moved to London, where the two older sons were already living.<ref name=g1>Christmas, Linda. "Stuart Yarworth Blanch, 55, Archbishop of York",  ''The Guardian'', 15 December 1977, p. 11</ref> Blanch attended [[Alleyn's School]], [[Dulwich]], winning a scholarship after the first year. His mother could not afford to pay for him to go to a university, and after leaving school at the age of 18 he started work. He would have preferred to become a journalist, but found that "journalism in particular was hard to get into without contacts." He gained employment in the office of the Law Fire Insurance Society Ltd in [[Chancery Lane]] at a salary of £90 a year. He said later, "The job taught me a great deal, not just about administration – how to write letters and so on – but how to deal with people from all walks of life."<ref name=g1/>

On the outbreak of the Second World War Blanch enlisted in the [[Royal Air Force]]. He was on guard duty at Christmas at the RAF depot in [[Heaton Park]]<ref name=g1/> (not, he later said, "a prospect to quicken the pulse or engender much seasonal cheer"),<ref name=times>[http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F92422A234B6BB0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "The Right Rev Lord Blanch – Obituary"], ''The Times'', 4 June 1994, p. 19</ref> and for lack of anything else to read he read the [[New Testament]] thoroughly for the first time in his life, and his hitherto mild adherence to Christianity was turned into firm [[evangelical]] faith. "This strange book spoke, its words glowed on the page, and I knew that from that moment my life was bound up for better or worse with the Man who is described there."<ref>Blanch, ''quoted'' in the ''Times'' obituary.</ref>

In the RAF he served as a corporal in the force's police, and then volunteered for aircrew duties. After training as a navigator, he was commissioned as a [[flight lieutenant]]. He flew reconnaissance missions over Burma from [[Calcutta]]. During this period he became an Anglican [[lay reader]] and sought [[ordination]] as a priest.<ref name=g1/> In 1943 he married Brenda Gertrude Coyte. His biographer R H L Williams writes, "Their years of wartime separation were bridged by a remarkable correspondence in which they explored their faith together."<ref name=dnb/>

===Priest===
On demobilisation Blanch was accepted for ordination training at [[Wycliffe Hall, Oxford]]. His ability impressed the principal, Canon [[Julian Thornton-Duesbery|J P Thornton-Duesbery]], who arranged for him to be matriculated at [[St Catherine's Society]]. He obtained a first class degree in theology in 1948, and was ordained priest in 1949.<ref name=who>[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U171191 "Blanch, Baron"], ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008, online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, Retrieved 17 May 2012 {{subscription required}}</ref> After three years as a curate in the Oxford parish of Highfield, he was appointed vicar of Eynsham a few miles out of the city.<ref name=dnb/> He remained there for five years, building up a small congregation into a large one, described by ''[[The Times]]'' as "thoroughly committed to Christian outreach."<ref name=times/> He formed close ties with the local [[Roman Catholic]], [[Baptist]], and [[Methodist]] churches.<ref name=dnb/> This was Blanch's only experience as a parish priest.<ref name=indy>Say, David. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:TND1&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=131FE8E1DC6A1BE0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "Obituary: The Right Rev Lord Blanch"], ''The Independent'', 7 June 1994</ref> While he was at Eynsham three of the Blanches' five children were born, all daughters.<ref name=dnb/> He was a part-time lecturer during this period, and his lectures on the New Testament led to an invitation to return to Wycliffe Hall as tutor and vice-principal to [[John Taylor (bishop of Sheffield)|F J Taylor]], who had succeeded Thornton-Duesbery as principal.<ref name=times/> Blanch took up the appointment in 1957<ref name=who/>

The chairman of the governing body of Wycliffe Hall was the [[Bishop of Rochester]], [[Christopher Chavasse]]. Nearing the end of his twenty-year reign at Rochester, Chavasse wished it to culminate in the foundation of an evangelical theological college for mature students. He persuaded Blanch to become the founding head of the college and Oriel canon of Rochester Cathedral.<ref name=times/> Blanch was Warden of [[Rochester Theological College]] from 1960 to 1966.<ref name=who/> ''[[The Independent]]'''s obituary of Blanch said of this period:
{{quote|It proved to be an admirable appointment and Blanch revelled in the opportunity of preparing for ordination a very mixed bunch of students all aged between 30 and 40. Few of them had an academic background and they were mostly men set fair in their careers as engineers, policemen, garage proprietors, farmers and in many other trades and professions. Blanch delighted in arousing their enthusiasm for the scriptures and enlarging their vision of world-wide Christianity.<ref name=indy/>|}}
During this period, the Blanches had a son and a daughter.<ref name=dnb/>

===Bishop===
[[File:Liverpool Anglican Cathedral North elevation.jpg|thumb|[[Liverpool Cathedral]]]]
In 1966, the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], [[Harold Wilson]], invited Blanch to succeed [[Clifford Martin]] as [[Bishop of Liverpool]]. On opening Wilson's letter Blanch is said to have taken it for a prank by Rochester students.<ref name=indy/> He was not altogether pleased by the offer. Because he had acquired his faith not from churchgoing but from his private reading of the New Testament, he was, in the words of ''[[The Independent]]'', "uncoloured and uninfluenced by anything ecclesiastical and failed to see the relevance of much of it." The prospect of exchanging academic life for the complexities of a bishop's duties was daunting. ''The Times'' later said, "He was at that time a bad chairman of committees and councils (he got better at it) and he knew there would be plenty of both. He did not know [[Lancashire]]. But he knew his duty and off he went to Merseyside."<ref name=times/> Aged 47 he was the youngest Anglican bishop of his day.<ref name=hick>Hickman, Baden. "Low pressure: Baden Hickman on the new Archbishop of York", ''The Guardian'', 14 September 1974, p. 13</ref>

In the 1960s [[Liverpool]] underwent large-scale rehousing, with residents of inner city slums being moved to new housing estates on greenfield sites outside the city. Blanch supervised the resulting reorganisation of parishes and construction of new churches. The diocese was predominantly evangelical, but there was a substantial [[high church]] minority whose relations with some previous Bishops of Liverpool had been difficult. ''[[The Guardian]]'' said that one of Blanch's greatest achievements during his years in Liverpool (and later at York) was reconciling evangelical and high church Anglicans: "it was universally acknowledged that he left behind him a peaceful and reconciled diocese."<ref name=mg>Hickman, Baden. "Flat cap beneath the mitre", ''The Guardian'', 4 June 1994, p. 32</ref> ''The Times'' comments that Blanch and his wife "threw themselves into the richness of Liverpool life. He grew to love [[Scouse]] humour and resilience. He bicycled to work … he played squash most Saturday mornings … whenever he could, he went to listen to the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic|Philharmonic]] concerts ([[Charles Groves|Sir Charles Groves]], the then conductor, becoming a firm friend)."<ref name=times/>

As he had done as a parish priest at Eynsham, Blanch reached out to other Christian denominations. He established friendships and close working relationships with [[George Andrew Beck|George Beck]] and Rex Kissack, respectively the Roman Catholic [[archbishop of Liverpool]] and the chairman of the Liverpool Methodist District.<ref name=dnb/> They helped to end Liverpool's history of sectarian hostility, and fostered [[ecumenism]] in what became known as the "Mersey miracle", built upon by their successors.<ref name=dnb/>

While Bishop of Liverpool, Blanch had numerous invitations to give lectures, as far afield as [[Alabama]] and [[Bermuda]]. The first of his ten books, ''The World our Orphanage'' (1972) was based on a series of lectures he gave in York.<ref name=dnb/>

===Archbishop===
[[File:York-minster-inside.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[York Minster]]]]
In 1974 the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Michael Ramsey]], announced his forthcoming retirement. His successor was the [[Archbishop of York]], [[Donald Coggan]], an evangelical. In view of the church's tradition of balance it was widely expected that Coggan's successor at York would be a higher churchman. The two candidates most tipped were [[Robert Runcie]] ([[Bishop of St Albans]]) and [[Kenneth Woollcombe]] ([[Bishop of Oxford]]).<ref>Hickman, Baden "Short list ready for York post" ''The Guardian'', 21 June 1974, p. 8</ref> There was a long delay in making the appointment, and it was rumoured that at least three bishops had declined the post. ''The Times'' later named one of them as Runcie.<ref name=times/> The offer of the archbishopric to Blanch came as a surprise to him. He said that the Prime Minister's invitation "came in one of those plain white envelopes that you open with caution. I am only now beginning to get over the shock." He told the press that he found the prospect daunting because he was at a loss with high formality, was not well up on central church administration and had not much political experience.<ref>Symon, Penny. "Bishop of Liverpool to become Archbishop of York", ''The Times'', 14 September 1974, p. 1</ref>

Blanch was enthroned as ninety-fourth archbishop of York on 25 February 1975. Of his years as archbishop, Williams writes, "A superb pastor, he presided over a happy diocese and travelled widely in his province. … No lover of bureaucracy, he was described as the most unecclesiastical of archbishops." One admirer, noting his common touch, said that he wore a flat cap underneath his [[mitre]].<ref name=mg/> In fact, as an evangelical, Blanch was not enthusiastic about vestments and seldom wore a mitre.<ref name=times/>

Blanch's reputation as a theologian and lecturer continued to grow. ''The Guardian'' said of him, "At York, Blanch emerged as one of the most thoughtful and touching preachers ever to occupy an archiepiscopal throne."<ref name=mg/> Williams notes that while at York, Blanch made ten working trips abroad, carrying out engagements in fifteen countries, in Europe, Australasia, Asia and the Americas.<ref name=dnb/> Academically his strong point was [[Old Testament]] scholarship,<ref name=mg/> and this enabled him to establish close ties with the Jewish community.<ref name=dnb/>

In 1981 Blanch suffered a breakdown in his health. He was absent from his ecclesiastical work for only a month, but thereafter, according to ''The Times'':
{{quote|He got better, but for many of his friends the famous sparkle seemed to have gone and the zest had abated. The idea got about that he was simply coasting to his retirement, so that academic work could come to the fore again. It seemed that he was less and less ready to play any kind of prominent role in the life of the nation. He was not a great pronouncer on the issues of the day, nor was he an innovator in Church affairs.<ref name=times/>|}}
He resigned in 1983, and was the first retiring archbishop of York to be made a [[life peer]] immediately,<ref name=dnb/>{{notetag|His predecessors Ramsey and Coggan were also made life peers upon retiring from their subsequent position as Archbishop of Canterbury.}} being created Baron Blanch of [[Bishopthorpe]] in the County of [[North Yorkshire]] on 5 September 1983.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=49473 |date=9 September 1983 |page=11881}}</ref>

===Last years===
Blanch retired to Oxfordshire, living first in [[Bloxham]] and then in [[Shenington]]. He conducted services at Shenington parish church, and continued to lecture and write. He made four more lecture trips abroad after retiring from York, and wrote two more books.<ref name=dnb/>

Blanch died of cancer at a hospice in [[Banbury]], Oxfordshire at the age of 76, and was buried in Shenington churchyard. He was survived by his wife, son, and three of the four daughters, the eldest predeceasing him.<ref name=dnb/>

==Bibliography==
Books published by Blanch were:
* {{cite book|year=1972 |title= The World Our Orphanage – Studies in the Theology of the Bible |location= London |publisher= Epworth Press |isbn= 0716202085}}
* {{cite book|year=1976 |title= For all Mankind – A Book About the Old Testament and About Us|location= London |publisher= Bible Reading Fellowship |isbn= 0900164352}}
* {{cite book|year= 1978|title= The Christian Militant – Lent with St. Mark's Gospel |location= London |publisher= Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge |isbn= 0281035911}}
* {{cite book|year= 1978 |title= The Burning Bush – Signs of Our Time |location= Guildford |publisher= Lutterworth Press |isbn= 071882346X }}
* {{cite book|year= 1979 |title= The Trumpet in the Morning – Law and Freedom Today in the Light of the Hebraeo-Christian Tradition
|location= London |publisher= Hodder and Stoughton |isbn= 0340246391}}
* {{cite book|year= 1981|title= The Ten Commandments |location= London|publisher= Hodder & Stoughton |isbn= 0340271493}}
* {{cite book|year= 1983|title= Living by Faith |location= London |publisher= Darton, Longman and Todd |isbn= 0232515719}}
* {{cite book|year= 1985|title= Way of Blessedness |location= London |publisher= Hodder and Stoughton |isbn= 0340346434}}
* {{cite book|year= 1988 |title= Encounters with Jesus |location= London|publisher= Hodder and Stoughton |isbn= 034042592X }}
* {{cite book|year= 1991|title= Future Patterns of Episcopacy – Reflections in Retirement |location= Oxford  |publisher= Latimer House |isbn= 0946307350}}

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|100px]] [[File:Blanch Escutcheon.png|centre|125px]]
|crest = Issuing from a Circlet of Double Roses alternately Gules on Argent and Argent on Gules all barbed and seeded proper two Lions' Gambs Gules armed Or supporting between them a Cross Crosslet Argent floretty Or
|coronet = A [[Coronet|Coronet of a Baron]]
|escutcheon = Argent on a Pairle Gules a Rose Argent barbed and seeded Or between three Cross Crosslets fitchy towards the fess point Argent floretty Or
|supporters = On either side a Scottish Sheepdog Or charged on the breast with a Heart Gules enflamed proper
|motto = Via veritas vita 
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Archbishop Blanch School]], a [[secondary school]] for girls in Liverpool, named after Blanch

==Notes==
{{Notefoot}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-rel|en}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Clifford Martin]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Bishop of Liverpool]]|years=1966–1975}}
{{S-aft|after=[[David Sheppard]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Donald Coggan]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Archbishop of York]]|years=1975–1983}}
{{S-aft|after=[[John Habgood, Baron Habgood|John Habgood]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Bishops of Liverpool}}
{{Archbishops of York}}

{{Portalbar|Biographies|Catholicism|Christianity|England|Politics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanch, Stuart Blanch, Baron}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century Anglican archbishops]]
[[Category:20th-century British male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century British non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century evangelicals]]
[[Category:Anglican bishops of Liverpool]]
[[Category:Anglican lay readers]]
[[Category:Archbishops of York]]
[[Category:British evangelicals]]
[[Category:British male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:British religious writers]]
[[Category:Crossbench life peers]]
[[Category:Evangelical Anglican bishops]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
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[[Category:People educated at Alleyn's School]]
[[Category:People from Forest of Dean District]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
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