Rt Rev. Henry Phillpotts

The Bishop of Exeter and three others appear in the compensation records for Whitney and Rymesbury in Clarendon and New Yarmouth in Vere, all in Jamaica, because they were trustees and executors of the will of John William Ward, Earl of Dudley (q.v.).

1. Son of Henry Phillpotts of Bridgwater; matriculated Corpus Christi 07/11/1791 aged 13; fellow Magdalen 1795-1804; BA 1795; MA 179; BD and DD 1821; chaplain to Bishop of Durham 1806; Vicar of Kilmersdon 1804, Bishop Middleham 1805, Stanton-le-Street 1806, Rector Gateshead 1808, preb of Durham 1810-20, rector of Stanhope in Weardale 1820, dean of Chester 1828, visitor Exeter College 1831 and bishop of Exeter 1831[sic.], died 1869.

2. Note that beside being Bishop of Exeter from December 1830 to 1869, Phillpotts was also a Canon of Durham from 1831 to 1869 (and received emoluments associated with that). Originally the bishop had hoped to continue to receive the emoluments from Stanhope, near Durham (one of the wealthiest benefices in the country), where he had been rector, but the Government did not allow it. Instead, the Bishop of Durham arranged for one of his Canons to move to Stanhope, so that the bishop could take his stall in Durham Cathedral.

3. Ever since Eric Williams discovered the bishop’s name in the compensation records, several authors have claimed that the bishop was a slave owner, but there is no evidence of this. His name does not appear in the Jamaica Almanacs or in the Slave Registers. On the other hand, his brother Thomas (q.v.) was a slave owner in Jamaica and appears frequently in those records.

4. In a codicil letter attached to the will of Lord Dudley and dated 21/09/1831, the executors are bequeathed large amounts of money, including: “item, to John Benbow Esq. of Lincolns Inn, five thousand pounds. Item, to Francis Downing Esq, of Dudley four thousand pounds. Item to Henry Lord Bishop of Exeter two thousand pounds.” Lord Dudley's will was mired in controversy, according to the Staffordshire Advertiser: “The fashionable world and the long robe are busily discussing his Lordship’s last will and testament... The whole subject engages the most lively discussion, and it reported that the validity of the will is disputed...The will, by some of its very extraordinary bequests, is, we are told, calculated to excite much tittle-tattle, and scandalous interpretation.” This was followed by a slew of court cases as to the validity of the will.

We are grateful to Peter Wingfield-Digby and Ash Sohoye for their assistance with compiling this entry.

T71/859 Clarendon nos. 284 and 320; T71/857 Vere no. 70. He is given as 'Philpotts' in these records. See separate entry for John William Ward, Earl of Dudley (q.v.) for details of his will. See Morning Post 31/12/1862 for an interesting obituary of Phillpotts.

1. CCEd [database online] Person ID: 28960, sourced to Foster.

2. Email from Peter Wingfield-Digby 23/10/2019. The role of Phillpotts at Durham can be seen in the Clergy Lists.

3. For more on Thomas Phillpotts see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs//media-new/pdfs/phillpottsslaveowner.pdf. For an example of continued references to Henry Phillpotts as a slave-owner see Nigel Pocock and Victoria Cook, 'The business of enslavement', BBC History in depth http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/slavery_business_gallery_03.shtml [accessed 30/04/2012]: 'Phillpotts and three business associates invested in slave plantations in Jamaica, and when slavery was abolished they were paid compensation for the loss of 665 slaves. A bishop personally owning slaves must have been a powerful legitimating tool for Caribbean interests in Britain.'

   1. Staffordshire Advertiser, 23/03/1833. C 13/2037/60; C14/516/E45; C 14/1231/E16. Email from Ash Sohoye 13/07/2024. For a full discussion of the will's validity, see Ash Sohoye, "Did the Bishop of Exeter Henry Phillpotts and fellow “trustees / executors” forge the will of Lord Dudley?" (published online, 2024).