11 Facts About Arthur Karney

Arthur Baillie Lumsdaine Karney was the first bishop of Johannesburg in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and the Church of England.

Arthur Karney was educated at Windlesham House School, Brighton, Haileybury and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1896.

Arthur Karney married Georgina Maude Bessie Fielding in Buenos Aires in 1908 and they had seven children, Peter, Anthony, Audrey.

Arthur Karney was ordained in the Church of England in 1897 and appointed assistant chaplain to the Missions to Seamen at Sunderland.

Arthur Karney had become fascinated in the work of seamen and in 1899 volunteered to work under Harry O'Rouke running the Seaman's Institute in San Francisco then one of the toughest assignments because of the number and state of the seamen arriving after the stormy voyage around Cape Horn.

Arthur Karney became involved in protecting young seamen from being 'shanghaied' or 'crimped' and acquired the name of the fighting parson.

Arthur Karney was in HMS Yarmouth at the Battle of Jutland, but being cypher officer, he was below and his main recollection of the battle was the incredible noise.

Arthur Karney spent a considerable period of his ministry seeking better conditions for the "native" population.

Arthur Karney instituted services for black congregations in their own languages.

In that month Desmond Tutu, later to succeed Arthur Karney as bishop of Johannesburg, was born and the young Nelson Mandela was tending cattle in the hills above Qunu in the Transkei.

Arthur Karney became bishop of Southampton from 1933 to 1943, chaplain of Marlborough College until 1944 and rector of Blendworth until 1949.