1. William Carpenter Bompas was a Church of England clergyman and missionary in northwestern Canada, first Anglican bishop of the Athabasca diocese, then of the Mackenzie River diocese and then of the Selkirk diocese as these dioceses were successively carved out of the original Rupert's Land diocese.
William Carpenter Bompas was born on January 20,1834, at Regent's Park, London to father Charles and mother Mary Steele.
When William Bompas was aged ten, in February 1844, his father Charles died, leaving his eight children.
Partly due to his private tuition and a lack of socialisation, William Bompas was considered a shy boy, and in his spare time preferred to sketch buildings such as churches instead of participate in games.
When his strength returned, William Bompas decided to leave the Baptist denomination to join the Church of England, becoming confirmed in 1858 and ordained a deacon in 1859.
William Bompas was appointed curate in a church at Sutton in the Marsh, which had not had a resident clergyman since the 16th century.
The area did not have a school, and in the face of considerable opposition, William Bompas had opened one within two years.
In 1861, Bompas' mother died, but undeterred, William transferred to another somewhat 'wild' parish in Nottingham.
William Bompas was quickly ordained into the priesthood and sent away to Canada.
William Bompas' journey began on June 30,1865, when he left London for Liverpool, from where he was to take a steamer to New York.
From New York William Bompas travelled to Niagara via the Hudson River and railway, subsequently making his way to Chicago, La Crosse and St Paul.
However, William Bompas was advised that they would respect the English flag.
William Bompas eventually reached the Red River Colony, and from there, he was rowed by Salteaux Indians in Hudson's Bay Company boats.
William Bompas engaged a crew to row him further north, reaching Fort Chipewyan, Alberta after days of struggle against the cold.
William Bompas was determined to reach Fort Simpson before Christmas Day, and that he did, drawing into the entrance to the Fort on Christmas morning.
William Bompas was to remain at Fort Simpson only for a short while.
In 1873, William Bompas was nominated as the first bishop of the new diocese of Athabasca, in the northwest of his present diocese.
In 1884, his diocese was divided again, and William Bompas became the first bishop of Mackenzie River.
In 1891, William Bompas moved into the Yukon with the creation of a new diocese, Selkirk.