Trevor Beeson
Trevor Beeson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 March 1926 Gedling, England |
| Died | 17 October 2023 (aged 97) |
| Occupation(s) | Anglican priest, author, ecclesiastical obituary writer |
| Years active | 1952–1990s |
| Known for | Dean of Winchester, ecclesiastical obituaries for The Daily Telegraph |
Trevor Randall Beeson (2 March 1926 – 17 October 2023) was a distinguished British Anglican priest who held the position of Dean of Winchester during the latter part of the 20th century. In addition to his clerical duties, he was a prolific author and an esteemed ecclesiastical obituary writer.
Biography
Born in Gedling in 1926, Beeson pursued his education at King's College London followed by St Boniface College, Warminster. He was ordained in 1952. His initial ministerial roles included serving as a curate in Leadgate, County Durham, then as priest in charge at St Chad, Stockton-on-Tees, and later joining the staff at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Subsequently, he became Vicar of Ware, Hertfordshire and held the office of Canon Treasurer at Westminster Abbey. Between 1982 and 1987, he fulfilled the role of Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons before being appointed Dean of Winchester.
Beeson regularly wrote obituaries for The Daily Telegraph and contributed columns to The Guardian. After retirement, he penned The Deans, which offered profiles of fellow senior clergy.
In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lambeth MA degree in 1976. He was honored with an OBE in the 1997 New Year Honours for his services to the Church of England, particularly during his tenure as Dean of Winchester Cathedral. In 1999, he received an honorary DLitt from Southampton University.
He married Josephine Cope in 1950, and together they had two daughters. One of their daughters, Catherine, married Charles Taylor, who later became Dean of Peterborough. Beeson passed away on 17 October 2023 at the age of 97.
Publications
- New Area Mission: The parish in the new housing estates (Star Books series), A.R. Mowbray & Co., London, 1963.
- The ministry in new areas, Prism pamphlet no.11, London, 1964.
- Partnership in ministry (editor), A.R. Mowbray & Co., London, 1964.
- Worship in a united church (co-authored with Robin Sharp), Star Books for Anglican-Methodist Reunion, second series, no.7, A.R. Mowbray, Oxford, 1964.
- New Area Ministry (Church's Ministry Series no.2), Church Information Office, Westminster, 1965.
- The world is the agenda: report from a conference by the World Council of Churches Western European Working Group on The Missionary Structure of the Congregation, Parish & People, London, 1966.
- An eye for an ear, SCM Press, 1972.
- The Church of England in Crisis, Davis-Poynter, London, 1973.
- Discretion and valour: religious conditions in Eastern Europe (with British Council of Churches Working Party), William Collins Sons & Co., Glasgow for British Council of Churches, 1974.
- Pioneering on the Christian Frontier (Audenshaw Papers no.50), Audenshaw Foundation, Manchester, 1975.
- To publish or not to publish? (Audenshaw Papers no.51), Audenshaw Foundation, Manchester, 1975.
- Christians and socialism (Audenshaw Papers no.55), Audenshaw Foundation, Manchester, 1976.
- Britain today and tomorrow, Collins, London, 1978.
- Westminster Abbey, FISA, London, 1981.
- Discretion and valour: religious conditions in Russia and eastern Europe (revised edition), Fount Paperbacks, London, 1982.
- A vision of hope: the churches and change in Latin America (edited with Jenny Pearce), Collins, London, 1984.
- A dean's diary: Winchester, 1987-1996, SCM Press, 1997.
- Window on Westminster: a Canon's diary, 1976–1987, SCM Press, 1998.
- Rebels and reformers: Christian renewal in the twentieth century, SCM Press, 1999.
- The bishops, SCM Press, 2002.
- Priests And Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Clerical Obituaries (editor & introduction), Continuum; editions released in 2002 with updates in 2004 and 2006.
- The deans, SCM Press, 2004.
- The canons: cathedral close encounters, SCM Press, 2006.
- Round the Church in 50 years: a personal journey, SCM Press, 2007.
- In tuneful accord: the church musicians, SCM Press, 2009.
- The church's folk songs: from Hymns Ancient & Modern to Common Prayer 1861-2011, Canterbury Press, 2011.
- The Church's other half: women's ministry, SCM Press, 2011.