William Aubrey Aitken (known as Aubrey;^[1] 2 August 1911 – 1 June 1985)^[2] was the second Bishop of Lynn from 1973 until 1985.^[3]

Born into a family of Norfolk priests (his father, Robert, was Vicar of Great Yarmouth, whose own father,^[4] Hay, was a Canon of Norwich)^[5] and educated at Norwich Grammar School and Trinity College, Oxford (he gained the degree of Oxford Master of Arts {MA Oxon}). He was ordained a deacon on 23 December 1934^[6] and a priest on 22 December 1935, both times by Harold Bilbrough, Bishop of Newcastle, in Newcastle Cathedral.^[7] and in 1937, he married Margaret Cunningham; they had three sons and two daughters.^[2]

After curacies at Tynemouth (1934–1937) and Kingston, Jamaica (1937–1940), he was successively the Vicar at Kessingland (1940–1943), Vicar of Sprowston^[8] and Rector of Beeston, Norfolk (1943–1953)^[9] and St Margaret's King's Lynn^[10] (1953–1961) before becoming Archdeacon of Norwich in 1961, a position he held until his appointment to the episcopate. He served as a Proctor in Convocation (1944–1974); from 1958, he was an honorary canon of Norwich Cathedral; and with his suffragan See he also held the Archdeaconry of Lynn (until 1980).^[2] He was ordained and consecrated a bishop on 2 February 1973, by Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral.^[11] A keen yachtsman,^[12] his residence at his death was the Bishop's House, Ranworth, and he died in post at the age of 73.^[13]

References