New Preacher of Charterhouse welcomed

New chapter in the life of Charterhouse begins with licensing of first full time stipendiary priest in 70 years

28/04/10

The Bishop of London formally licensed the Revd Canon Hugh Williams as the 31st Preacher and Deputy Master of historic Charterhouse, in a Choral Evensong service on St Mark's Day.

The appointment of Canon Williams marks a new chapter in the history of Charterhouse. He will be the first full time stipendiary priest since 1941, living within the walls of Charterhouse and providing full time pastoral care to the forty-five 'Brothers' who make up the community, together with the staff, tenants and those who attend services in the Chapel.

Canon Williams will take responsibility for the running of the chapel, where morning and evening prayer are said daily and the Eucharist is celebrated. He will play a key role in next year's celebrations to mark 400 years since Thomas Sutton founded Charterhouse school and almshouse.

Canon Williams said:

"I am greatly looking forward to coming home to my Ministerial roots in London after sixteen wonderful years at Christchurch Priory in Dorset.

"Becoming a part of this vibrant community represents a new beginning - both for me and for the life of Charterhouse. I am greatly excited at the prospect of living among the Brothers and getting to know each of them individually."

Master of Charterhouse, Dr James Thomson said:

"The licensing of Canon Williams marks a new chapter in the spiritual life of Charterhouse. This certainly maintains the tradition that Thomas Sutton established here almost 400 years ago. I hope that it will enable the ecumenical work that has begun with the Roman Catholic Church (remembering the Carthusian Martyrs) and the Methodist Church (John Wesley was a scholar here between 1714 and 1720) to continue."

About Canon Hugh Williams

Canon Williams was educated at Christ's Hospital, Horsham and King's College London. He was ordained Deacon at St Paul's cathedral in 1974 and served for four years as assistant curate at St Leonard Heston in the Kensington area of the Diocese of London. He was appointed Chaplain to the City University where he also had responsibilities at St Mark, Myddelton Square and St Mark's Hospital.

In 1984 he moved to North Cornwall to become Vicar of Newquay in the Diocese of Truro and from 1993 he has been Vicar of Christchurch in the Diocese of Winchester where he presided over a growing congregation at Christchurch Priory and became a well known figure in the Dorset community. He was appointed an Honorary Canon of Winchester in 2004 and is now Emeritus Canon.

History of Charterhouse

Charterhouse was originally established by Thomas Sutton, said to be the wealthiest commoner in England, in 1611 in order to educate boys and care for elderly men, known as 'Brothers'. The site was founded in 1349 as a burial ground for victims of the black death and between 1371 and 1538 occupied by the London Charterhouse. A Carthusian Priory was established on the site housing 24 monks, many of whom were executed between 1535 and for refusing to conform to Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy.

Today, Charterhouse retains its almshouse function with a community of 45 Brothers - drawn from a wide variety of professions, including teachers, clergymen, writers and editors, musicians and artists - who live in the community full time.

The school moved to Godalming, Surrey in 1872. The eastern side of the original site is now owned by The Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Trust and occupied by the Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry of Queen Mary, University of London.