Tributes to 'kind' former bishop

Dec 31 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

TRIBUTES were last night paid to a former North bishop who died at the age of 76 following a long illness.

Bishop Ian Harland passed away on Saturday morning at a hospice in Yorkshire, surrounded by his family.

Mr Harland retired in May 2000 after more than a decade leading the Diocese of Carlisle.

He was ordained in 1960 and began his ministry in Leicestershire. Before his arrival in Cumbria he was suffragan Bishop of Lancaster.

Last night the Right Reverend Graham Dow, who succeeded Mr Harland as the Bishop of Carlisle, led the tributes, describing him as a “kind, supportive and pastoral” man.

He said: “He was an encouragement to me. Even before I took the post in Carlisle he offered me advice and a lot of support.

“He will be well missed as a kind, gentle and sympathetic man. He had a lot of time for me and for everyone.”

Mr Harland was a great lover of the countryside and kept sheep with the help of a Dalston farmer on part of Rose Castle’s property, in Carlisle. He also stood up to speak in the House of Lords in favour of fox hunting.

At a time when women priests were a hot topic, Mr Harland chose a female deacon.

Last night David Weston paid tribute to Mr Harland. He had moved with Mr Harland from Lancaster to Carlisle, working as his chaplain and their families lived together at Rose Castle, near Dalston.

Mr Weston said: “His great advantage in many ways was he was so well liked and had a very warm and winning personality.

“Wherever he went he exuded warmth, and had a gift for speaking with great simplicity, and with words that people found helpful, and many people would write back to tell him how much they appreciated his words.

“He talked to people in a way that was both understandable and profound.”

Mr Weston said the former Bishop of Carlisle was a meticulous man, who liked to be out in the community.

He said: “He was a bishop who did not like to be behind his desk, and I did a lot of the paperwork. He was very much a people person.”

Following retirement, Mr Harland and his wife Sue moved from Rose Castle to live in a two-bedroomed cottage at Gargrave, near Skipton in North Yorshire.

Mr Harland had three daughters and a son, two of whom stayed in Carlisle after their father left.

He was succeeded by the current Bishop of Carlisle, Graham Dow, who is himself due to retire next year.

The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James, also paid tribute. He said: “He was a gracious man who was very supportive and greatly valued and loved for his gentle wisdom.

“He was very supportive to me as a bishop and I greatly valued his gentle wisdom.

“As we give thanks to God for Ian and his love for us we also remember his family in our prayers.”

The reception of the body will take place at St Andrew's, Gargrave, near Skipton in North Yorkshire, at 7pm tomorrow, Thursday, January 1. A private cremation will be held on Friday January 2, followed by a thanksgiving Eucharist at St Andrew's Gargrave at 1pm.

A memorial service will be held in Carlisle Cathedral at a later date.