page_title: Trichy-Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India
section_title: † The Right Rev. Dr. Edgar Bentley Thorp (1947-1962)
hierarchical_section_title: Trichy-Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India / Bishops of the diocese and their tenure / † The Right Rev. Dr. Edgar Bentley Thorp (1947-1962)
caption_attribution_description: English: Mine
context_page_description: The CSI Tiruchirappalli Thanjavur Diocese is a diocese of Church of South India in Tamil Nadu state of India. The diocese is one among the 24 dioceses of Church of South India and was one of the first 14 dioceses to be formed at the inaugural of the Church of South India in 1947.
context_section_description: Wesleyan Methodist missionary Rt. Rev. Dr. Edgar Bentley Thorp, who was born in Bengaluru was the first Bishop of the diocese. He was consecrated as bishop in St. George's Cathedral, Chennai on 27 September 1947 when he was aged 42. He was the son of a former missionary and Chairman of Mysore District, Mr.William Hubert Thorp and was one among the two Methodists consecrated as bishops. A distinguished scholar and educationist educated at Kingswood School and with degrees from Oxford and Cambridge. He was a brilliant mathematician in the famous Oxford University, but he gave up the science for the Church. After a year studying Comparative Religion at Marburg, Edgar went to the Trichinopoly (Tiruchirappalli) District in 1930. He was Principal of the Bible School at Dharapuram, training village evangelists. He was the Chairman of the District from 1945 to 1947. He was guiding the diocese as bishop for 15 years and left India on 1962 on health grounds. His ministry among poverty-stricken village Christians in the Dharapuram mass movement area and on the tea plantations in Valparai area, was underpinned by his simple lifestyle; and as bishop, the impartiality of his leadership fostered unity between the Anglican minority and Methodist majority in the diocese. He died at Prestatyn on 1 September 1991. 
  Bishop Thorp Arts and Science College in Dharapuram is named in his remembrance. Also, the diocese have named lot of constructions in some of its institutions in his remembrance. For example, Thorp Block at Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School in 2001 Puthur, Tiruchirappalli, Bishop Thorp hostel for women at Bishop Heber College 2008 Tiruchirappalli and Bishop Thorp Memorial Church at Chinnaputhur Pastorate in Dharapuram, 2014 Ammapatti village.
caption: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edgar Bentley Thorp
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