BARKER, Frederic (1808-1882)

second Anglican bishop of Sydney

son of the Rev. John Barker, was born at Baslow, Derbyshire, England, on 17 March 1808. He was educated at Grantham school and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. He was ordained in 1832, and placed in charge of the perpetual curacy of Upton, Cheshire. Subsequently he was at St Mary's, Edgehill, an important church at Liverpool, for 19 years. In April 1854 he became vicar of Baslow, but soon afterwards was appointed bishop of Sydney and was consecrated on 30 November 1854. He arrived at Sydney on 25 May 1855, and was installed on 31 May at the temporary cathedral. Two of his early tasks were the completion of the arrangements for the building of Moore College for theological students, and the quickening of interest in the completion of the cathedral. He next began a series of visitations in his diocese, then covering an immense area. He quickly realized it must be subdivided, and two new dioceses were established—Goulburn in 1863, and Bathurst in 1869. As metropolitan of Australia he was also concerned in the establishment of dioceses at Perth (1856), Brisbane (1859), Grafton and Armidale (1866), Ballarat (1875), and North Queensland (1878).

He visited England in 1863, succeeded in raising a considerable sum for the prosecution of the work of his church, and gave many addresses on Australia in different parts of England. The first synod of the diocese of Sydney met in December 1866, and dealt with many problems such as the relations of the Church in Australia with the Church in England, and the framing of a constitution for the cathedral. In 1868 the re-opening of The King's School, Parramatta, was successfully arranged with the Rev. G. F. Macarthur as headmaster. In October 1872 the formation of the general synod of the dioceses of Australia including Tasmania was accomplished. Barker visited England again in 1871 and 1877 and was able to bring the needs of the new dioceses before the Society for Propagating the Gospel and other societies. In 1878 steps were taken to provide more adequate religious instruction to children attending state primary schools, and early in 1880 a "church buildings loan fund" for the diocese of Sydney was established. In December of that year Barker had a stroke of paralysis, and in March 1881 he went on a voyage to Europe hoping that the rest would benefit his health. There was an improvement for some months, but in March 1882 he had a second attack and died at San Remo on 6 April 1882. He married (1) in 1840, Jane Sophia, daughter of John Harden and (2) in 1878, Mary Jane, daughter of Edward Woods. He had no children.

Barker was six feet five in height, dignified and scholarly in appearance. He was strongly evangelical and his teaching was based simply on the Bible. He had much quiet tenacity of purpose, and during his episcopacy of 27 years the number of churches and the number of clergy more than doubled. He published in 1851 Thirty-six Psalms with Commentary and Prayer, and in 1859 A Charge Delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Sydney. He was also one of the contributors to The Supposed Sacrament of Penance. A Course of Sermons (1838); and On the Rise of the Errors of the Church of Rome, A Course of Sermons (1840).

W. A. Cowper, Episcopate of the Right Reverend Frederic Barker, D.D.; Two Sermons Preached at Baslow; P. Mennell, The Dictionary of Australasian Biography; J. H. Heaton, Australian Dictionary of Dates; British Museum Catalogue.