Edward King called to account for ritualistic practices

Background. Edward King served as Bishop of Lincoln from 1885 to 1910. Prior to his episcopate, he was principal of Cuddesdon College and Regius Professor of Pastoral Theology at Oxford. His tenure was marked by controversy over ritualistic practices in Anglican worship, leading to formal complaints against his liturgical methods.

Procedural Context. The complaint was brought by a churchwarden from Cleethorpes, funded by the Church Association, concerning a service at St Peter at Gowts in Lincoln. To prevent prosecution in a lay court under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874, Archbishop Benson revived his archiepiscopal court, which had been inactive since 1699.

Judgment and Aftermath. Archbishop Benson's Lincoln Judgment found against King on two counts, ruling that the sign of the cross at absolution and blessing were impermissible, while other practices were allowed. The Church Association appealed to the Privy Council but was denied in 1890. King subsequently conformed his practices to the judgment.