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Chanctonbury Ring: An autobiography
222 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1982
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October 20, 2025
These days, the Anglican bishop Mervyn Stockwood is probably best remembered for a 1979 TV appearance in which he and his friend Michael Muggeridge engaged in a bad-tempered exchange with John Cleese and Michael Palin about The Life of Brian. A screenshot of a grim-faced Stockwood wagging his finger in the air currently serves to illustrate his Wikipedia entry, and Palin's biographer (reviewed here) has a bitter denunciation of "two tub-thumping hacks, manipulative and simplistic and populist".
Stockwood did not regard the incident as significant enough to include in his autobiography, although he does recall expressing the opinion that The Exorcist ought to have been censored, citing the supposed example of someone who claimed that he had been driven to commit murder by the horror film. Despite this censorious streak, though, the impression of an absurd reactionary is wildly misleading: Stockwood was a man of the left who served as a Labour councillor and at one time even published a critique in the Daily Worker of a position taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury. While respectful of evangelicalism and the Charismatic movement he was sceptical of Billy Graham-style "crusades" and disliked fanaticism. He was happy to remarry divorcees (in particular his schoolfriend Stephen Spender); he allowed Nye Bevan, as a conscientious non-believer, to give partial affirmations at Christening service where Bevan was to be a godfather; and on a visit to America he became the first Church of England bishop to assist in the ordination of a woman – Elizabeth Canham, who was ordained by John Spong.
Stockwood was the son of a solicitor who was killed in the First World War. His clerical career began at Moorfields in Bristol in the 1930s, and in 1943 he supported Jennie Lee's election campaign as the Independent Labour candidate in the Bristol Central by-election, hosting speakers who included "Michael Foot, Tom Wintringham, Victor Gollancz, Hannem Swaffer, Dick Acland and Tom Driberg". He explains, "thus began my personal association with politicians who were playing an active part in national life", and the book includes letters to Stockwood from Stafford Cripps (the MP for Bristol East) and Clement Attlee. However, he also had Conservative friends, in particular Walter Monckton, through whom he became friends "with other members of the Churchill government".
His next position was as vicar of Great St Mary's, Cambridge, where he built a student following and befriended, but also clashed with, Sir Henry Willink, the Master of Magdalene, and enjoyed social links with Monsignor Alfred Gilbey, the Roman Catholic chaplain to the university. In a typical reminiscence, Stockwood writes that "I received an invitation from every college to dine, and many came to informal parties at the vicarage". Among his parishioners was F. A. Simpson, "an eccentric historian… who, apart from writing two distinguished books on Napoleon III, was given to idleness and gardening", and who was happy to share his sceptical religious views over a glass of sherry ("good Spanish, the South African being kept [by Simpson] for the young men from 'grammar schools and humble backgrounds'").
From here, Stockwood became Bishop of Southwark in south London. Although he was something of a bon vivant, he also worked hard and expected the same from his parish clergy – "idleness" was the vice he most despised. However, he found dealing with disciplinary matters hard: in the case of the sexual misconduct of Bryn Thomas, the 62-year-old vicar of Balham Hall – Stockwood refers to a complaint by "a woman", but not to the sexual assaults on young teenage girls that were also part of the case against him – he writes that "I cried myself to sleep most nights" due to Thomas's perjury during the ecclesiastical trial. The media enjoyed the sensational spectacle of a formal unfrocking ceremony in Southwark Cathedral, an event which Stockwood found extremely distasteful ("abhorrent"). Stockwood later heard that Thomas apparently died an atheist. More edifying was Stockwood's establishment of the Southwark Ordination Course, a night-school for working men to train as priests.
There was also theological controversy, giving rise to the expression "South Bank religion". Famously, in 1963 Stockwood’s suffragan Bishop of Woolwich, John Robinson (who had previously served as a curate under Stockwood in Bristol), published a popular book of radical theology called Honest to God. Stockwood was supportive, and a whole chapter of his autobiography is dedicated to the affair. However, his memory appears to be selective when he writes that Robinson "had attracted little attention in the national press" prior to the "explosion". In fact, Robinson was already controversial due to his having given evidence for the defence during the Lady Chatterley trial – indeed, an amusing newspaper cartoon of the time shows Archbishop Michael Ramsey reading a copy of Robinson's book hidden inside a copy of Lady Chatterley. Perhaps Stockwood bracketed D.H. Lawrence with Monty Python and Peter Blatty as a corrupting influence, and so decided to pass over the matter in silence.
Although adverse to committees and bureaucracy (he rarely attended the General Synod), Stockwood joined the House of Lords as a bishop, where he supported the decriminalisation of homosexuality and spoke in favour of Britain’s entry into the Common Market. Somewhat alarmingly, he confides that some of his speeches on the latter subject were drafted by Oswald Mosley. Despite having opposed fascism in the 1930s, it appears that like so many others a few decades later he was charmed by the Mosleys at a personal level and became indulgent. There’s even apologism, when he suggests that Mosley had taken his position in the 1930s because he "despaired of [Ramsay] MacDonald".
The title of the book, Chanctonbury Ring, refers to a prehistoric hill fort on the South Downs, which Stockwood would visit when he wished to meditate on some problem or serious decision. His churchmanship was Anglo-Catholic, although he writes with appreciation of childhood Unitarian links and in Bristol he built links with the Free Churches. He freely admits to some "agnosticism" regarding elements of the Creeds, although he disliked Freemasonry for treating "the doctrine of the of divinity of Christ" as "peripheral" (he also notes that Bryn Thomas was a Mason). One chapter addresses his interest in the paranormal and mediumship – he doesn’t mention anyone by name, but he famously associated with medium Ena Twigg, writing an introduction to her memoir and putting her in touch with James Pike (also not mentioned in the book, despite their affinity, although noted in Pike's own paranormal memoir, reviewed here). Here, Stockwood comes across as credulous, lamely explaining that the dead don't seem to have any new information because that is the nature of reunions, which focus on the past. His attempts to link his explorations with spiritual matters, for instance referring how Jesus "released his psychic energy" on people who came to him, comes across as dated and surprisingly clumsy.
Stockwood also struggled with depression, which he discusses candidly. However, he doesn’t explain anywhere why he never married, and one has to wonder about the impact of his self-enforced celibacy as a closeted gay man. Towards the end of the book he expresses disillusionment with the Church of England as an institution.
Stockwood did not regard the incident as significant enough to include in his autobiography, although he does recall expressing the opinion that The Exorcist ought to have been censored, citing the supposed example of someone who claimed that he had been driven to commit murder by the horror film. Despite this censorious streak, though, the impression of an absurd reactionary is wildly misleading: Stockwood was a man of the left who served as a Labour councillor and at one time even published a critique in the Daily Worker of a position taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury. While respectful of evangelicalism and the Charismatic movement he was sceptical of Billy Graham-style "crusades" and disliked fanaticism. He was happy to remarry divorcees (in particular his schoolfriend Stephen Spender); he allowed Nye Bevan, as a conscientious non-believer, to give partial affirmations at Christening service where Bevan was to be a godfather; and on a visit to America he became the first Church of England bishop to assist in the ordination of a woman – Elizabeth Canham, who was ordained by John Spong.
Stockwood was the son of a solicitor who was killed in the First World War. His clerical career began at Moorfields in Bristol in the 1930s, and in 1943 he supported Jennie Lee's election campaign as the Independent Labour candidate in the Bristol Central by-election, hosting speakers who included "Michael Foot, Tom Wintringham, Victor Gollancz, Hannem Swaffer, Dick Acland and Tom Driberg". He explains, "thus began my personal association with politicians who were playing an active part in national life", and the book includes letters to Stockwood from Stafford Cripps (the MP for Bristol East) and Clement Attlee. However, he also had Conservative friends, in particular Walter Monckton, through whom he became friends "with other members of the Churchill government".
His next position was as vicar of Great St Mary's, Cambridge, where he built a student following and befriended, but also clashed with, Sir Henry Willink, the Master of Magdalene, and enjoyed social links with Monsignor Alfred Gilbey, the Roman Catholic chaplain to the university. In a typical reminiscence, Stockwood writes that "I received an invitation from every college to dine, and many came to informal parties at the vicarage". Among his parishioners was F. A. Simpson, "an eccentric historian… who, apart from writing two distinguished books on Napoleon III, was given to idleness and gardening", and who was happy to share his sceptical religious views over a glass of sherry ("good Spanish, the South African being kept [by Simpson] for the young men from 'grammar schools and humble backgrounds'").
From here, Stockwood became Bishop of Southwark in south London. Although he was something of a bon vivant, he also worked hard and expected the same from his parish clergy – "idleness" was the vice he most despised. However, he found dealing with disciplinary matters hard: in the case of the sexual misconduct of Bryn Thomas, the 62-year-old vicar of Balham Hall – Stockwood refers to a complaint by "a woman", but not to the sexual assaults on young teenage girls that were also part of the case against him – he writes that "I cried myself to sleep most nights" due to Thomas's perjury during the ecclesiastical trial. The media enjoyed the sensational spectacle of a formal unfrocking ceremony in Southwark Cathedral, an event which Stockwood found extremely distasteful ("abhorrent"). Stockwood later heard that Thomas apparently died an atheist. More edifying was Stockwood's establishment of the Southwark Ordination Course, a night-school for working men to train as priests.
There was also theological controversy, giving rise to the expression "South Bank religion". Famously, in 1963 Stockwood’s suffragan Bishop of Woolwich, John Robinson (who had previously served as a curate under Stockwood in Bristol), published a popular book of radical theology called Honest to God. Stockwood was supportive, and a whole chapter of his autobiography is dedicated to the affair. However, his memory appears to be selective when he writes that Robinson "had attracted little attention in the national press" prior to the "explosion". In fact, Robinson was already controversial due to his having given evidence for the defence during the Lady Chatterley trial – indeed, an amusing newspaper cartoon of the time shows Archbishop Michael Ramsey reading a copy of Robinson's book hidden inside a copy of Lady Chatterley. Perhaps Stockwood bracketed D.H. Lawrence with Monty Python and Peter Blatty as a corrupting influence, and so decided to pass over the matter in silence.
Although adverse to committees and bureaucracy (he rarely attended the General Synod), Stockwood joined the House of Lords as a bishop, where he supported the decriminalisation of homosexuality and spoke in favour of Britain’s entry into the Common Market. Somewhat alarmingly, he confides that some of his speeches on the latter subject were drafted by Oswald Mosley. Despite having opposed fascism in the 1930s, it appears that like so many others a few decades later he was charmed by the Mosleys at a personal level and became indulgent. There’s even apologism, when he suggests that Mosley had taken his position in the 1930s because he "despaired of [Ramsay] MacDonald".
The title of the book, Chanctonbury Ring, refers to a prehistoric hill fort on the South Downs, which Stockwood would visit when he wished to meditate on some problem or serious decision. His churchmanship was Anglo-Catholic, although he writes with appreciation of childhood Unitarian links and in Bristol he built links with the Free Churches. He freely admits to some "agnosticism" regarding elements of the Creeds, although he disliked Freemasonry for treating "the doctrine of the of divinity of Christ" as "peripheral" (he also notes that Bryn Thomas was a Mason). One chapter addresses his interest in the paranormal and mediumship – he doesn’t mention anyone by name, but he famously associated with medium Ena Twigg, writing an introduction to her memoir and putting her in touch with James Pike (also not mentioned in the book, despite their affinity, although noted in Pike's own paranormal memoir, reviewed here). Here, Stockwood comes across as credulous, lamely explaining that the dead don't seem to have any new information because that is the nature of reunions, which focus on the past. His attempts to link his explorations with spiritual matters, for instance referring how Jesus "released his psychic energy" on people who came to him, comes across as dated and surprisingly clumsy.
Stockwood also struggled with depression, which he discusses candidly. However, he doesn’t explain anywhere why he never married, and one has to wonder about the impact of his self-enforced celibacy as a closeted gay man. Towards the end of the book he expresses disillusionment with the Church of England as an institution.
May 17, 2026
4/5
Chanctonbury Ring, Sussex. My copy features a photo of Stockwood looking out to this ring of trees, a metaphor which encircles the many anecdotes and narratives of the book. I really enjoyed reading this, of course for the amusing stories of Clement Attlee’s family baptism, gossiping to cats and diocese drama; but also for the more profound insights into a life dedicated to the service of the wounded, the afflicted, the neighbour.
Stockwood comes across as a kind man punctuated by a flamboyant tendency. Read all about his many pilgrimages to Communist states, delicate but not lacking nuance or critique. Champagne socialism in action. His prose is simple but beautiful, and poetry, hymns and the like are scattered throughout.
Come for the socialism - stay for the spirituality. Stockwood was a man with a mission from God. His insights range from meditation to mediums. Always motivated by something deeper, something within - the ‘golden thread’.
Chanctonbury Ring, Sussex. My copy features a photo of Stockwood looking out to this ring of trees, a metaphor which encircles the many anecdotes and narratives of the book. I really enjoyed reading this, of course for the amusing stories of Clement Attlee’s family baptism, gossiping to cats and diocese drama; but also for the more profound insights into a life dedicated to the service of the wounded, the afflicted, the neighbour.
Stockwood comes across as a kind man punctuated by a flamboyant tendency. Read all about his many pilgrimages to Communist states, delicate but not lacking nuance or critique. Champagne socialism in action. His prose is simple but beautiful, and poetry, hymns and the like are scattered throughout.
Come for the socialism - stay for the spirituality. Stockwood was a man with a mission from God. His insights range from meditation to mediums. Always motivated by something deeper, something within - the ‘golden thread’.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews