John Egerton (bishop)

The Right Reverend John Egerton
Bishop of Durham
Diocese	Diocese of Durham
In office	1771–1787 (death)
Predecessor	Richard Trevor
Successor	Thomas Thurlow
Other posts	Dean of Hereford (24 July 1750–1756) Bishop of Bangor (1756–1768) Bishop of Lichfield (12 October 1768 {translated}–1771)
Personal details
Born	(1721-11-30)30 November 1721 St James's, Middlesex, Great Britain
Died	18 June 1787(1787-06-18) (aged 65) Mayfair, Middlesex, Great Britain
Buried	St James's Church, Piccadilly
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Residence	Grosvenor Square, Mayfair (at death)
Parents	the Hon Henry Egerton (Bishop of Hereford) & Lady Elizabeth Bentinck
Spouse	1. Lady Anne Grey (21 November 1748 {married}–1780 {her death}) 2. Mary Boughton (31 March 1782 {married}–1787 {his death})
Children	Amelia Lady Hume John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater Francis Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater
Profession	Church of England
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Oriel College, Oxford

John Egerton (30 November 1721 –18 June 1787) was a Church of England bishop from the Egerton family. He was consecrated Bishop of Bangor in 1756 (Welsh dioceses were part of the Church of England until 1920) and translated to Lichfield in 1768. He was translated again in 1771 to become Bishop of Durham, which see he held until his death in 1787.

In 1766 Egerton caused controversy by appointing a monoglot English priest, Dr Thomas Bowles, to the parish of St Beuno, Trefdraeth and its chapelry of St Cwyfan, Llangwyfan. All but five of the parishioners spoke only Welsh, so the parishioners and churchwardens of Trefdraeth petitioned against Bowles' appointment, with the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion supporting and helping to fund their case. The Court of Arches heard evidence in the case in May 1770 but did not hear the prosecution and defence arguments until January 1773.

The prosecution argued that Bowles' inability to minister in Welsh contravened Article XXV of the Articles of Religion, the Act for the Translation of the Scriptures into Welsh 1563 and the Act of Uniformity 1662. The defence argued that the prosecution would have to prove that Bowles was totally incapable of speaking any Welsh at all, and even if they did so Bowles had lawfully been granted the ecclesiastical freehold and therefore could not be deprived of it.

The case was judged by Dean of Arches, George Hay. He agreed with the prosecution that only clergy who could speak Welsh should be appointed to Welsh-speaking parishes. However, he agreed with the defence that the case to deprive Bowles of the living had not been proved. He therefore allowed Bowles remain in post, which he did until he died in November of that year. Bowles was then replaced in the parish and chapelry with Richard Griffith, a priest who spoke Welsh.