Peter Hancock

Early life and education

Hancock was born on 26 July 1955 on the Isle of Wight. His family moved to Fareham, Hampshire, when he was 11. He undertook an undergraduate degree at Selwyn College, Cambridge before training for ordained ministry at Oak Hill Theological College.

Ordained ministry

Hancock was ordained in the Church of England: made a deacon at Michaelmas 1980 (28 September) and ordained a priest the Michaelmas following (27 September 1981), both times by Ronald Gordon, Bishop of Portsmouth, at Portsmouth Cathedral. He was a curate at Christchurch, Portsdown between 1980 and 1983, and at Saint Aldhelm, Radipole until 1987. From 1987 to 1999 he was Vicar of St Wilfrid's Cowplain before becoming Archdeacon of The Meon — a post he held until his ordination to the episcopate.

Episcopal ministry

Hancock was consecrated as a bishop at St Paul's Cathedral on 21 September 2010, and welcomed as Bishop of Basingstoke at Winchester Cathedral on 2 October 2010.

On 10 December 2013, it was announced that Hancock would become Bishop of Bath and Wells in 2014. Initially it was announced that, unlike his predecessors, he would not live in the Bishop's Palace. However that decision was later reversed. His election as Bishop of Bath and Wells was confirmed on 4 March 2014 and he was installed at Wells Cathedral on 7 June 2014.

Personal life

Hancock has been married since 1979 and he and his wife have four adult children.

Views

In his first interview after being installed as the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Hancock spoke against same-sex marriage. In an article in the Bath Chronicle, he said "We will therefore need to think, pray and consider very deeply what it might mean to share the gospel across the diocese, what it might mean to foster spiritual and numerical growth in Church and community, and how we can so order our life as a diocese to enable the Church to grow and flourish in new ways."

Styles