John Gaisford, British Anglican bishop and Bishop of Beverley from 1994 to 2000, died on January 4, 2026, aged 91.
Born on 7 October 1934, he was the second Bishop of Beverley and the first appointed as a provincial episcopal visitor, or “flying bishop,” for the Province of York when the Church of England began ordaining women as priests. He was educated at Durham University and was ordained a deacon in 1960 and a priest in 1961, beginning his ministry with a curacy at St Hilda’s, Audenshaw.
John Scott Gaisford (7 October 1934 – 4 January 2026) was a British Anglican bishop and was the second Bishop of Beverley. The first, Robert Crosthwaite had been a standard suffragan bishop within the Diocese of York from 1889 to 1923 ; Gaisford was the first appointed to be a provincial episcopal visitor (“flying bishop”) for the Province of York when the Church of England began ordaining women as priests.