Cosmo Lang

Cosmo Gordon Lang, Baron Lang of Lambeth (1864-1945) was Archbishop of York (1908-1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928-1942).

Related Topics:
1864 - 1945 - Archbishop of York - 1908 - 1928 - Archbishop of Canterbury - 1942

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Lang (like his predecessor as Archbishop, Randall Davidson)

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was a Scot and originally a Presbyterian. He was educated at Glasgow University

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and at Oxford, and studied law, envisaging a career as a barrister and

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probably later as a progressive Conservative politician. However, he became convinced that

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he was called to be a priest, and with great reluctance abandoned his

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previous plans.

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Lang's beliefs were Anglo-Catholic but liberal; seeing the Lux Mundi essays

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as his early ideal. During his career he gently encouraged the Catholic trend

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in the Church of England, succeeding in "normalizing" it. He was the first

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Archbishop since the Reformation to actually wear a mitre, previously seen as

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too Catholic a symbol (although bishops had used them as emblems).

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In his early career he was a "slum priest", living in conditions of great

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discomfort in a condemned building and mixing with what would now be called

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the "underclass". In 1901 he became Suffragan Bishop of Stepney in London.

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In 1908 he was appointed Archbishop of York, a stunning promotion which

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recognized his status as a rising star.

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As Archbishop of York, however, Lang began to behave, at least in public,

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more as a "prince of the Church". It was unkindly said of him that "he could

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have been St Francis of Assisi or Cardinal Wolsey, and he chose to be

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Cardinal Wolsey". Nevertheless those who knew him personally were

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impressed more by his kindness and shrewd judgment.

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In the First World War, Lang criticized some of the excesses of

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anti-German propaganda, and as a result became a target of public

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abuse; a shock which seems to have had a deep impact. Contrary to

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his public appearance, Lang was a man who lacked inner confidence.

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In 1928, when Randall Davidson retired,

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Lang was made Archbishop of Canterbury. Davidson's retirement followed,

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but was not in fact connected with, Parliament's rejection of the

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proposed new Prayer Book. Lang was faced

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with calls either to reopen the question or to challenge parliament, but

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in fact he took what proved the wiser course of simply letting the

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new book come into unofficial use.

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Lang had probably gone to Canterbury too late. He was still a superb

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speaker and preacher, but the energy that had made him such a star

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at the turn of the century had departed. His image was now as "proud,

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pompous and prelatical". Soon after appointment, he was seriously

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ill, further reducing his energy and impact.

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However, he was active in both Church and public affairs in

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the 1930s. In 1930 he presided over the Lambeth Conference.

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The 1930 conference is especially remembered for its declaration

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on contraception. Previously, the Anglican Church had taken

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essentially the same line as Roman Catholicism, opposing

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any artificial contraception, and this had been endorsed

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at the previous (1920) Lambeth Conference. However in 1930 the

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Conference agreed by majority that contraception could in

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certain circumstances be justified. Lang did not seem to have

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strong views on the subject, and was apparently mainly concerned

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with achieving an agreed outcome.

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In 1936 he treated A.P. Herbert's Divorce Law

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Reform Bill with neutrality, taking the view that although the

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Church disapproved of easier divorce he accepted that the bill

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was desirable for the state.

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Lang was relatively close to both Stanley Baldwin and

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(somewhat more surprisingly) Neville Chamberlain, and

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was broadly a supporter of their appeasement policies.

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In 1936 Edward VIII

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abdicated in order to marry a divorced woman. It was widely

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assumed that Lang had played a leading role in forcing

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the King out, but in fact he was not closely involved,

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although both the King and the Prime Minister knew

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his views. After the Abdication Lang made a very unwise

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radio broadcast on the subject which was seen as

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"kicking when he is down"; this probably

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helped to cement the public belief that he was the

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key figure, which has since passed into popular historical

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memory.

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However, his historical reputation has been considerably

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improved by recent research which has shown his active

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concern about the Nazis' racial policies. Lang supported

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moves to assist refugees and backed

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George Bell, who supported

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anti-Nazi clergy in Germany, against Bishop Headlam,

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who wanted to emphasize good relations with Germany.

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In 1943 Lang wrote "The Mongolian Master and his Disciple-in Quest of the Little World of White by Frater Om-soc" - the author "Om-soc" being "Cosmo" spelled backwards. The 8 page one-act play was privately printed and is considered to be a spoof on occultism in general and the poet/ magician Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) in particular. Apparently Lang knew both Crowley and the author Arthur Calder-Marshall (1908- ) in whose autobiography "The Magic of My Youth" Lang was mentioned.

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Lang retired in 1942, partly in order to make

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way for William Temple

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Temple was a strong Christian Socialist, and opinion both

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in the Church and the general public foresaw great

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changes in the post-war period. It seemed

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Temple's hour had come. However, Temple died in 1944.

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Lang died in 1945. He died suddenly, while on his way

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to a meeting of the Trustees of the British Museum;

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his last words are said to have been "I must get to the

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station", as he lay dying on the pavement near Kew Gardens

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station. He is buried in Canterbury Cathedral.

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Lang has generally been seen as a man of great gifts who

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failed to live up to his early promise. Lang himself

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seems to have agreed with this: in contrast to his

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public air of pride and conceit he was privately filled

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with self-recrimination and a sense of failure.

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He never married.

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Sources:

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John G. Lockhart, Cosmo Gordon Lang (London:

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Hodder & Stoughton, 1949).

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Preceded by:

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Randall Thomas Davidson

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Archbishop of Canterbury

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Followed by:

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William Temple

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