John Diggle


John William Diggle was an English Anglican bishop. He was Archdeacon of Westmorland from 1896 to 1901, Archdeacon of Birmingham from 1903 to 1904, and Bishop of Carlisle from 1905 to his death in 1920.

Early life and education

Diggle was the son of William Diggle, a warehouseman of Pendleton, Lancashire and his wife Nancy Ann née Chadderton. His younger brother, Joseph Diggle was to become chairman of the London School Board. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School. and Merton College, Oxford.

Ordained ministry

Diggle began his career with curacies at St Margaret, Whalley Range, All Saints’, Liverpool and St John’s, Walton. From 1875 until 1897 he was Vicar of Mossley Hill. He was in 1896 collated Archdeacon of Westmorland, serving until November 1901, and then in 1903 Archdeacon of Birmingham.
In 1905, Diggle was appointed Bishop of Carlisle, the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Carlisle. He held the post until his death on 24 March 1920.

Personal life

In 1874, Diggle married Cicely Jane Butterfield. In 1884, Diggle married Edith Moss. Diggle had five children: four sons and one daughter.
His son, Percy Robert Diggle, was a rugby union international, representing the Combined British on the 1910 RFU tour to Argentina, an early incarnation of the British and Irish Lions.