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George Snow (bishop)

George D'Oyly Snow (1903–1977) was a British schoolmaster and Anglican clergyman, who later served for a decade as the fifth Bishop of Whitby.[1]

Education and career[edit]

Snow was educated at Winchester College and Oriel College, Oxford.[2]


Snow became an assistant master at Eton College (towards the end of which time he was ordained).[3] After Eton he became Chaplain of Charterhouse, and then Headmaster of Ardingly College (1947–1961). He was appointed Prebendary of Chichester Cathedral in 1959.[4] In 1961, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed Bishop of Whitby, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of York.[4]


Snow was a prolific author: amongst others he wrote A Guide to Prayer (1932), A School Service Book (1936), Into His Presence (1946), The Public School in the New Age (1959), and Forth in His Name (1964).[4] He continued in retirement to chair The National Society.

Personal life[edit]

He was the son of First World War General Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow. In 1942 he married Joan Way, a pianist who had studied at the Royal College of Music and they had three sons including the Channel 4 newscaster Jon Snow.[5] George Snow was the uncle of television presenter Peter Snow, father of television presenter Dan Snow.


A tall man,[6] Snow was estimated by his son Jon to have stood at 6 foot 7 inches.[5]