George Lavington

George Lavington (18 January 1684 – 13 September 1762) was Bishop of Exeter from 1746 to 1762.

Born in Mildenhall, Wiltshire to Rev Joseph Lavington and his wife Elizabeth née Constable, he was educated at New College, Oxford (becoming a fellow in 1708) and later appointed Chaplain to King George I. He served as a prebendary at Worcester Cathedral. Later, he served as Weldland prebendary at St Paul's Cathedral, London. On 8 February 1746, he was consecrated Bishop of Exeter at Lambeth Palace, which post he held until death.

He was an ardent opponent of Methodism. On being appointed bishop of Exeter, which included Cornwall, one of his first acts was to close the pulpits of North Cornwall to Methodists. He also produced a stream of letters and pamphlets attacking Methodism and John Wesley. One of these pamphlets contained an accusation against Wesley concerning his conduct with women, and in particular that he had made indecent advances to the maid of a Mrs Morgan at Mitchell in Cornwall. When Wesley investigated he found that Mrs Morgan was merely a gossip, and that Lavington had never troubled to verify the truth of the statements. Lavington also attacked George Whitfield, although their relations were better and Lavington once came with his clergy to hear Whitfield preach.

A reconciliation took place between the Bishop and John Wesley when they had dinner together on 29 August 1762 after receiving the Sacrament together in Exeter Cathedral. The prelate died a fortnight later.

A portrait painting of Lavington from the early 1760s by Thomas Gainsborough survives.

An epitaph by Subdean Barton is on a tablet behind the sedilia in the south aisle of Exeter Cathedral, describing him as a pattern for Christian bishops. Provided by Wikipedia