Gray was born in
Bishopwearmouth, north east England, the 12th child and son of
Robert Gray,
Bishop of Bristol, who made him deacon in
Wells Cathedral on 11 January 1834. His first parish was at
Whitworth. In 1845 he became the vicar of
Stockton-on-Tees. As a priest he was interested in mission, and was local secretary for the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In 1847, he was consecrated
Bishop of Cape Town in
Westminster Abbey, along with three bishops for Australia, and arrived in his diocese, the boundaries of which were undefined, in February the following year. Soon after arriving he set out on a journey to explore his diocese, accompanied by James Green, who was to be rector of
Pietermaritzburg in the
Colony of Natal. On reaching Grahamstown he ordained William Long, with whom he was to come into conflict later. In 1849, he visited
St Helena, and in 1850 set out on another tour of the mainland, reaching as far as
Pietermaritzburg. This journey convinced him that the division of the diocese was necessary. He returned to England to arrange for this, and in 1853 he resigned his diocese and received fresh
letters patent for a smaller
Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, while two new bishops were consecrated:
John William Colenso as Bishop of
Natal and
John Armstrong as Bishop of
Grahamstown. Robert Gray was married on 6 September 1836 to
Sophy Myddleton, the daughter of county squire Richard Wharton Myddleton of
Durham and
Yorkshire, and founded
St George's Grammar School, in 1848 in the shadow of the St. George's Cathedral and
Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is commonly known, in
Rondebosch, Cape Town, in 1849. A notable part of his life concerned his feud with Colenso about Colenso's alleged heretical opinions. Gray and his wife looked after the children of
Sandile kaNgqika, including his daughter
Emma, aiming to provide influence over the
Gaika people. Robert Gray's son, the Rev. Charles Norris Gray, M.A., edited the book 'Life of Robert Gray' (
Rivingtons, 1876). == Notes ==