Memorial service tributes to clergyman

More than 200 people were at the service in Ripon Cathedral to remember the life and ministry of Dean John Methuen.

He was embroiled in a wine and women controversy which plunged England’s oldest cathedral into turmoil before he quit in 2005.

It emerged yesterday that he had been battling a rare form of bowel cancer throughout the scandal, but only made his illness known to a handful of people.

The current Dean of Ripon, Keith Jukes, said: “When you have such a colourful character as John, some people might not always agree with what he said or did. He was a man not afraid to take risks, and sometimes this upset people.

“But he had a burning passion and vision which was reflected in the service. It has been a day when we can forget any past problems and concentrate on the good he did.”

Dean of York Keith Jones had known Dean Methuen for more than 20 years and yesterday gave the sermon. Afterwards, he paid tribute to a “vital and lively person” who he said was a “dear friend as well as a colleague”.

During the memorial service, one of Dean Methuen’s close friends, Judith Donovan, gave a tribute during which she revealed he had been battling cancer since 1995.

Dean Methuen had been due to face a diocesan consistory court on 21 charges of conduct unbecoming a clerk in holy orders and one of serious, persistent or continuous neglect of duty.

At least one of the counts alleged that the dean behaved “inappropriately” towards women, and others involved drink.

But a deal was done and the charges dropped after he agreed to leave his post by the end of 2005. He died aged 62 in London in June last year, leaving a widow, Bridget, and two daughters.