In 1861 Queen Victoria designated The Bahamas a Diocese of the Church of England, and the then Archdeacon of The Bahamas, the Venerable Dr. Charles Caulfeild (who spelled his name ‘ei’ rather than ‘ie’), was named the first Bishop of the new Diocese. Sadly, Dr. Caulfeild died of yellow fever within a few months of his arrival back in Nassau after his consecration as a Bishop in London. The then Governor described him as “a Prelate who, during his brief Episcopate, had endeared himself to the members not only of his own flock but of every Christian society in the city.”
