Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Harold Davidson

Harold Davidson
This nomination predates the introduction in April 2014 of article-specific subpages for nominations and has been created from the edit history of Today's featured article/requests. 
 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/July 28, 2013 by BencherliteTalk 12:46, 11 July 2013‎ (UTC)



Harold Davidson (1875–1937), rector of the Norfolk parish of Stiffkey (church pictured), was a Church of England priest who was convicted in 1932 on charges of immorality and defrocked by the Church. Ordained in 1903, he worked among London's poor and homeless. Styling himself the "Prostitute's Padre", his declared mission was to rescue young girls he considered in danger of falling into prostitution. In this role he approached and befriended hundreds of women, and although there was little evidence of improper behaviour, he was often found in compromising situations and his neglect of his parish and family caused difficulties. A formal complaint led to church disciplinary proceedings, in which his defence was damaged beyond repair by a photograph of him with a near-naked teenage girl. Davidson then pursued a career as a showman to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign, performing novelty acts such as exhibiting himself in a barrel on the Blackpool seafront. He died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was appearing. Later commentators have accepted that however inappropriate his behaviour, his motives were genuine and he did not deserve the humiliations he endured.

Date is anniversary of his fatal mauling by a lion; 1 point for that. Another for no clergy articles in past 3 months, so 2 altogether (personally I'd give another point for the barrel, and another in the "unusual deaths" category, were that to exist). Brianboulton (talk) 13:15, 8 July 2013 (UTC)


 * We have an Indonesian Catholic bishop on 22nd July, but I'm not particularly worried about running two rather different (to put it mildly) clerics in the same week... Blurb rejigged a bit, but nothing major has changed, I hope. BencherliteTalk 13:04, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Support and note that Bencherlite can clearly not hide his/her nationality (what a magnificent understatement!) — Crisco 1492 (talk) 11:20, 11 July 2013 (UTC)