Early in 1876, the Society
began negotiations with the Secretary of State for India so that a new see might
be formed under the Jerusalem Bishopric Act for the Church of
England in the Native States of Travancore and Cochin. And towards the end of
the year a public announcement was made that the Rev. J. M. Speechly, then
Principal of the C. N. I., would be the first Bishop of the New Diocese. It was
also made clear that "the appointment of an experienced European Missionary as a
Bishop was a preparatory step to the ultimate appointment of native Bishops".
Rev. J. M. Speechly (1879-1888) was consecrated as the first Bishop
for the newly formed Anglican Diocese of Travancore and Cochin, on St. James
Day, the 25 July 1879, in St. Paul's
Cathedral, London, and he arrived at Kottayam on January 27, 1880.
In 1888 the Rt. Rev. J. M.
Speechly left for England and was unable to return, and the Rt. Rev. E. N.
Hodges (1890-1904), a C.M.S. Missionary from Ceylon followed him as the Bishop
of the Diocese. He was installed in the Pro-Cathedral, Kottayam. in November 1890. It was at this time that a reformed section of the Jacobites left
the Orthodox Church and formed the Marthoma Church. The newly
formed church was progressive and fervent in evangelism, and had worked closely
with the Anglican Church over the years.
In 1944 Bishop Corfield,
quite unexpectedly, resigned as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Travancore
and Cochin. Archdeacon C. K. Jacob was selected to the Bishopric,
the first non-missionary Bishop, and he was consecrated in 1945. Bishop Jacob
was well known for his fervent life of prayer and his knowledge of the Bible.
Besides, he had an intimate knowledge of the Diocese in all its parts and
majority of the Church Workers were his students. His first Diocesan Council was
memorable in that it was conducted for the first time entirely in Malayalam as
well as the first under an Indian Bishop.
NJANA NIKSHEPAM 
