of consecrating 99 new churches and establishment of a bureaucratic structure including, of course, a Board of Education. Politics and arbitration Bishop Fraser's opponents said of him that, "Omnipresence was his forte, and omniscience his foible", reflecting his restless activity in preaching the gospel, reform and activity in civil society. He was a common sight on the streets of Manchester, hurrying to address workers of all kinds several times a day. He was a vocal opponent of Charles Darwin’s ideas and in an address of 1871 said that they were, “merely guesses, conjectures, and inferences resting upon remote analogies”. He was governor of many educational institutions including Manchester Grammar School and Owens College. In 1874 he began a career as an arbitrator, working to resolve conflict in a number of strikes. He was an early enthusiast for and advocate of the cooperative movement. He served as President of the first day of the 1878 Co-operative Congress. Doctrine and litigation Never overly-interested in theology, Fraser was a liberal in matters of worship who favoured the old high church school, though with little sympathy for what he saw as the excesses of the Oxford Movement. He supported the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 but in 1878 was unhappy to be unable to prevent the imprisonment of the Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green, the incumbent of Miles Platting. Fraser ultimately secured Green's release but Green's benefice was sequestrated by the courts. The parish patron, Sir Percival Heywood nominated Rev. Harry Cowgill, Green's unlawful curate, as the new incumbent. Fraser was involved in much litigation over his opposition to the appointment before being exonerated in a judgement by Baron Pollock in 1884. Later life In 1880, he married Agnes Ellen Frances Duncan shortly after the death of his mother who had shared his home. He died suddenly at the bishop's palace following complications from a chill. Long known as the bishop of all denominations, his death was honoured by all the nonconformist churches along with the Jewish and Greek Orthodox congregations. Huge crowds attended his funeral in Manchester. He was interred in Ufton Nervet in his mother's grave. Honours A grade II listed statue by Thomas Woolner stands in Albert Square, Manchester. Local legend has it that Fraser is posed looking away from Alfred Waterhouse's Town Hall building because he disliked it so much. References Bibliography Bentley, J. (1987) Ritualism and Politics in Victorian Britain: