 William Cosmo Gordon Lang , 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth , GCVO , PC ( known as Cosmo Gordon Lang ; 31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945 ) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York ( 1908 – 1928 ) and Archbishop of Canterbury ( 1928 – 1942 ) . His rapid elevation to Archbishop of York , within 18 years of his ordination , is unprecedented in modern Church of England history . As Archbishop of Canterbury during the abdication crisis of 1936 , he took a strong moral stance , his comments in a subsequent broadcast being widely condemned as uncharitable towards the departed king . 
