Miles was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity College, Oxford where he took an Master of Arts in Classics in 1875. He also attended Cuddesdon College in their fourth term of 1873 and terms one to three of 1874 where he trained for the priesthood.
Miles was ordained deacon on 20 September 1874 by John Fielder Mackarness, Bishop of Oxford, and was curate of Banbury (1874-1876). He was ordained a priest, also by the Bishop of Oxford, on 19 September 1875 and became curate of Buckingham (1876-1877). He then sought opportunities abroad and sailed for in 1877.
Bishop Allan Becher Webb established the Street Cyprian"s Theological College in a building in Street George"s Street, Bloemfontein, in 1876, in the hopes of addressing some the needs of the still new, isolated, poor and sparsely populated Diocese of Bloemfontein.
lieutenant opened in 1877, with Bishop Webb himself, Archdeacon Davis Croghan, the Revd K. Champernowne, and the Revd William Thomas Gaul as lecturers. Miles was recruited due to his Cuddesden connections to serve here as Theological Tutor and was Warden of the College from 1877-1882.
"Native" students were tutored by the Revd William Crisp. The College was not, however, a success and served latterly only as a boarding house until that closed in 1883.
Whilst at the college, Miles also served as rector of Street Cyprian"s Church in Kimberley from 1881-1882.
Miles also served from 1880 to 1882 as a canon and the chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of the Free State under Bishop Webb. Upon leaving, Miles left a considerable library of books which went to form part of the diocesan library in Bloemfontein. Afterwards he returned to where he had to start his ordained ministry as a curate at Street Margaret of Antioch"s Church, Barley, Hertfordshire from 1882 to 1884, then becoming Vicar of Street Mary"s Shirehampton from 1884 to 1888 before moving to be Vicar of Almondsbury in 1888.
Philip John Miles was an English landowner, banker, merchant, politician and collector, who was elected Member of Parliament for Bristol from 1835 - 1837 having earlier been elected for Westbury from 1820 - 1826 and Corfe Castle from 1829 - 1832.
He had been educated at Pembroke Lodge Preparatory School, Southbourne, Hampshire, Lancing College and Trinity College, Oxford where he took an M.A, becoming one of the masters at Pembroke Lodge. He had enlisted in December 1914 in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves.
