Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle

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The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.

The present diocese covers an area of 7,700 km² of the counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and the portion of Tees Valley north of the River Tees in Cleveland. The see is in the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, which was consecrated on 21 August 1860.

With the gradual abolition of the legal restrictions on the activities of Catholics in England and Wales in the early 19th century, Rome decided to proceed to bridge the gap of the centuries from Queen Elizabeth I by instituting Catholic dioceses on the regular historical pattern. Thus Pope Pius IX issued the Bull Universalis Ecclesiae of 29 September 1850 by which thirteen new dioceses which did not formally claim any continuity with the pre-Elizabethan English dioceses were created. The Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District was duly elevated to diocese status as the Diocese of Hexham. On 23 May 1861 the diocese became the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. In the early period from 1850 the diocese was a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Westminster, but under Pope Pius X, on 28 October 1911, it was assigned to the newly created Province of Liverpool.

The current bishop is the Right Reverend Kevin John Dunn, the 12th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, East Denton Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne.

[edit] List of the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, England and its precursor offices

(Any dates appearing in italics indicate de facto continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.)

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District
28 January 1688 to 13 May 1711	Bishop James Smith, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Died in office
6 April 1716 to 16 April 1725	Bishop George Witham, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; died in office
11 December 1725 to 3 April 1740	Bishop Thomas Dominic Williams, OP, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Confirmed 22 December 1725; died in office
6 October 1740 to 24 April 1752	Bishop Edward Dicconson, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Priest; died in office
5 May 1752 to 24 December 1775	Bishop Francis Petre, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Northern District; died in office
24 December 1775 to 26 February 1780	Bishop William Walton, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Northern District; died in office
17 June 1780 to 17 May 1790	Bishop Matthew Gibson, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Died in office
10 September 1790 to 2 June 1821	Bishop William Gibson, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Died in office
2 June 1821 to 30 July 1831	Bishop Thomas Smith, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Northern District; died in office
30 July 1831 to 28 January 1836	Bishop Thomas Penswick, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Northern District; died in office
28 January 1836 to 3 July 1840	Bishop John Briggs, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Northern District; appointed Vicar Apostolic of Yorkshire District
22 September 1840 to 11 August 1847	Bishop Francis George Mostyn, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Died in office
11 August 1847 to 2 November 1847	Bishop William Riddell, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic; died in office
28 July 1848 to 29 September 1850	Bishop William Hogarth, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District	Priest; becoming Bishop
Diocese of Hexham
29 September 1850 to 21 May 1861	William Hogarth, Bishop of Hexham	Hitherto Vicar Apostolic
Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
21 May 1861 to 29 January 1866	William Hogarth, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle	Died in office
12 August 1866 to 14 May 1882	James Chadwick	Priest; ordained 18 October 1866; died in office
25 September 1882 to 29 October 1886	John William Bewick	Ordained 18 October 1882; died in office
1 October 1887 to 19 September 1889	Henry O'Callaghan	Ordained 18 January 1888; resigned
28 December 1889 to 17 April 1909	Thomas William Wilkinson	Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle; died in office
21 June 1909 to 9 February 1924	Richard Collins	Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle; died in office
18 December 1924 to 7 October 1936	Joseph Thorman	Priest of Hexham and Newcastle; ordained 27 January 1925; died in office
30 December 1936 to 2 March 1958	Joseph McCormack	Priest; ordained 4 February 1937; died in office
1 July 1958 to 16 May 1974	James Cunningham	Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle; resigned
12 December 1974 to 11 January 1992	Hugh Lindsay	Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle; resigned
11 January 1992 to 26 March 2004	Michael Ambrose Griffiths, OSB	Priest of Order of Saint Benedict; ordained 20 March 1992; retired
26 March 2004 to present	Kevin John Dunn	Priest of Birmingham; ordained 25 May 2004

Roman Catholic Hierarchy in England and Wales
Archbishops	Bishops
England
Liverpool	Hallam | Hexham and Newcastle | Lancaster | Leeds | Middlesbrough | Salford
Westminster	Brentwood | East Anglia | Northampton | Nottingham
Birmingham	Clifton | Shrewsbury
Southwark	Arundel & Brighton | Plymouth | Portsmouth
Wales
Cardiff	Menevia | Wrexham
edit this box

[edit] See also

• Lists of office-holders

[edit] Sources

Catholic Directory of England and Wales 2004.