Historical development of Church of England dioceses
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This page traces the history of the dioceses and cathedrals of the Church of England. Since it is customary in that country to name nearly all dioceses after their cathedrals, the two terms are used somewhat interchangeably, even though they are technically quite separate things.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Ancient cathedrals
The mediæval Church of England was organized into 17 dioceses. About half of the diocesian cathedrals were also monasteries, with the abbot serving double duty as dean of the cathedral. The rest were served by a college of "secular" canons — non-monastic priests living under no fixed rule of life. Both types often had Saxon foundations
[edit] Pre-Conquest
| Diocese | Founded | Monastic or secular? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury | 597 | Monastic | None |
| Rochester | 604 | Monastic | None |
| London | 604 | Monastic | None |
| York | 625 | Secular | None |
| Winchester | 662 | Monastic | None |
| Lichfield | 669 | Secular | After 1100, the see was occasionally Coventry or Chester |
| Hereford | 676 | Secular | None |
| Worcester | 680 | Monastic | None |
| Bath and Wells | 909 | Monastic/Secular | Bath was monastical and Wells a college of secular canons; after 1090 Wells was usually reckoned as the cathedral |
| Durham | 995 | Monastic | Transferred in that year from Chester-le-Street, itself a transfer from Lindisfarne |
| Exeter | 1050 | Secular | None |
[edit] Post-conquest
| Diocese | Founded | Monastic or secular? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | 1072 | Secular | Transferred in that year from Dorchester |
| Chichester | 1075 | Secular | Transferred in that year from Selsey |
| Salisbury | 1078 | Secular | Transferred in that year from Sherborne |
| Norwich | 1091 | Monastic | Transferred in that year from Thetford, itself a transfer from Elmham |
| Ely | 1109 | Monastic | None |
| Carlisle | 1133 | Monastic | None |
[edit] The Henrican Reorganization
After Henry VIII's break with the Pope and the dissolution of the monasteries, the formerly monastic cathedrals were "re-founded" with secular canons. Furthermore, a number of new dioceses were formed, using some of the largest and finest of the other dissolved monasteries as cathedrals. Together, these two groups — the old monastic cathedrals and the new sees — were known as cathedrals of the New Foundation; the old cathedrals which had always been served by secular canons were known as those of the Old Foundation.
| Diocese | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 1540 | Its cathedral was Westminster Abbey; but the diocese only existed 1540-50. From 1550-60, Westminster Abbey was a second cathedral, along with St. Paul's, for the diocese of London. Since then it has not been a cathedral. |
| Chester | 1541 | None |
| Gloucester | 1541 | None |
| Peterborough | 1541 | None |
| Bristol | 1542 | None |
| Oxford | 1542 | None |
[edit] Modern foundations
No further cathedrals were founded until, in the mid 19th century, the huge population growth of north-central England meant that redistricting could no longer be ignored. Since then twenty new dioceses have been founded, each with a cathedral — some are great mediæval monasteries or collegiate churches which were not elevated by Henry VIII but might well have been; others are glorified parish churches; and others are totally new constructions.
| Diocese | Year | From | Cathedral History |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripon | 1836 | created from part of York and Chester | Great mediæval collegiate church |
| Oxford | 1836 | took in Berkshire, from Salisbury | |
| Bristol | 1836 | abolished: Bristol went to Gloucester, Dorset went to Salisbury | |
| Lichfield | 1837 | Lichfield and Coventry became Lichfield; Coventry went to Worcester; Lichfield left with Derbyshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire | |
| Ely | 1837 | took in Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire from Lincoln; part of Suffolk from Norwich | |
| Peterborough | 1837 | took in Leicestershire from Lincoln | |
| Lincoln | 1839 | took in Nottinghamshire from York | |
| Oxford | 1845 | took in Buckinghamshire from Lincoln | |
| Rochester | 1845 | took in part of Hertfordshire from Lincoln | |
| Rochester | 1846 | took in Essex from London | |
| Manchester | 1847 | created from part of Chester | Parish church (with remnants visible of older mediæval collegiate church) |
| Carlisle | 1847 (1856) | took in part of Chester in Westmorland, Cumberland and Furness/Cartmel | |
| Truro | 1876 | created from part of Exeter | New cathedral (completed 1910) |
| St Albans | 1877 | created from part of Rochester | Great mediæval monastery |
| Liverpool | 1880 | created from part of Chester | Parish church, initially; later a huge wholly new cathedral was built |
| Newcastle | 1882 | created from part of Durham | Parish church |
| Southwell | 1884 | created from part of York (Derbyshire) and Lincoln (Nottinghamshire) | Southwell Minster: a great mediæval collegiate church |
| Wakefield | 1888 | created from part of Ripon | Parish church |
| Bristol | 1887 | created | previous cathedral |
| Southwark | 1905 | created from part of Rochester | Great mediæval monastery |
| Birmingham | 1906 | created from part of Worcester | 18th century parish church |
| St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich | 1914 | created from part of Ely and Norwich | Parish church, with remnants of mediæval monastery visible |
| Chelmsford | 1914 | created from part of St Albans | Parish church |
| Sheffield | 1914 | created from part of York, small part of Southwell | Parish church |
| Coventry | 1918 | created from part of Worcester | Parish church; after destruction in the second world war, a wholly new cathedral was built |
| Bradford | 1920 | created from part of Ripon | Parish church |
| Blackburn | 1926 | created from part of Manchester | Parish church |
| Derby | 1927 | created from part of Southwell (Derbyshire) | Parish church |
| Leicester | 1927 | created from part of Peterborough | Parish church |
| Portsmouth | 1927 | created from part of Winchester | Parish church |
| Guildford | 1927 | created from part of Winchester | New cathedral |
[edit] Line of descent
If no split is recorded, the diocese is still whole as founded, though it may have suffragan bishops
- Canterbury - 597-present
- Rochester - 604-present
- split to form Diocese of St Alban's, 1876-present
- split off (Essex) to form Diocese of St Chelmsford, 1914-present
- split to form Diocese of St Alban's, 1876-present
- London - 604-present
- seat at St Paul's 604-1539
- split into Diocese of Westminster, with seat at Westminster Abbey, 1540-50
- seats at St Paul's and Westminster Abbey, 1550-60
- seat at St Paul's, 1560-present
- seat at St Paul's 604-1539
- York - 625-present
- Lindisfarne added, 664-678
- split to form Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, 1836-present
- split to form Diocese of Wakefield, 1888-present
- split to form Diocese of Bradford, 1920-present
- Archdeaconry of Nottingham split off, merged to Diocese of Lincoln, 1837-1884
- Split off, merged with Archdeaconry of Derbyshire (from Diocese of Lichfield) to form Diocese of Southwell, 1884-1927
- Arcdeaconry of Derbyshire split off to form Diocese of Derby, 1927-present
- Diocese of Southwell, seat at Southwell, 1927-2005
- Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, seat at Southwell, 2005-present
- Split off, merged with Archdeaconry of Derbyshire (from Diocese of Lichfield) to form Diocese of Southwell, 1884-1927
- split to form Diocese of Sheffield, 1914-present
- Ripon, 876, lapsed, re-formed 1836
- Winchester - 662-present
- Split off (northwestern corner) to form Diocese of Ramsay, 909-1058
- Merged with Ramsay to form Salisbury, 1058-present
- Split off (south London area) to form Diocese of Southwark, 1905-present
- Split off (Portsmouth area) to form Diocese of Portsmouth, 1927-present
- Split off (Guildford area) to form Diocese of Guildford, 1927-present
- Split off (northwestern corner) to form Diocese of Ramsay, 909-1058
- Mercia
- founded 656 as Diocese of Lichfield
- archdiocese of Lichfield over Worcester, Leicester, Lincoln, Hereford, Elmham and Dunwich 786-796 (seized from Canterbury)
- seat at Chester 1076-1086
- Chester re-founded as Diocese of Chester, 1541-present
- split to form Diocese of Manchester, 1847-present
- split to form Diocese of Blackburn, 1926-present
- split to form Diocese of Liverpool, 1880-present
- split to form Diocese of Manchester, 1847-present
- Chester re-founded as Diocese of Chester, 1541-present
- seat at Coventry, as Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield, 1086-1539
- seat at Lichfield, as Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, 1539-1918
- Diocese of Lichfield - 1918-present
- Archdeaconry of Derbyshire split off, merged with Archdeaconry of Nottingham (from Diocese of York), into Diocese of Lincoln, 1837-1884
- Split off Lincoln, merged with Archdeaconry of Nottingham (from Diocese of Lichfield) to form Diocese of Southwell, 1884-1927
- split off Southwell to form Diocese of Derby, 1927-present
- Archdeaconry of Derbyshire split off, merged with Archdeaconry of Nottingham (from Diocese of York), into Diocese of Lincoln, 1837-1884
- Diocese of Coventry - 1918-present
- Diocese of Lichfield - 1918-present
- Dunwich / Norwich
- Seat at Dunwich, 630-673
- Seat at Elmham, 673-1070
- Seat at Thetford, 1070-1094
- Seat at Norwich, 1094-present
- Split off to form Diocese of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich (with part of Diocese of Ely), 1914-present
- Western part merged off into Ely, 1914-present
- Hereford - 676-present
- Worcester - 680 - present
- Split to form Diocese of Gloucester, 1541-present
- Split to form Diocese of Bristol, 1542-1836
- Merged into Diocese of Gloucester, 1836-1897
- Re-formed as Diocese of Bristol, 1897-present
- Split to form Diocese of Birmingham, 1906-present
- Somerset / Bath and Wells
- seat at Wells, 909-1090
- seat at Bath, 1090-1136
- seat at Wells, 1136-1206
- Glastonbury forcibly added, 1192
- as Diocese of Bath and Glastonbury, 1206-1219
- Diocese of Bath, 1219-1242
- Diocese of Bath and Wells, 1242-1539, joint seat
- Diocese of Bath and Wells, 1539-present, seat at Wells
- Lindisfarne / Durham, 635-present
- seat at Lindisfarne, 635-664
- added to York, 664-678
- re-formed, 678-875, seat at Lindisfarne
- 875-995, seat at Chester-le-Street
- renamed and re-seated at Durham, 995-present
- split to form Diocese of Carlisle, 1133-present
- split to form Diocese of Newcastle, 1882-present
- Exeter, 1050-present
- split to form Diocese of Truro, 1876-present
- Lindine / Lindsey / Leicester
- seat at Leicester, pre-706-886
- seat moved to Dorchester, 886
- united with Lindine / Lindsey, 971
- seat moved to Dorchester, 886
- as Lindine, seat at Lincoln, 628, 678-971
- seat moved to Dorchester, 971
- seat moved to Lincoln, 1072
- split to form Diocese of Ely, 1109-present
- Bedfordshire merged off into Diocese of St Alban's, 1914-present
- western Suffolk merged off to form Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich (with part of Diocese of Norwich), 1914-present
- split to form Diocese of Peterborough, 1541-present
- Leicester split as suffragan, 1888-1926
- Leicester fully split to form Diocese of Leicester, 1926-present
- Diocese of Dorchester, refounded as suffragan of Oxford by 2006
- Leicester split as suffragan, 1888-1926
- split to form Diocese of Oxford, 1542-present
- Dorchester added as suffragan bishop by 2006
- split to form Diocese of Ely, 1109-present
- seat moved to Lincoln, 1072
- seat moved to Dorchester, 971
- seat at Leicester, pre-706-886
- Selsey / Chichester
- Seat at Selsey, 680-1075
- Seat at Chichester, 1075-present
- Sherbourne, 705-1058
- Merged with Diocese of Ramsay, seat at Sherbourne, 1058-1078, included parts of Berkshire not in present diocese
- Seat of combined diocese moved to Salisbury, Diocese of Salisbury, 1078-present
- Sherbourne refounded as suffragan, 1925
- Ramsay refounded as suffragan, 1974
- Seat of combined diocese moved to Salisbury, Diocese of Salisbury, 1078-present
- Merged with Diocese of Ramsay, seat at Sherbourne, 1058-1078, included parts of Berkshire not in present diocese
