Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District

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The Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District.

Contents

[edit] Background: Removal of English Catholic Bishops

Within a short space of time after the accession of Elizabeth I those Catholic Bishops who had not died were deposed and replaced in their episcopal sees by Protestant appointees. Most of the deposed Bishops were imprisoned in various locations and died in captivity over a period of years. The last to die was Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St Asaph, in Rome on April 3, 1585.

[edit] Restoration: The Vicar Apostolic of England

In 1623 Pope Urban VIII decided once again to appoint a Catholic Bishop with jurisdiction in England. So it was that Dr William Bishop was appointed with the title of Vicar Apostolic of England. He died shortly afterwards and was succeeded by Dr Richard Smith, who in August 1631 was forced to resign and fled to France. The office then remained vacant until its revival in 1685 with the appointment of Dr John Leyburn as Bishop.

[edit] Geographical Organisation

In 1623 the first Vicar Apostolic, Dr Bishop, divided England into six areas and placed a superior at the head of each with the title of vicar general. This structure remained in place until Dr Leyburn reduced the number from six to four. It was on the basis of these four areas that on January 20, 1688 Pope Innocent XI increased the number of bishops in England to a total of four. The territory of the former single Vicariate Apostolic was restricted, becoming the Vicariate Apostolic of the London District. So it was that the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District was created, along with the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District and the Vicariate Apostolic of the Western District.

[edit] Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District

The first Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from January 30, 1688 was Bishop Bonaventure Giffard, who in 1703 became Vicar Apostolic of the London District.

Notwithstanding intermittent persecution, a Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District continued in existence until in 1840 the existing Vicariates were further divided. With this it was renamed and its head took the title Vicar Apostolic of the Central District. This new jurisdiction was to last only ten years, until on 29 September 1850 Pope Pius IX issued the Bull Universalis Ecclesiae, by which thirteen new dioceses were created, commonly known as the restoration of the English hierarchy, among them the diocese of Birmingham, which replaced formally the previous Vicariate.

The last Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District was Bishop Thomas Walsh, who from 1840 till 1847 had the title Vicar Apostolic of the Central District.

[edit] Bishop and Archbishop of Birmingham

Walsh was succeeded by the Benedictine William Bernard Ullathorne as Vicar Apostolic of the Central District, who on September 29, 1850 received the title of Bishop of Birmingham. On 28 October 1911 a new ecclesiastical province was created dependent on Birmingham and the title became that of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Birmingham.

[edit] List of the Vicars Apostolic of the Midland District

(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
25 November 1687 to 14 March 1703 Bishop Bonaventure Giffard, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Confirmed 28 January 1688; appointed Vicar Apostolic of London District
12 August 1702 to 6 April 1716 Bishop George Witham, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Appointed Vicar Apostolic of Northern District
18 September 1715 to 29 March 1756 Bishop John Talbot Stonor, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Priest; died in office
29 March 1756 to 26 December 1778 Bishop John Joseph Hornyold, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; died in office
26 December 1778 to 24 April 1795 Bishop Thomas Joseph Talbot, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; died in office
24 April 1795 to 8 June 1798 Bishop Charles Berington, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; died in office
7 November 1800 to 23 May 1802 Bishop Gregory Stapleton, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Died in office
6 March 1803 to 19 April 1826 Bishop John Milner, Vicar Apostolic of Midland District Priest; died in office
19 April 1826 to 29 August 1847 Bishop Thomas Walsh, Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; appointed Vicar Apostolic of Central District
22 May 1840 to 29 August 1847 Bishop Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman, Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District priest; appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Central District

[edit] List of the Vicars Apostolic of the Central District

Tenure Incumbent Notes
29 August 1847 to 17 July 1848 Bishop Thomas Walsh, Vicar Apostolic of the Central District Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; appointed Vicar Apostolic of London District
29 August 1847 to 17 July 1848 Bishop Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman, Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Central District Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Midland District; appointed Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District
28 July 1848 to 29 September 1850 Bishop William Bernard Ullathorne, OSB, Vicar Apostolic of the Central District Vicar Apostolic of the Western District; becoming Bishop of Birmingham