List of Church of England dioceses

Dioceses of Church of England
▉ Province of Canterbury
▉ Province of York
(interactive version)

There are 42 Church of England dioceses,[1] each being an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop.[2] These cover England, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and a small part of Wales. The Diocese in Europe is also a part of the Church of England,[1] and covers the whole of continental Europe, Morocco and the post-Soviet states.[3] The structure of dioceses within the Church of England was initially inherited from the Catholic Church as part of the Protestant Reformation.[4] During the Reformation a number of new dioceses were founded,[5] but no more were then created until the middle of the 19th century,[6] when dioceses were founded mainly in response to the growing population, especially in the northern industrial cities.[7] The most recent diocese to be established was the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales (officially named Leeds), which came into being on 20 April 2014.[8] Prior to that, no new dioceses had been founded since 1927. West Yorkshire and the Dales was created by combining three previous dioceses: the Diocese of Bradford, the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, and the Diocese of Wakefield.

The 42 current dioceses are divided into two provinces. The Province of Canterbury in the south comprises 30 dioceses and the Province of York in the north comprises 12.[1] The archbishops of Canterbury and York have pastoral oversight over the bishops within their province, along with certain other rights and responsibilities.[9] All of the dioceses have one cathedral each except the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, which has three that are considered co-equal. Of all the dioceses, Derby has the smallest cathedral; Derby Cathedral takes up only 10,950 square feet (1,000 m2).[10] The oldest diocese is the Diocese of Sodor and Man, which was founded in 447. One diocese dates back to the 6th century, 8 date back to the 7th century, two to the 10th century, five to the 11th century, two to the 12th century, five to the 16th century, seven to the 19th century, and ten to the 20th century. The territories administered by the various dioceses do not generally line up with political boundaries.

Dioceses

Diocese[11]
(bishop)		 Coat of arms[12] Province[1] Territory[1] Cathedral[13] Founded[14]
Bath and Wells
(Bishop)
Canterbury Somerset; North Somerset; Bath and North East Somerset; some parishes in Dorset[15] Wells Cathedral[16] 909 (Diocese of Wells)[17]
Birmingham
(Bishop)
Canterbury Birmingham; Sandwell except part of the north; Solihull except part of the east; part of Warwickshire; some parishes in Worcestershire[18] St Philip's Cathedral[19] 1905[20]
Blackburn
(Bishop)
York Lancashire except part of the east and south, Liverpool, and Manchester; some parishes in Wigan[21] Blackburn Cathedral[22] 12 November 1926
(from Manchester)[23]
Bristol
(Bishop)
Canterbury Bristol; southern two-thirds of South Gloucestershire; northern quarter of Wiltshire except part of the north; Swindon except part of the north and south; some parishes in Gloucestershire[24] Bristol Cathedral[25] 1542[26]
Canterbury
(Archbishop)
Canterbury Kent east of Medway[27] Canterbury Cathedral[28] 597[29]
Carlisle
(Bishop)
York Cumbria except Newcastle upon Tyne and Bradford[30] Carlisle Cathedral[31] 1133[32]
Chelmsford
(Bishop)
Canterbury Essex except part of the north; part of East London north of the River Thames; part of South Cambridgeshire[33] Chelmsford Cathedral[34] 1914
Chester
(Bishop)
York Cheshire; the Wirral Peninsula; Halton south of the River Mersey; Warrington south of the River Mersey; Trafford except part of the north; Stockport except part of the north and east; the eastern half of Tameside; part of Derbyshire; part of Manchester; part of Flintshire[35] Chester Cathedral[36] 1541
Chichester
(Bishop)
[37]		 Canterbury West Sussex except part of the north; East Sussex except part of the north; part of Kent[38] Chichester Cathedral[39] 1075
Coventry
(Bishop)
Canterbury Coventry; Warwickshire except part of the north, southwest, and south; part of Solihull[40] Coventry Cathedral[41] 1918
Derby
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Derbyshire except part of the north; part of Stockport; part of Staffordshire[42] Derby Cathedral[43] 1927[44]
Durham
(Bishop)		 York Durham except part of the southwest and north; Gateshead; South Tyneside; Sunderland; Hartlepool; Darlington; Stockton-on-Tees north of the River Tees[45] Durham Cathedral[46] 990
Ely
(Bishop)
Canterbury Cambridgeshire except part of the northwest and south; the western quarter of Norfolk; part of Bedfordshire[47] Ely Cathedral[48] 1109
Europe
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Europe except Great Britain and Ireland; Morocco; Turkey; the post-Soviet states in Asia[49] Gibraltar Cathedral[50] 21 August 1842 (Diocese of Gibraltar)[51]
Exeter
(Bishop)
Canterbury Devon except part of the southeast and west; Plymouth; Torbay[52] Exeter Cathedral[53] 1050
Gloucester
(Bishop)
Canterbury Gloucestershire except part of the north, south, and east; the northern third of South Gloucestershire; part of Wiltshire; part of southwest Warwickshire; part of southern Worcestershire[54] Gloucester Cathedral[55] 1541
Guildford
(Bishop)
Canterbury The western two-thirds of Surrey south of the River Thames except part of the northeast; part of northeastern Hampshire; part of Greater London; part of West Sussex[56] Guildford Cathedral[57] 1927
Hereford
(Bishop)
Canterbury Herefordshire; the southern half of Shropshire; part of Powys and Monmouthshire[58] Hereford Cathedral[59] 676
Leicester
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Leicestershire; part of Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, and Warwickshire[60] Leicester Cathedral[61] 679
Lichfield
(Bishop)
Canterbury Staffordshire except part of the southeast and southwest; the northern half of Shropshire; Wolverhampton; Walsall; the northern half of Sandwell[62] Lichfield Cathedral[63] 664
Lincoln
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Lincolnshire; North East Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire except part of the west[64] Lincoln Cathedral[65] 1074
Liverpool
(Bishop)		 York Liverpool; Sefton; Knowsley; St Helens; Wigan except part of the north and east; Halton north of the River Mersey; most of West Lancashire[66] Liverpool Cathedral[67] 1880
London
(Bishop)
Canterbury The City of London; Greater London north of the River Thames except part of the east and north; Surrey north of the Thames; part of Hertfordshire[68] St Paul's Cathedral[69] 601
Manchester
(Bishop)
York Manchester except part of the south; Salford; Bolton; Bury; Rochdale; Oldham; the western half of Tameside; part of Wigan, Trafford, Stockport, and southern Lancashire[70] Manchester Cathedral[71] 1848
Newcastle
(Bishop)		 York Northumberland; Newcastle upon Tyne; North Tyneside; part of eastern Cumbria; part of County Durham[72] Newcastle Cathedral[73] 1882
Norwich
(Bishop)
Canterbury Norfolk except part of the west; part of northeastern Suffolk[74] Norwich Cathedral[75] 1096
Oxford
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Oxfordshire; Berkshire; Buckinghamshire; part of Hampshire and Hertfordshire[76] Christ Church Cathedral[77] 1542
Peterborough
(Bishop)
Canterbury Northamptonshire except part of the west; Rutland; Peterborough except part of the southeast; part of Lincolnshire[78] Peterborough Cathedral[79] 1541
Portsmouth
(Bishop)		 Canterbury The southeastern third of Hampshire; the Isle of Wight[80] Portsmouth Cathedral[81] 1927
Rochester
(Bishop)
Canterbury Kent west of the River Medway except part of the southwest; Medway; most of Bromley Bexley; part of East Sussex[82] Rochester Cathedral[83] 604
St Albans
(Bishop)
Canterbury Hertfordshire except part of the south and west; Bedfordshire except part of the north and west; part of Greater London[84] St Albans Cathedral[85] 1877
St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
(Bishop)		 Canterbury Suffolk except part of the northeast; part of Essex[86] St Edmundsbury Cathedral[87] 1914
Salisbury
(Bishop)		 Canterbury The southern three quarters of Wiltshire; Dorset except part of the east; part of Hampshire and Devon[88] Salisbury Cathedral[89] 1078
Sheffield
(Bishop)		 York Sheffield; Rotherham; Doncaster except part of the southeast; part of North Lincolnshire; part of northeastern Barnsley; part of the East Riding of Yorkshire[90] Sheffield Cathedral[91] 1914
Sodor and Man
(Bishop)
York The Isle of Man[92] Peel Cathedral 447[93]
Southwark
(Bishop)
Canterbury Greater London south of the River Thames except most of Bromley and Bexley and part of the southwest; the eastern third of Surrey[94] Southwark Cathedral[95] 1905
Southwell and Nottingham
(Bishop)		 York Nottinghamshire; part of South Yorkshire[96] Southwell Minster[97] 1884
Truro
(Bishop)
Canterbury Cornwall; the Isles of Scilly; part of Devon[98] Truro Cathedral[99] 1877
West Yorkshire and the Dales, officially and legally known as Leeds
(Bishop)
[100]		 York Ripon; Bradford; Leeds; Huddersfield; Wakefield[101] Co-equally:
Ripon Cathedral,
Wakefield Cathedral,
Bradford Cathedral[102]		 20 April 2014 (thereby dissolving the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield)[8]
Winchester
(Bishop)
Canterbury Winchester except the southeastern quarter and part of the northeast, west, and north; part of eastern Dorset; the Channel Islands[103] Winchester Cathedral[104] 662
Worcester
(Bishop)
Canterbury Worcestershire except part of the south and north; part of Wolverhampton, Sandwell, and northern Gloucestershire[105] Worcester Cathedral[106] 680
York
(Archbishop)		 York York; East Riding of Yorkshire except part of the southwest; Kingston upon Hull; Redcar and Cleveland; Middlesbrough; the eastern half of North Yorkshire; Stockton-on-Tees south of the River Tees; part of Leeds[107] York Minster[108] 625

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Dioceses". Church of England. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Mary Jo Weaver; David Brakke (2008). Introduction to Christianity (4 ed.). Cengage Learning. p. 266. ISBN 0495097268.
  3. ↑ "Church Locations". Diocese in Europe. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Chiang H. Ren (2011). Christianity and the Future. Thomas Nelson. p. 110. ISBN 1449713807.
  5. ↑ Michael Mullett (2010). Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 11. ISBN 0810873931.
  6. ↑ Patrick Cormack (1984). English Cathedrals. Harmony Books. p. 8. ISBN 0517554097.
  7. ↑ Peter Galloway (1999). A Passionate Humility: Frederick Oakeley and the Oxford Movement. Gracewing Publishing. p. 118. ISBN 0852445067.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Transformation Programme – First New Diocese for More than 85 Years Created on April 20". Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Fiona M. Wilson (2013). Organizational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 281. ISBN 0199645981.
  10. ↑ "Cathedral Time". Christ Church, Oxford. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004.
  11. ↑ "List of all Bishops". Crockfords. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Diocesan Arms". Trinity Amblecote. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "List of cathedrals". Crockfords. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  14. ↑ William Edward Tate (1969). The Parish Chest: A Study of the Records of Parochial Administration in England. Cambridge University Press. p. 334. ISBN 0521066034.
  15. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 5.
  16. ↑ "Wells Cathedral". Pastscape – National Monument Record. English Heritage. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  17. ↑ E. A. Livingstone, M. W. D. Sparks, R. W. Peacocke, ed. (2013). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. p. 55. ISBN 0199659621.
  18. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 9.
  19. ↑ Andy Foster (2005). Birmingham. Yale University Press. p. 40. ISBN 0300107315.
  20. ↑ Ian Jones (2012). The Local Church and Generational Change in Birmingham, 1945-2000. Boydell & Brewer. p. 27. ISBN 0861933176.
  21. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 12.
  22. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 38.
  23. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33220. p. 7321. 12 November 1926. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  24. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 18.
  25. ↑ The Monthly Review from May to August Inclusive. Hurst & Robinson. 1830. p. 141.
  26. ↑ James Fawckner Nicholls; John Taylor (1881). Bristol Past and Present 1. J. W. Arrowsmith. p. 239.
  27. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 21.
  28. ↑ Jeffrey Weaver; Madeline Harrison Caviness (2013). The Ancestors of Christ Windows at Canterbury Cathedral. Getty Publications. p. 11. ISBN 1606061461.
  29. ↑ Owen F. Cummings (2007). Canterbury Cousins: The Eucharist in Contemporary Anglican Theology. Paulist Press. p. 1. ISBN 0809144905.
  30. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 25.
  31. ↑ Francis Bond (2007). The Cathedrals of England and Wales. Jeremy Mills Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 190521782X.
  32. ↑ Frank Leslie Cross; Elizabeth A. Livingstone (2005). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. p. 290. ISBN 0192802909.
  33. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 28.
  34. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 50.
  35. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 32.
  36. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 52.
  37. ↑ "Insignia and shield of the Diocese". Diocese of Chichester. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  38. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 35.
  39. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 55.
  40. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 38.
  41. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 58.
  42. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 41.
  43. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 60.
  44. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33290. p. 4207. 1 July 1927. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  45. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 45.
  46. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 62.
  47. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 49.
  48. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 65.
  49. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 52.
  50. ↑ "The Cathedral of The Holy Trinity Gibraltar". Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  51. ↑ "On Anglican Churches in Europe". Diocese in Europe. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  52. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 55.
  53. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 68.
  54. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 60.
  55. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 70.
  56. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 63.
  57. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 73.
  58. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 66.
  59. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 75.
  60. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 69.
  61. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 77.
  62. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 73.
  63. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 79.
  64. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 77.
  65. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 82.
  66. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 80.
  67. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 84.
  68. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 83.
  69. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 90.
  70. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 87.
  71. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 93.
  72. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 91.
  73. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 95.
  74. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 94.
  75. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 99.
  76. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 97.
  77. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 103.
  78. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 101.
  79. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 108.
  80. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 105.
  81. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 110.
  82. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 112.
  83. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 115.
  84. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 115.
  85. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 118.
  86. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 118.
  87. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 123.
  88. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 121.
  89. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 126.
  90. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 124.
  91. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 129.
  92. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 127.
  93. ↑ Colin Buchanan (2006). Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 288. ISBN 0810865068.
  94. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 129.
  95. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 131.
  96. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 133.
  97. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 133.
  98. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 136.
  99. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 135.
  100. ↑ "The Arms of the Bishopric of Leeds". College of Arms. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  101. ↑ "Maps and Information about Deaneries and Parishes". Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  102. ↑ "The Dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds and Wakefield Reorganisation Scheme 2013". Church of England. 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  103. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 143.
  104. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 142.
  105. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 147.
  106. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 145.
  107. ↑ The Church of England Year Book p. 150.
  108. ↑ Pepin (2004), p. 147.

Bibliography