Bishop of Dorchester

The modern Bishop Suffragan of Dorchester in the Diocese of Oxford, usually contracted to Bishop of Dorchester, is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, in the Province of Canterbury, England.[1] The Bishop of Dorchester, along with the Bishop of Buckingham and the Bishop of Reading, assists the Diocesan Bishop of Oxford in overseeing the diocese.

The title takes its name from the town of Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, and was first used by the historic Bishops of Dorchester: at first for a West Saxon diocese (see Bishop of Winchester), and later for a Mercian diocese (see Bishop of Lincoln). Dorchester Abbey was built on the site of the ancient Cathedral. The suffragan See was erected by Order-in-Council (under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888) on 2 February 1939.[2] The bishops suffragan of Dorchester have been area bishops since the Oxford area scheme was founded in 1984.[3]

List of bishops

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Suffragan Bishops of Dorchester
FromUntilIncumbentNotes
19391952Gerald AllenFormerly Bishop of Sherborne; hitherto Assistant Bishop of Oxford since 1936; Archdeacon of Oxford and Canon of Christ Church
19521956Kenneth RichesTranslated to Lincoln
19571972David Loveday
19721977Peter WalkerTranslated to Ely
19791988Conrad MeyerFirst area bishop from 1984.
19882000Anthony RussellTranslated to Ely
20002020Colin FletcherRetired 4 October 2020.[4]
2021presentGavin CollinsConsecration postponed;[5] licensed Episcopal vicar 28 January 2021;[6] consecrated on 14 April 2021[7]
Source(s):[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Crockford's Clerical Directory (100th ed.). London: Church House Publishing. 2007. p. 946. ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0.
  2. ^ "No. 34596". The London Gazette. 7 February 1939. p. 835.
  3. ^ "4: The Dioceses Commission, 1978–2002" (PDF). Church of England. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Bishop of Dorchester to retire in 2020". 5 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Gavin Collins named Bishop of Dorchester". 24 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Bishop of Dorchester update". 22 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Consecration service for Bishop of Dorchester". Diocese of Oxford. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
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