List of Church of England dioceses
There are 42 dioceses of the Church of England.[1] 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.[2] The structure of dioceses within the Church of England was initially inherited from the Catholic Church as part of the Protestant Reformation.[3] During the Reformation a number of new dioceses were founded,[4] but no more were then created until the middle of the 19th century,[5] when dioceses were founded mainly in response to the growing population, especially in the northern industrial cities.[6] The most recent diocese to be established was the Diocese of Leeds, which came into being on 20 April 2014.[7] Prior to that, no new dioceses had been created since 1927. Leeds was created by combining three previous dioceses: the Diocese of Bradford, the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, and the Diocese of Wakefield.[7]
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.[8] All of the dioceses have one cathedral each except the Diocese of Leeds, 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).[9] One diocese dates back to the 6th century, eight 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 generally accord with the counties as they existed before the Local Government Act 1972.
Dioceses
editFormer dioceses
editDiocese (bishop) | Coat of arms | Province | Territory | Cathedral | Founded | Dissolved |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bradford (Bishop) | York | Bradford; Craven District; the former Sedbergh Rural District | Bradford Cathedral | 25 November 1919 | 20 April 2014 | |
Gloucester and Bristol (Bishop) | Canterbury | Gloucestershire except part of the north and east; South Gloucestershire; part of northern Wiltshire; part of southwest Warwickshire; part of southern Worcestershire; Bristol; Swindon except part of the north and south | Co-equally: Gloucester Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral | 6 October 1836 | 7 July 1897 | |
Ripon and Leeds (Bishop) | York | Part of western and northern Yorkshire; the south Teesdale area | Ripon Cathedral | 5 October 1836 | 20 April 2014 | |
Wakefield (Bishop) | York | Wakefield; Barnsley; Kirklees; Calderdale | Wakefield Cathedral | 18 May 1888 | 20 April 2014 | |
Westminster (Bishop) | Canterbury | Westminster; Middlesex except Fulham | Westminster Abbey | 17 December 1540 | 30 March 1550 |
Statistics
editSource:[107][108] Diocese of Europe excluded.
Diocese | Population | Area (sq. m.) | Pop. density1 | Benefices | Parishes | Churches | People per church |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath & Wells | 980,000 | 1610 | 600 | 175 | 460 | 557 | 1,759 |
Birmingham | 1,599,000 | 290 | 5420 | 138 | 149 | 180 | 8,883 |
Blackburn | 1,384,000 | 930 | 1480 | 170 | 230 | 276 | 5,014 |
Bristol | 1,065,000 | 470 | 2230 | 100 | 167 | 202 | 5,272 |
Canterbury | 981,000 | 970 | 1020 | 99 | 201 | 313 | 3,134 |
Carlisle | 498,000 | 2570 | 190 | 104 | 227 | 323 | 1,542 |
Chelmsford | 3,279,000 | 1530 | 2130 | 303 | 469 | 575 | 5,703 |
Chester | 1,677,000 | 1030 | 1600 | 214 | 264 | 337 | 4,976 |
Chichester | 1,704,000 | 1450 | 1180 | 274 | 348 | 474 | 3,595 |
Coventry | 896,000 | 700 | 1320 | 125 | 204 | 240 | 3,733 |
Derby | 1,064,000 | 990 | 1080 | 139 | 253 | 312 | 3,410 |
Durham | 1,475,000 | 980 | 1530 | 169 | 207 | 258 | 5,717 |
Ely | 803,000 | 1530 | 500 | 141 | 303 | 327 | 2,456 |
Exeter | 1,214,000 | 2570 | 470 | 149 | 484 | 594 | 2,044 |
Gloucester | 690,000 | 1130 | 610 | 90 | 296 | 377 | 1,830 |
Guildford | 1,077,000 | 530 | 2020 | 142 | 160 | 211 | 5,104 |
Hereford | 322,000 | 1650 | 200 | 77 | 338 | 399 | 807 |
Leeds | 2,777,000 | 2630 | 1060 | 264 | 442 | 580 | 4,788 |
Leicester | 1,086,000 | 830 | 1290 | 103 | 245 | 311 | 3,492 |
Lichfield | 2,202,000 | 1730 | 1270 | 234 | 422 | 542 | 4,063 |
Lincoln | 1,093,000 | 2670 | 410 | 180 | 476 | 622 | 1,757 |
Liverpool | 1,621,000 | 390 | 4130 | 125 | 168 | 233 | 6,957 |
London | 4,246,000 | 280 | 16010 | 408 | 402 | 471 | 9,015 |
Manchester | 2,233,000 | 420 | 5330 | 175 | 256 | 320 | 6,978 |
Newcastle | 832,000 | 2100 | 400 | 123 | 170 | 235 | 3,540 |
Norwich | 928,000 | 1800 | 520 | 158 | 554 | 640 | 1,450 |
Oxford | 2,511,000 | 2210 | 1100 | 285 | 609 | 811 | 3,096 |
Peterborough | 971,000 | 1140 | 830 | 127 | 347 | 379 | 2,562 |
Portsmouth | 784,000 | 420 | 1900 | 105 | 132 | 165 | 4,752 |
Rochester | 1,375,000 | 540 | 2570 | 171 | 210 | 258 | 5,329 |
Salisbury | 1,148,000 | 2130 | 539 | 164 | 463 | 609 | 1,885 |
Sheffield | 1,278,000 | 610 | 2140 | 141 | 169 | 208 | 6,144 |
Sodor & Man | 86,000 | 220 | 390 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 2,263 |
Southwark | 2,880,000 | 320 | 9030 | 263 | 295 | 355 | 8,113 |
Southwell & Nottingham | 1,152,000 | 840 | 1390 | 151 | 226 | 296 | 3,892 |
St Albans | 1,978,000 | 1120 | 1750 | 187 | 338 | 403 | 4,908 |
St Eds & Ipswich | 684,000 | 1430 | 480 | 111 | 444 | 481 | 1,422 |
Truro | 573,000 | 1390 | 420 | 96 | 214 | 298 | 1,923 |
Winchester | 1,255,000 | 1130 | 1100 | 132 | 240 | 352 | 3,565 |
Worcester | 908,000 | 670 | 1350 | 84 | 166 | 273 | 3,326 |
York | 1,457,000 | 2670 | 550 | 231 | 441 | 574 | 2,538 |
1persons per square mile
See also
editNotes
editBibliography
edit- Avis, Paul (2013). The Anglican Understanding of the Church: An Introduction (2nd ed.). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. ISBN 978-0-281-06815-9.
- Bond, Francis (2007). The Cathedrals of England and Wales. Huddersfield, England: Jeremy Mills Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905217-82-3.
- Buchanan, Colin (2006). Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-6506-8.
- The Church of England Year Book (130th ed.). London: Church House Publishing. 2014. ISBN 978-0-7151-1071-3.
- Cormack, Patrick (1984). English Cathedrals. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-517-55409-8.
- Cummings, Owen F. (2007). Canterbury Cousins: The Eucharist in Contemporary Anglican Theology. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-4490-7.
- Foster, Andy (2005). Birmingham. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10731-9.
- Galloway, Peter (1999). A Passionate Humility: Frederick Oakeley and the Oxford Movement. Leominster, England: Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85244-506-8.
- Jones, Ian (2012). The Local Church and Generational Change in Birmingham, 1945–2000. Woodbridge, England: The Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-86193-317-4.
- Livingstone, E. A.; Sparks, M. W. D.; Peacocke, R. W., eds. (2013). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-965962-3.
- Mullett, Michael (2010). Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-7393-3.
- Nicholls, J. F.; Taylor, John (1881). Bristol Past and Present. Vol. 1. Bristol, England: J. W. Arrowsmith. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- Pepin, David (2004). Discovering Cathedrals. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7478-0597-7.
- Podmore, Colin (2005). Aspects of Anglican Identity. London: Church House Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7151-4074-1.
- Ren, C. H. (2011). Christianity and the Future. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-4497-1380-5.
- Tate, William Edward (1969). The Parish Chest: A Study of the Records of Parochial Administration in England. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-06603-7.
- Weaver, Jeffrey; Caviness, Madeline H. (2013). The Ancestors of Christ Windows at Canterbury Cathedral. Los Angeles: Getty Publications. ISBN 978-1-60606-146-6.
- Weaver, Mary Jo; Brakke, David (2008). Introduction to Christianity (4th ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-495-09726-6.
- Wilson, Fiona M. (2013). Organizational Behaviour and Work: A Critical Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-964598-5.