Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.
The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the town of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was founded as a cathedral in 604. During the late 17th and 18th centuries it was customary for the Bishop of Rochester to also be appointed Dean of Westminster Abbey: the practice ended in 1802.
The bishop's residence, "Bishopscourt", is in Rochester.
The office was created in AD 604 at the founding of the diocese in the Kingdom of Kent under King Æthelbert. The current bishop is the Rt Revd James Langstaff.[1]
Contents |
History[edit]
The Diocese of Rochester was historically the oldest and smallest of all the suffragan sees of Canterbury. Founded by St Augustine, who in 604 consecrated St Justus as its first bishop. (After two more Roman bishops, all subsequent bishops until 1066, beginning with Ithamar, were drawn from the Christianised inhabitants of Kent.) The diocesan territory consisted roughly of the western part of Kent, separated from the rest of the county by the River Medway, though the diocesan boundaries did not follow the river very closely. The restricted territory of the diocese meant that it needed only one archdeacon to supervise all 97 parishes.
From the foundation of the see the Archbishop of Canterbury had enjoyed the privilege of nominating the bishop, but Archbishop Theobald transferred the right to the Benedictine monks of the cathedral, who exercised it for the first time in 1148.
List of bishops[edit]
Pre-Conquest[edit]
| Pre-Conquest Bishops of Rochester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 604 | 624 | Justus | |
| 624 | 633 | Romanus | |
| 633 | 644 | Paulinus of York | |
| 644 | 664 | Ithamar | |
| 664 | 669 | Damianus | |
| 669 | 676 | Putta | |
| 676 | 678 | Cwichelm | |
| 678 | 716 | Gebmund | |
| 716 | 727 | Tobias | |
| 727 | 741 | Ealdwulf | |
| 741 | 747 | Dunn | |
| 747 | 772 | Eardwulf | |
| 772 | 785 | Diora | |
| 785 | 805 | Waermund (I) | |
| 805 | 844 | Beornmod | |
| 844 | 868 | Tatnoth | |
| 868 | 868 | Badenoth | |
| 868 | 868 | Waermund (II) | |
| 868 | 880 | Cuthwulf | |
| 880 | 900 | Swithwulf | |
| 900 | c.926 | Ceolmund | |
| c.926 | c.933-934 | Cyneferth | |
| c.933-934 | 949 | Burgric | |
| 949 | 955 | Beorhtsige | |
| 955 | 964 | Daniel | Bishop of Rochester or Selsey. |
| 964 | 995 | Ælfstan | |
| 995 | 1046 | Godwine (I) | |
| 1046 | 1058 | Godwine (II) | |
| 1058 | 1076 | Siward | |
Conquest to Reformation[edit]
Post-Reformation[edit]
| Post-Reformation Bishops of Rochester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1535 | 1540 | John Hilsey (John Hildesleigh) |
|
| 1540 | 1544 | Nicholas Heath | Translated to Worcester |
| 1544 | 1547 | Henry Holbeach | |
| 1547 | 1550 | Nicholas Ridley | Martyr. |
| 1550 | 1551 | John Ponet (John Poynet) |
|
| 1551 | 1552 | John Scory | |
| 1554 | 1558 | Maurice Griffith | |
| 1559 | 1559 | Edmund Allen |
Died before filling his position. |
| 1560 | 1572 | Edmund Gheast (Edmund Guest) |
|
| 1572 | 1576 | Edmund Freke | |
| 1576 | 1578 | John Piers | |
| 1578 | 1605 | John Young | |
| 1605 | 1608 | William Barlow | Translated to Lincoln 1608 |
| 1608 | 1611 | Richard Neile | |
| 1611 | 1628 | John Buckeridge | |
| 1628 | 1630 | Walter Curle | |
| 1630 | 1638 | John Bowle | |
| 1638 | 1666 | John Warner | |
| 1666 | 1683 | John Dolben | |
| 1683 | 1684 | Francis Turner | |
| 1684 | 1713 | Thomas Sprat | |
| 1713 | 1723 | Francis Atterbury | |
| 1723 | 1731 | Samuel Bradford | |
| 1731 | 1756 | Joseph Wilcocks | |
| 1756 | 1774 | Zachary Pearce | |
| 1774 | 1793 | John Thomas | |
| 1793 | 1802 | Samuel Horsley | |
| 1802 | 1809 | Thomas Dampier | |
| 1809 | 1827 | Walker King | |
| 1827 | 1827 | Hugh Percy | Translated to Carlisle. |
| 1827 | 1860 | George Murray | |
| 1860 | 1867 | Joseph Wigram | |
| 1867 | 1877 | Thomas Claughton | |
| 1877 | 1891 | Anthony Thorold | |
| 1891 | 1895 | Randall Davidson | Later Archbishop of Canterbury then Lord Davidson of Lambeth. |
| 1895 | 1905 | Edward Talbot | |
| 1905 | 1930 | John Harmer | |
| 1930 | 1940 | Linton Smith | |
| 1940 | 1961 | Christopher Chavasse | |
| 1961 | 1988 | David Say | |
| 1988 | 1994 | Michael Turnbull | |
| 1994 | 2009 | Michael Nazir-Ali | |
| 2010 | present | James Langstaff | Translated from Lynn. |
References[edit]
Sources[edit]
- Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894), Joseph Haydn andHorace Ockerby, reprinted 1969
- Whitaker's Almanack, 1883 to 2004, Joseph Whitaker and Sons Ltd / A&C Black, London
- Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde, Handbook of British Chronology (2nd ed), London: Royal Historical Society, 1961
- British History Online Bishops of Rochester accessed on October 25, 2007
