Bishop of London

Bishop of London
Bishop of London
Bishopric
anglican
	Incumbent:; Dr Richard Chartres
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Canterbury
Information
Formation	4th century, but current establishment from 604
Diocese	London
Cathedral	St Paul's Cathedral

The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.

The diocese covers 458 km² (177 sq. mi.) of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames (historically the County of Middlesex) and a small part of the County of Surrey. The see is in the City of London where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul which was founded as a cathedral in 604 and was rebuilt from 1675 following the Great Fire of London (1666).

Third in seniority in the Church of England after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishop is one of five senior bishops, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Durham, and the Bishop of Winchester, who sit as of right as one of the 26 Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords (as opposed to the remaining diocesan bishops of lesser rank, for whom elevation to one of the seats reserved is attained upon its vacancy and is determined by chronological seniority).

The Bishop's residence is The Old Deanery, Dean's Court, London. Previously, for over a thousand years Fulham Palace was the residence, although, from the eighteenth century, London House, next to the Bishop's Chapel in Aldersgate Street, was where he had his chambers, and was used as a more convenient place for the Bishop to conduct his affairs.

The Bishop of London originally had responsibility for the church in the British colonies in North America, although after the American Revolution of 1776 all that remained under his jurisdiction were the British West India Islands.

The current Bishop of London is the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Richard John Carew Chartres, the 132nd Lord Bishop of London, who was installed on 26 January 1996 and who signs Richard Londin.

History

Because the Bishop's diocese includes the Royal palaces and the seat of government at Westminster, he has been regarded as the 'King's bishop' and has historically had considerable influence with members of the Royal Family and leading politicians of the day. Since 1748 it has been customary to appoint the Bishop of London to the post of Dean of the Chapel Royal, which has the amusing effect of putting under the bishop's jurisdiction as dean several chapels (at the Tower of London and St. James's Palace, among others) which are geographically in the Diocese of London but as royal peculiars are specifically outside the bishop's jurisdiction as bishop.

The recorded antiquity of the office dates back to the Roman province of Britannia. where sixteen named bishops are listed by Jocelyne of Furness in his work Bishops. Stowe noted that this was the sole available source of these names. However, the earlier of the two bishops named Restitutus in the work was alive in 314, the year which he was named as attending the Council of Arles. The Saxon bishopric of which the present diocese is the direct successor was established in 604 by Mellitus, the same year as St Paul's Cathedral (and also the Diocese of Rochester) were founded.

List of bishops

Romano-British Archbishops of London – traditional list
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
???	???	Thean
???	???	Elvanus
???	???	Cadar
???	???	Obinus
???	???	Paludius
???	???	Stephen
???	???	Iltute
???	???	Dedwin	Theodwin.
???	???	Thedred
???	???	Hillary
???	???	Restitutus (I)	Historical Bishop of London who attended the Council of Arles in 314.
???	???	Guidelium	Guiteline.
???	???	Fastidius	Follower of Pelagius, floruit ca. 420 AD..
???	???	Vodimus	Said to have been killed by the Saxons.
???	514	Theanus	Said to have fled into Wales.
514	553	Restitutus (II)
553	604	Theonus
Post-Augustinian Bishops of London – historical list
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
604	618	Saint Mellitus	Translated to Canterbury.
658	664	Saint Cedd	Died in office.
664	666	Vacant	For 2 years.
666	675	Wine	Wini; translated from Winchester.
675	697	Saint Earconwald
697	betw. 705 & 716	Waldhere	Wealdheri.
betw. 705 & 716	745	Ingwald	Ingweald.
745	betw. 766 & 772	Ecgwulf	Eggwulf.
betw. 766 & 772	betw. 772 & 781	Wigheah	Sighaeh.
betw. 772 & 782	betw. 787 & 789	Eadberht	Eadbert; Eadbeorht.
betw. 787 & 789	betw. 787 & 789	Eadgar
betw. 789 & 793	betw. 793 & 796	Coenwealh
betw. 793 & 796	betw. 796 & 798	Eadbald	Eadbeald.
betw. 796 & 798	801	Heathoberht	Heathubeorht.
betw. 801 & 803	betw. 805 & 811	Osmund	Oswynus.
betw. 805 & 811	betw. 816 & 824	Æthelnoth	Æthilnoth.
betw. 816 & 824	betw. 845 & 860	Ceolberht	Coelbeorht.
betw. 845 & 860	betw. 867 & 896	Deorwulf
betw. 867 & 896	betw. 867 & 896	Swithwulf
betw. 867 & 896	897	Heahstan
betw. 897 & 900	betw. 909 & 926	Wulfsige
betw. 909 & 926	betw. 909 & 926	Æthelweard
betw. 909 & 926	betw. 909 & 926	Leofstan	Ealhstan.
betw. 909 & 926	betw. 951 & 953	Theodred
betw. 951 & 953	betw. 957 & 959	Brihthelm	Beorhthelm.
betw. 957 & 959	959	Dunstan	Saint Dunstan; translated from Worcester; translated to Canterbury.
betw. 959 & 964	betw. 995 & 996	Ælfstan
996	1002	Wulfstan
betw. 1002 & 1004	betw. 1015 & 1018	Ælfhun
1014	c. 1035	Ælfwig
1035	1044	Ælfweard
1044	1051	Robert of Jumièges	Translated to Canterbury.
1051	1051	Spearhafoc	Never consecrated.
Post-Conquest Bishops of London
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1051	1075	William the Norman
1075	1085	Hugh d'Orevalle	Hugh D'Orival; Hugh de Orwell.
1085	1108	Maurice	Archdeacon of Maine; Lord Chancellor.
1108	1128	Richard de Beaumis (uncle)	Richard de Belmis I.
1128	c. 1136	Gilbert Universalis	Gilbert the Universal; Canon of Lyons.
c. 1136	1138	Anselm of St Saba	Election quashed.
1141	1152	Robert de Sigello	Monk of Reading.
1152	1163	Richard de Beaumis (nephew)	Richard de Belmis II; Archdeacon of Middlesex.
1163	c. 1187	Gilbert Foliot	Translated from Hereford.
c. 1187	1189	Vacant	For 2 years.
1189	1199	Richard FitzNeal	Richard FitzNigel; Dean of Lincoln.
1199	1221	William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise	William de St Mariæ Ecclesiâ; Prebendary of St Paul's; resigned.
1221	1229	Eustace of Fauconberg	Lord Treasurer.
1229	1241	Roger Niger	Saint Roger Niger; Archdeacon of Colchester.
1241	1260	Fulk Basset	Dean of York.
1260	2 July 1262	Henry Wingham	Henry of Wingham; Prebendary of St Paul's; Lord Chancellor; died in office.
1262	October 1262	Richard Talbot	Dean of St Paul's, London.
1263	1273	Henry of Sandwich	Prebendary of St Paul's, London.
1273	1280	John Chishull	Dean of St Paul's, London; Lord Chancellor and Lord Treasurer; died in office.
1280	1280	Fulke Lovell	Elected but declined the office.
1280	1304	Richard Gravesend	Prebendary of St Paul's, London.
1304	1313	Ralph Baldock	Ralph de Baldoc; Dean of St Paul's, London.
1313	1317	Gilbert Segrave	Precentor of St Paul's, London.
1317	1318	Richard Newport	Dean of St Paul's, London.
1318	1338	Stephen Gravesend	Prebendary of St Paul's, London.
1338	1340	Richard de Wentworth	Richard Bintworth; Prebendary of St Paul's, London and Lord Chancellor.
1340	1354	Ralph Stratford	Prebendary of St Paul's, London and Salisbury.
1354	1361	Michael Northburgh	Prebendary of St Paul's, London.
1361	1375	Simon Sudbury	Alias Tybold; Chancellor of Salisbury; translated to Canterbury.
1375	1381	William Courtenay	Translated from Hereford; Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of Oxford; translated to Canterbury.
1381	1404	Robert Braybrooke	Dean of Salisbury; Lord Chancellor.
1404	1406	Roger Walden	Dean of York; consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury; Lord Treasurer.
1406	1407	Nicholas Bubwith	Nicholas de Bubbewyth; Prebendary of Salisbury; Master of the Rolls, Keeper of the Privy Seal and Lord Treasurer; translated to Salisbury.
1407	1421	Richard Clifford	Richard de Clifford; translated from Worcester.
1421	1426	John Kemp	Translated from Chichester; translated to York.
1426	1431	William Grey	Dean of York; translated to Lincoln.
1431	1436	Robert FitzHugh	Archdeacon of Northampton and Chancellor of Cambridge.
1436	1448	Robert Gilbert	Dean of York.
1448	1489	Thomas Kempe	Archdeacon of Middlesex and Chancellor of York.
1489	1496	Richard Hill	Dean of King's Chapel and Prebendary of Salisbury.
1496	1502	Thomas Savage	Translated from Rochester; translated to York.
1502	1504	William Warham	Prebendary of St Paul's, London; Lord Chancellor; translated to Canterbury.
1504	1506	William Barons	Master of the Rolls.
1506	1522	Richard FitzJames	Translated from Chichester.
Post-Reformation Bishops of London
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1522	1530	Cuthbert Tunstall	Dean of Salisbury; Master of the Rolls; translated to Durham.
1530	1539	John Stokesley	Archdeacon of Dorset.
1539	September 1549	Edmund Bonner	Archdeacon of Leicester; Bishop-elect of Hereford; deprived.
1550	1553	Nicholas Ridley	Translated from Rochester; deprived by Queen Mary and burned at the stake for heresy.
1553	May 1559	Edmund Bonner	Restored by Mary; deprived.
1559	1570	Edmund Grindal	Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge; translated to York.
1570	1577	Edwin Sandys	Translated from Worcester.
1577	1594	John Aylmer	Archdeacon of Lincoln.
1594	15 June 1596	Richard Fletcher	Translated from Worcester; died in office.
1597	1604	Richard Bancroft	Prebendary of Westminster; translated to Canterbury.
1604	1607	Richard Vaughan	Translated from Chester.
1607	1610	Thomas Ravis	Translated from Gloucester.
1610	1611	George Abbot	Translated from Lichfield & Coventry; translated to Canterbury.
1611	1621	John King	Dean of Christchurch, Oxford.
1621	1628	George Montaigne	Translated from Lincoln.
1628	1633	William Laud	Translated from Bath & Wells; Chancellor of Oxford; translated to Canterbury.
1633	1649	William Juxon	Translated from Hereford before consecration; Lord Treasurer; deprived under the Commonwealth; translated to Canterbury.
1649	1660	Vacant	For 11 years.
1660	1663	Gilbert Sheldon	Prebendary of Gloucester; translated to Canterbury.
1663	1675	Humphrey Henchman	Translated from Salisbury; Bishop Almoner.
December 1675	1713	Henry Compton	Translated from Oxford.
1713	11 April 1723	John Robinson	Translated from Bristol; died in office.
1723	6 September 1748	Edmund Gibson	Translated from Lincoln; died in office.
1748	July 1761	Thomas Sherlock	Translated from Salisbury; died in office.
1761	1762	Thomas Hayter	Translated from Norwich; died in office.
1762	1764	Richard Osbaldeston	Translated from Carlisle; died in office.
1764	1777	Richard Terrick	Translated from Peterborough.
1777	3 November 1787	Robert Lowth	Translated from Oxford; died in office.
1787	13 May 1809	Beilby Porteus	Translated from Chester; died in office.
12 June 1809	1813	John Randolph	Translated from Bangor.
14 August 1813	1828	William Howley	Translated to Canterbury.
15 August 1828	September 1856	Charles Blomfield	Translated from Chester; resigned.
11 October 1856	1868	Archibald Tait	Dean of Carlisle; translated to Canterbury.
4 January 1869	6 January 1885	John Jackson	Translated from Lincoln.
25 February 1885	1896	Frederick Temple	Translated from Exeter; translated to Canterbury.
1897	1901	Mandell Creighton	Translated from Peterborough.
1901	1939	Arthur Winnington-Ingram	Translated from Stepney.
1939	1945	Geoffrey Fisher	Translated from Chester; translated to Canterbury.
1945	1955	William Wand	Translated from Bath and Wells.
1956	1961	Henry Campbell	Translated from Guildford.
1961	1973	Robert Stopford	Translated from Peterborough.
1973	1981	Gerald Ellison	Translated from Chester.
1981	1991	Graham Leonard	Translated from Truro; resigned and received into the Roman Catholic Church.
1991	1995	David Hope	Translated from Wakefield; translated to York.
1996	present	Dr Richard Chartres	Translated from Stepney.

Sources

Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894) Joseph Haydn/Horace 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

External links