Archdeacon of St Albans

Medieval

From the 13th century, there was an archdeaconry within the Abbey's jurisdiction. These "abbey archdeacons" were monks from the abbey monastery:

• 1415–bef. 1420: John Blebury
• 1420–bef. 1425: John Hatfield
• 1425–bef. 1435: William Alnwick/Alnewyke (possibly the Bishop of Norwich and of Lincoln)
• 1435–bef. 1437: John Peyton
• 1437–bef. 1441: John Hatfield
• 1441–bef. 1446: Stephen London
• 1446–bef. 1450: William Albon
• 1450–bef. 1476: William of Wallingford
• 1476–bef. 1478: Nicholas Boston
• 1478–bef. 1490: John Rothebury
• 1490–bef. 1494: John Thornton
• 1494–bef. 1495: Thomas Newland/Newlonde
• 1495–bef. 1505: Richard Runham
• 1505–bef. 1506: John Stonewell/Stonywell
• 1506: John Killingworth
• 1506–bef. 1509: John Albon
• 1509–bef. 1512: John Mainard/Maynard
• 1512–bef. 1514: Richard Runham
• 1514–bef. 1517: Thomas Marshall
• 1517–bef. 1531: Thomas Kyngesbury^[3]
• 1531: Egidius Ferrers
• 1531–bef. 1539: Thomas Kyngesbury
• 1539–1550: William East/Este

Early modern

On 1 April 1550, letters patent annexed the abbey's parishes to the Diocese of London. Not long after, the diocesan archdeaconry was erected and East (re-)appointed:

• 1550–bef. 1557 (res.): William Este
• 26 February 1557–bef. 1560 (deprived): James Dugdale (deprived)
• 17 July 1560–bef. 1581 (res.): David Kempe
• 3 January 1581–bef. July 1581 (res.): Giles Lawrence
• 5 July 1581–aft. 1602:
  William Hutchinson
• bef. 1626–bef. 1631 (d.): Thomas Raymond
• 14 November 1631 – 25 June 1644 (d.): Thomas Westfield (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1642)

• 19 December 1660–bef. 1664 (d.): Mark Frank
• 30 June 1664 – 24 April 1671 (d.): Christopher Shute
• 28 April 1671 – 19 July 1683 (d.): William Bell
• 9 August 1683–bef. 1688 (d.): Edward Carter
• 4 June 1688–bef. 1713 (d.): John Cole
• 21 April 1713–September 1715 (d.):
  Lionel Gatford
• 6 October 1715 – 13 September 1738 (d.): Philip Stubbs
• 14 October 1738 – 1741 (res.): Fifield Allen (afterwards Archdeacon of Middlesex)
• 14 June 1741 – 29 August 1754 (d.): John Cole
• 13 September 1754 – 12 August 1781 (d.): James Ibbetson
• 5 September 1781 – 1788 (res.):
  Bishop of St David's
  )
• 8 January 1789 – 1813 (res.): Joseph Pott (afterwards Archdeacon of London)
• 4 January 1814–bef. 1816 (res.):
  Robert Hodgson
• 23 January 1816 – 9 June 1839 (d.): John Watson
• 17 June 1839 – 1840 (res.): William Hale (afterwards Archdeacon of Middlesex)
• 16 October 1840 – 28 August 1845 (res.): Charles Burney (afterwards Archdeacon of Colchester)

The archdeaconry, by this point covering all Hertfordshire, was transferred to Rochester diocese by Order in Council on 8 August 1845

• 13 January 1846 – 25 November 1883 (d.): Anthony Grant (also Archdeacon of Rochester, 1863–1882)

Late modern

• 1884–1909 (res.): Walter Lawrance (also the first Dean of St Albans from 1900)^[4]
• 1909–1933 (ret.): Kenneth Gibbs (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[5]
• 1933–31 December 1935 (d.): Arthur Parnell^[6]
• 1936–1942 (res.): Aylmer Skelton (also suffragan Bishop of Bedford from 1939; afterwards Bishop of Lincoln)^[7]
• 1942–1951 (res.):
  Thomas Wood (also suffragan Bishop of Bedford from 1948)^[8]
• 1951–1962 (ret.): Charles Cockbill (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[9]
• 1962–1973 (ret.): Basil Snell (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[10]
• 1973–1974 (res.): Peter Mumford (afterwards suffragan Bishop of Hertford)^[11]
• 1974–1981 (res.): David Farmbrough (afterwards suffragan Bishop of Bedford)^[12]
• 1982–1987 (ret.): Edward Norfolk (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[13]
• 1987–1998 (ret.): Philip Davies (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[14]
• 1999–2002 (res.):
  area Bishop of Kingston)^[15]
• 2003–2007 (ret.): Helen Cunliffe (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[16]
• 2008–2020 (ret.): Jonathan Smith (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[17][18]
• 14 March 2020 – 2 February 2023 (res.): Jane Mainwaring^[19][20] (became Bishop of Hertford)^[21]
• 20 May 2023 – present: Charles Hudson^[22][23]