Diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield Dioecesis Lichfeldensis | |
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| lichfield.anglican.org |
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq mi) of several counties: almost all of Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, a significant portion of the West Midlands, and very small portions of Warwickshire and Powys (Wales).
History
The Diocese of
During the 9th century, the diocese was devastated by the Vikings. Lichfield itself was unwalled and had become rather poor, so Bishop Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier Chester in 1075. His successor, Robert de Limesey, transferred it to Coventry and the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield. At this stage it also covered Derbyshire and most of Warwickshire. In 1539 the see was transferred back to Lichfield and the name was reversed to become the Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry.
The diocese was one of the largest in medieval England and was divided into five archdeaconries roughly coinciding with the constituent counties or parts of counties: Chester (covering Cheshire and south Lancashire), Coventry, Derby, Salop and Stafford. In 1541 the
In 1884 the
Bishops
The bishop diocesan is assisted by the area bishops of Shrewsbury (responsible for the Salop archdeaconry), Stafford (responsible for the Stoke archdeaconry), and Wolverhampton (responsible for the Lichfield and Walsall archdeaconries). The See of Shrewsbury was in existence from 1888 to 1905, then re-created in 1940; the See of Stafford was created in 1909, and the See of Wolverhampton in 1979. The diocesan area scheme was instituted in 1992.[8]
In 2022, it was announced that the suffragan See of Oswestry in the diocese would be used as a provincial episcopal visitor (for traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes in the western half of the Province of Canterbury who reject the ministry of women).[9] On 2 February 2023, Paul Thomas became the first Bishop of Oswestry and was consecrated a bishop.[10]
There are also two retired bishops resident in (or near) the diocese who are licensed to serve as
- 2020–present: Canon Residentiary of the cathedral
- 2005–present: Bishop of Iran who lives in Church Aston, Shropshire, and is also licensed in the neighbouring Birmingham diocese.[11]
Archdeacons of Walsall
- The archdeaconry of Walsall was created from Lichfield archdeaconry in 1997.[6]
- 1997–2004 (ret.): Tony Sadler (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)[12]
- 2004–2009 (res.): Bob Jackson[13]
- 1 November 2009 – 29 September 2014 (ret.):[14] Chris Sims[15]
- 11 January 2015 – September 2019: Sue Weller[16] (became Archdeacon of Lichfield)[17]
- 8 November 2019 – present: Julian Francis[18]
See also
- Bishop of Lichfield
- Lichfield Cathedral
- Dean of Lichfield
- Archdeacon of Salop
- Archdeacon of Stafford
- Archdeacon of Stoke
References
- ^ "Diocese of Lichfield". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ a b "No. 19460". The London Gazette. 24 January 1837. pp. 169–170.
- ^ From Parson to Professional: The Changing Ministry Of the Anglican Clergy In Staffordshire, 1830–1960. A thesis written by the Rev. Dr. John W. B. Tomlinson (2008 Birmingham University)
- ^ "No. 24486". The London Gazette. 24 July 1877. pp. 4316–4318.
- ^ a b "Diocese of Lichfield". Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Lichfield and Coventry Diocesan Maps". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "4: The Dioceses Commission, 1978–2002" (PDF). Church of England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "Bishops of Maidstone, Ebbsfleet and Oswestry". Diocese of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "The Consecration of the first Bishop of Oswestry". See of Oswestry. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Iraj Kalimi Mottahedeh". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Sadler, Anthony Graham". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 15 April 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Jackson, Robert William". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 15 April 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Gazette". Diocese of Lichfield. 22 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "Sims, Christopher Sidney". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 15 April 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "The new Archdeacon of Walsall". Diocese of Lichfield. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "Diocese of Lichfield - News - Sue named as new Archdeacon Missioner". www.lichfield.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Diocese of Lichfield - News - Julian returns as Archdeacon of Walsall". www.lichfield.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019.
52°41′08″N 1°49′50″W / 52.6855°N 1.8305°W
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