Bishop of Oxford
Bishop of Oxford | |
---|---|
Bishopric | |
anglican | |
![]() | |
Incumbent: Steven Croft | |
Location | |
Ecclesiastical province | Canterbury |
Information | |
First holder | Robert King |
Established | 1542 |
Diocese | Oxford |
Cathedral | Christ Church Cathedral |
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his election to the See on 6 July 2016.[1]
The Bishop of Oxford has authority throughout the diocese, but also has primary responsibility for the city and suburbs of Oxford, which form the Archdeaconry of Oxford.
From 1636 the Bishop was housed in the purpose-built Cuddesdon Palace.
History[]
The origins of Christianity in this part of England go back at least to the 7th century, when Saint Birinus brought his mission to the West Saxons in 634. The West Saxon King Cynegils was baptised in the River Thames near the present site of Dorchester Abbey, where the original See was established.
The see was transferred in 1092 to Winchester, before being absorbed into the Diocese of Lincoln, the vast extent of which covered much of central and eastern England from the River Thames to the Humber.
King Henry VIII, acting now as head of the Church in England, established by Act of Parliament in 1542 six new dioceses, mostly out of the spoils of the suppressed monasteries. These six were Bristol, Chester, Gloucester, Oxford, Peterborough and Westminster. This intervention by Henry VIII saw a new see located at Osney in Oxfordshire in 1542 before finally being moved to its present location in the City of Oxford in 1546.
While the city gained prosperity from the accession of thousands of students, it was never, apart from the university, again prominent in history until the seventeenth century, when it became the headquarters of the Royalist party, and again the meeting-place of Parliament. The city of Oxford showed its Hanoverian sympathies long before the university, and feeling between them ran high in consequence. The area and population of the city remained almost stationary until about 1830, but since then it has grown rapidly.
Modern bishopric[]
The modern diocese covers the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire, with parishes also in Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, and Warwickshire. The see is in the City of Oxford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ which was elevated to cathedral status in 1546, and which (uniquely among English dioceses) is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford. The Oxford diocese at the present day contains the greatest number of parishes of any diocese on England (621) and also the most church buildings (815), of which 475 are grade 1 or 2* listed buildings.
Croft is the first to reside at the new Bishop's Lodge, Kidlington; "for decades" previously, bishops had resided at Linton Road in North Oxford.[2] Each bishop signs + Christian name Oxon:; e.g. + Steven Oxon:.
List of bishops[]
List of the Bishops of Oxford, and its precursor offices.
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
Bishops of Oxford | |||
---|---|---|---|
From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
See at Osney | |||
1542 | 1546 | ![]() |
previously suffragan bishop to the Bishop of Lincoln (as titular Bishop of Rheon, Greece) |
See at Oxford | |||
1546 | 1558 | ![]() |
previously Bishop of Rheon (above) |
1558 | 1559 | ![]() |
Translated from St Asaph: his nomination had however been left unsigned at the death of the Queen; deprived, fled to Milan, Naples and Rome |
1559 | 1567 | See vacant | |
1567 | 1568 | ![]() |
Translated from Dublin |
1568 | 1589 | See vacant | |
1589 | 1592 | ![]() |
Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford |
1592 | 1604 | See vacant | |
1604 | 1618 | ![]() |
Dean of Salisbury |
1619 | 1628 | ![]() |
Student of Christ Church, Oxford; translated to Durham |
1628 | 1632 | ![]() |
Dean of Christ Church, Oxford; translated to Norwich |
1632 | 1641 | ![]() |
Master of University College, Oxford |
1641 | 1646 | ![]() |
Translated from Bristol; deprived of the see when the English episcopacy was abolished by Parliament on 9 October 1646. |
1646 | 1660 | The see was abolished during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate.[3][4] | |
1660 | 1663 | ![]() |
Restored; translated to Worcester |
1663 | 1665 | ![]() |
Dean of Lichfield |
1665 | 1671 | ![]() |
Warden of Wadham College, Oxford;[5] translated to Worceser |
1671 | 1674 | ![]() |
Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, and Dean of Chichester; translated to Durham |
1674 | 1676 | ![]() |
Canon of Christ Church, Oxford; translated to London |
1676 | 1686 | ![]() |
Dean of Christ Church, Oxford |
1686 | 1687 | ![]() |
Archdeacon of Canterbury; died in office |
1688 | 1690 | ![]() |
Denied installation by the Chapter of Christ Church |
1690 | 1699 | ![]() |
President of Magdalen College, Oxford; translated to Lichfield |
1699 | 1715 | ![]() |
Dean of Worcester; translated to Salisbury |
1715 | 1737 | ![]() |
Regius Professor of Divinity, Oxford; translated to Canterbury |
1737 | 1758 | ![]() |
Translated from Bristol; translated to Canterbury |
1758 | 1766 | ![]() |
Translated from Bristol; translated to Salisbury |
1766 | 1777 | ![]() |
Translated from St David's; translated to London |
1777 | 1788 | ![]() |
Prebendary of Winchester; translated to Hereford |
1788 | 1799 | ![]() |
Translated from St David's |
1799 | 1807 | ![]() |
Regius Professor of Divinity, Oxford; translated to Bangor |
1807 | 1811 | ![]() |
|
1812 | 1815 | ![]() |
Regius Professor of Greek, Oxford |
1816 | 1827 | ![]() |
Dean of Windsor |
1827 | 1829 | ![]() |
Regius Professor of Divinity, Oxford |
1829 | 1845 | ![]() |
Dean of Canterbury; translated to Bath & Wells |
1845 | 1869 | ![]() |
Dean of Westminster; translated to Winchester |
1870 | 1889 | ![]() |
Prebendary of Exeter |
1889 | 1901 | ![]() |
Translated from Chester |
1901 | 1911 | ![]() |
Dean of Christ Church, Oxford |
1911 | 1919 | ![]() |
Translated from Birmingham; resigned |
1919 | 1925 | ![]() |
Translated from Southwark |
1925 | 1937 | ![]() |
Translated from Ripon; resigned |
1937 | 1954 | ![]() |
Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, Oxford |
1955 | 1970 | ![]() |
Warden of Keble College, Oxford; resigned |
1971 | 1978 | ![]() |
Principal of Edinburgh Theological College; resigned |
1978 | 1986 | ![]() |
Translated from Manchester; resigned |
1987 | 2006 | ![]() |
Dean of King's College, London; ennobled on retirement |
2006 | 2014 | ![]() |
Translated from Jarrow |
2014 | 2016 | Colin Fletcher Bishop of Dorchester |
Acting Bishop. The unusually long vacancy was due to the Crown Nominations Commission failing to appoint in May 2015, and having to rejoin the back of the 'queue' for a second chance in March 2016.[6] |
6 July 2016 | incumbent | ![]() |
Translated from Sheffield[1] |
Assistant bishops[]
Among those who have served the diocese as stipendiary (i.e. not retired) Assistant Bishops have been:
- 1921 – 1936 (ret.): Edward Shaw, Archdeacon of Oxford and canon residentiary of Christ Church; former Bishop suffragan of Buckingham[7]
- 1936 – 1939: Gerald Allen, Archdeacon of Oxford and Canon of Christ Church, former Bishop of Sherborne (became first Bishop suffragan of Dorchester)[8]
- 1947 – 1952 (ret.): Roscow Shedden, Vicar of Wantage and former Bishop of Nassau[9]
- late 1951[10] – 1963 (d.): Vibert Jackson, Vicar of South Ascot (since 1940) and former Bishop of the Windward Islands[11]
- c. 1952 – 1959: Geoffrey Allen, Principal of Ripon Hall and former Bishop in Egypt (became Bishop of Derby)[12]
- 1986–1988: Patrick Harris, Secretary of the and former Bishop of Northern Argentina (later Bishop of Southwell)[13]
Those who have served in (or into) retirement have included:
- 1952 (ret.) – 1956 (d.): Roscow Shedden, former Bishop of Nassau[9]
- 1952 (ret.) – 1956 (d.): Gerald Allen, retired Bishop suffragan of Dorchester[8]
- 1954 (ret.) – 1961 (d.): Arthur Parham, retired Bishop suffragan of Reading[14]
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Diocese of Oxford — Legal ceremony brings Bishop Steven a step closer Archived 14 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine & Diocese of Oxford — Letter from Bishop Steven (Both Retrieved 8 July 2016)
- ^ Ffrench, Andrew. "New Bishop of Oxford will live outside city as current £10m house deemed too expensive". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Plant, David (2002). "Episcopalians". BCW Project. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ King, Peter (July 1968). "The Episcopate during the Civil Wars, 1642-1649". The English Historical Review. Oxford University Press. 83 (328): 523–537. doi:10.1093/ehr/lxxxiii.cccxxviii.523. JSTOR 564164.
- ^ "No. 1". The Oxford Gazette. 7 November 1665. p. 1.
- ^ Church of England Media Centre — Vacancy in the See of Oxford (Retrieved 15 May 2015)
- ^ "Church news". Church Times (#3827). 29 May 1936. p. 665. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 27 February 2020 – via UK Press Online archives.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Allen, Gerald Burton". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Shedden, Roscow George". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ "Church news: personal". Church Times (#4631). 9 November 1951. p. 778. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.
- ^ "Jackson, Vibert". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ^ 'The Anglican Episcopate', in The Living Church Annual 1957 p.375
- ^ "Church Times: Deaths, 8 January 2021". Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Parham, Arthur Groom". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
References[]
- Oxford Diocesan Year Book
- 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
- The above text is partly drawn from the Catholic Encyclopaedia of 1908
- Bishops of Oxford
- History of Oxford
- Lists of Church of England bishops and archbishops
- Diocese of Oxford
- Oxford-related lists