This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2009) |
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | England and Wales |
Territory | The English historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire, and until 1840 also all of the Welsh historic counties and the English historic county of Herefordshire. |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Established | 30 January 1688 |
Dissolved | 29 September 1850 |
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District was created in 1688 and was dissolved in 1850 and replaced by two dioceses.
Soon after the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, the bishops of England were forced to choose between taking the Oath of Supremacy, thus denying the authority of the Pope, or losing their episcopal sees. Those who chose to continue their allegiance to Rome were subsequently deposed and replaced in their sees by priests of the Church of England. Most of the deposed Bishops were imprisoned in various locations and died in captivity over a period of years, though some left the country and continued their work overseas. The last of the deposed bishops was Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St Asaph, who died in Rome on 3 April 1585.
In 1623, Pope Urban VIII decided once again to provide a bishop with jurisdiction in England. So it was that Dr William Bishop was appointed, with the title of Vicar Apostolic of England. He died shortly afterwards and was succeeded by Dr Richard Smith, who in August 1631 was forced to resign and fled to France. The office then remained vacant until its revival in 1685 with the appointment of Dr John Leyburn as bishop.
In 1623 the first Apostolic Vicar, Dr Bishop, divided England into six areas and placed a superior at the head of each with the title of vicar general. This structure remained in place until Dr Leyburn reduced the number from six to four. It was on the basis of these four areas that on 30 January 1688 Pope Innocent XI increased the number of (titular) bishops in England to four. The territory of the former single Apostolic Vicariate was thereby reduced, becoming the Apostolic Vicariate of the London District. So it was that the Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District was created, along with the Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern District and the Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District.
The Western District consisted of the English historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire, and all of the Welsh historic counties. The first vicar apostolic of the Western District, with effect from 30 January 1688, was Bishop Philip Michael Ellis OSB, who resigned in 1705. He should have been succeeded by Andrew Giffard (brother of Bonaventure Giffard), however, he refused to accept the appointment. The next vicar apostolic in 1713, after an interregnum, was Matthew Pritchard O.F.M. In 1840, a general redivision of the vicariates took effect. Wales and Herefordshire formed the new Apostolic Vicariate of the Welsh District, and thenceforth the Western District consisted of the English counties in the south west only. Despite this last subdivision and intermittent persecution, an Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District existed until 29 September 1850 when Pope Pius IX issued the Bull Universalis Ecclesiae , by which thirteen new dioceses which did not formally claim any continuity with the pre-Elizabethan English dioceses were created, commonly known as the restoration of the English hierarchy. Among them was the diocese of Clifton, which along with the new Diocese of Plymouth was formed from the territory of the former Apostolic Vicariate of the Western District.
Given that the Apostolic Vicars resided chiefly at Bath in Somerset, it was fitting that the last vicar apostolic of the Western District, Dr Joseph William Hendren (1791–1866), consecrated in 1848, should become the first Bishop of Clifton. Thus the new Clifton diocese was in continuity with the old vicariate.
In the early period from 1850 the Clifton diocese was a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Westminster, but a further development was the creation under Pope Pius X, on 28 October 1911, of a new Province of Birmingham, to which Clifton then was transferred.
The archives of the Western District, one of the most important sources of information for the history of the Church in England from 1780 to 1850 are deposited in the archives of the diocese of Clifton.
The other half of the apostolic vicariate became the Diocese of Plymouth.
Vicars Apostolic of the Western District | |||
---|---|---|---|
From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
1688 | 1705 | Philip Michael Ellis , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Aureliopolis in Asia | Appointed vicar apostolic and Titular bishop on 28 January 1688. Consecrated on 6 May 1688. Resigned as vicar apostolic in 1705. Afterwards appointed Bishop of Segni in Italy on 3 October 1708. Died on 16 November 1726. [1] |
1705 | 1713 | Vacant | Andrew Giffard (brother of Bonaventure Giffard) was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Western District and Titular Bishop of Centuriae on 7 September 1705, however, he refused to accept the appointment, and died on 14 September 1714. |
1713 | 1750 | Matthew Pritchard , O.F.M.Rec. Titular Bishop of Myra | Appointed vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 20 September 1713. Consecrated on 9 June 1715 and died on 22 May 1750. [2] |
1750 | 1763 | Lawrence William York , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Nebbi | Appointed Coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 13 May 1741. Consecrated on 10 August 1741. Succeeded as vicar apostolic on 22 May 1750. Retired on 11 July 1763 and died on 14 April 1770. [3] |
1770 | 1797 | Charles Walmesley , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Rama(t(h)a) | Appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 15 June 1756. Consecrated on 21 December 1756. Succeeded vicar apostolic on 14 April 1770. Died in office on 25 November 1797. [4] |
1797 | 1809 | William Gregory Sharrock , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Telmissus | Appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 30 September 1779. Consecrated on 12 August 1780. Succeeded as vicar apostolic on 25 November 1797. Died in office on 17 October 1809. [5] |
1809 | 1829 | Peter Bernardine Collingridge , O.F.M.Rec. Titular Bishop of Thespiae | Appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 13 January 1807. Consecrated on 11 October 1807. Succeeded vicar apostolic on 18 October 1809. Died in office in March 1829. [6] |
1829 | 1843 | Peter Augustine Baines , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Sigus | Appointed coadjutor vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 4 February 1823. Consecrated on 1 May 1823. Succeeded vicar apostolic on 3 March 1829. Died in office on 6 July 1843. [7] |
1844 | 1845 | Charles Michael Baggs Titular Bishop of Pella | Appointed vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 9 January 1844. Consecrated on 28 January 1844. Died in office on 16 October 1845. [8] |
1846 | 1848 | William Bernard Ullathorne , O.S.B. Titular Bishop of Cabasa | Appointed vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 12 May 1846. Consecrated on 21 June 1846. Translated to the Central District on 28 July 1848. [9] |
1848 | 1850 | Joseph William Hendren , O.F.M. Titular Bishop of Martyropolis | Appointed vicar apostolic and titular bishop on 28 July 1848. Consecrated on 10 September 1848. Became the first Bishop of Clifton on 29 September 1850. [10] |
In 1850, the Western District was dissolved and replaced by the dioceses of Clifton and Plymouth. [11] | |||
Source(s): [12] |
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is the Latin Catholic ecclesiastical patriarchate in Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was originally established in 1099, with the Kingdom of Jerusalem encompassing the territories in the Holy Land newly conquered by the First Crusade. From 1374 to 1847 it was a titular see, with the patriarchs of Jerusalem being based at the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome. A resident Latin patriarch was re-established in 1847 by Pius IX.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is a Roman Catholic diocese centred at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Clifton, England.
The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England.
The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.
The Archbishop of Birmingham heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in England. As such he is the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Birmingham. The archdiocese covers an area of 8,735 km2 (3,400 sq mi) and spans of the counties of Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The see in the City of Birmingham where the archbishop's seat is located at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of Saint Chad.
The Archbishop of Cardiff is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff.
The Bishop of Menevia is the ordinary of the Diocese of Menevia in the Province of Cardiff in the Catholic Church in Wales.
The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne, and the county of Hertfordshire, which lies immediately to London's north.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church which covers the south-east portion of Wales and the county of Herefordshire in England. The Metropolitan Province of Cardiff therefore covers all of Wales and part of England. Cardiff's suffragan dioceses are the Diocese of Menevia and the Diocese of Wrexham.
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Lancashire District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1840 and was replaced by two dioceses in 1850.
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by an apostolic vicar who was a titular bishop. The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District was created in 1688 and changed its name to the Central District in 1840. It was dissolved in 1850 and was replaced by two dioceses.
The Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The Apostolic Vicariate of the Northern District was created in 1688 and dissolved in 1850 and was replaced by the Diocese of Hexham, which changed to the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in 1861.
John Leyburn was an English Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of England from 1685 to 1688 and then when it was divided served as the Vicar Apostolic of the London District from 1688 to 1702. He was not only a theologian, but also a mathematician, and an intimate friend of Descartes and Hobbes.
Universalis Ecclesiae was a papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as the old ones were in use by the Church of England. The bull aroused considerable anti-Catholic feeling among English Protestants.
Michael Ellis was an English Benedictine monk who was a prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Western District of England and Wales, and subsequently Bishop of Segni in Italy.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastical Province of Liverpool and covers the historic boundaries of County Durham and Northumberland.
George Hilary Brown was an English prelate who served as the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Liverpool from 1850 to 1856.
Thomas Joseph BrownOSB was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served for two ecclesiastical jurisdictions, first as the Vicar Apostolic of the Welsh District from 1840 to 1850, then as Bishop of Newport and Menevia from 1850 to 1880.
Joseph William Hendren OFM (1791–1866) was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He served three ecclesiastical jurisdictions, first as the Vicar Apostolic of the Western District (1848–1850), then Bishop of Clifton (1850–1851), and finally Bishop of Nottingham (1851–1853).
Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M. was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Vicar Apostolic of Houkouang (1696–1737), Titular Archbishop of Myra (1712–1737), and Titular Bishop of Berytus (1696–1712).