The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Wilfrid, commonly known as Ripon Cathedral, and until 1836 known as Ripon Minster, is a cathedral in the North Yorkshire city of Ripon. Founded as a monastery by Scottish monks in the 660s, it was refounded as a Benedictine monastery by St Wilfrid in 672. The church became collegiate in the tenth century, and acted as a mother church within the large Diocese of York for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The present church is the fourth, and was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. In 1836 the church became the cathedral for the Diocese of Ripon. In 2014 the Diocese was incorporated into the new Diocese of Leeds, and the church became one of three co-equal cathedrals of the Bishop of Leeds.
This article traces the historical development of the dioceses and cathedrals of the Church of England. It is customary in England to name each diocese after the city where its cathedral is located. Occasionally, when the bishop's seat has been moved from one city to another, the diocese may retain both names, for example Bath and Wells. More recently, where a cathedral is in a small or little-known city, the diocesan name has been changed to include the name of a nearby larger city: thus the cathedral in Southwell now serves the diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, and Ripon Cathedral was in Ripon and Leeds from 1999 until 2014. Cathedrals, like other churches, are dedicated to a particular saint or holy object, or Christ himself, but are commonly referred to by the name of the city where they stand. A cathedral is, simply, the church where the bishop has his chair or "cathedra".
Nicholas Baines is a British Anglican bishop. He has served as Bishop of Leeds since 2014, having previously been Bishop of Bradford from 2011 to 2014 and Bishop of Croydon from 2003 to 2011.
The Diocese of Bradford is a former Church of England diocese within the Province of York. The diocese covered the area of the City of Bradford, Craven district and the former Sedbergh Rural District now in Cumbria. The seat of the episcopal see was Bradford Cathedral and the bishop was the diocesan Bishop of Bradford.
Leeds Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Anne, commonly known as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The city of Leeds does not have a Church of England cathedral, because though it is in the Anglican Diocese of Leeds, that diocese's cathedrals are in Ripon, Wakefield and Bradford.
The Diocese of Clogher is a diocese of the Church of Ireland in the north of Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. It covers a rural area on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland including much of south west Ulster, taking in most of counties Fermanagh and Monaghan and parts of counties Cavan, Leitrim and Donegal.
The Dean of Durham is the "head" and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham in Durham. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Durham and seat of the Bishop of Durham.
The Dean of Wakefield is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Wakefield Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of All Saints Wakefield. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is one of three co-equal mother churches of the Diocese of Leeds and a seat of the Bishop of Leeds. The current dean is Simon Cowling.
Jonathan Desmond Francis Greener is a British Anglican priest. He was Dean of Wakefield and presiding dean of the Diocese of Leeds. He became Dean of Exeter on 26 November 2017.
The Anglican Diocese of Leeds is a diocese of the Church of England, in the Province of York. It is the largest diocese in England by area, comprising much of western Yorkshire: almost the whole of West Yorkshire, the western part of North Yorkshire, the town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, and most of the parts of County Durham, Cumbria and Lancashire which lie within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire. It includes the cities of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Ripon. It was created on 20 April 2014 following a review of the dioceses in Yorkshire and the dissolution of the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield.
The Dean of Truro is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Truro Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Truro. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Truro and seat of the Bishop of Truro. The current dean is Roger Bush.
The Dean of Blackburn is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, which is the ruling body of Blackburn Cathedral.
The Dean of Chelmsford is the head and chair of the Cathedral Chapter, the governing body of Chelmsford Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Peter and St Cedd. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Chelmsford and seat of the Bishop of Chelmsford. The Dean of Chelmsford is also responsible for the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea, founded by St Cedd, among the oldest church buildings in regular use in England.
The Dean of Derby is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Derby Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of All Saints in Derby. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Derby of the Church of England and seat of the Bishop of Derby.
The Dean of Newcastle is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Newcastle Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Saint Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle and seat of the Bishop of Newcastle. The current dean is Geoff Miller.
The Dean of Portsmouth is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Portsmouth Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury in Portsmouth. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth and seat of the Bishop of Portsmouth. The current Dean is the Very Revd Dr Anthony Cane.
The Dean of St Edmundsbury is the head and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of St Edmundsbury Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the Cathedral Church of Saint James in Bury St Edmunds. Before 2000 the post was designated as a provost, which was then the equivalent of a dean at most English cathedrals. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and seat of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The current dean is Joe Hawes.
Paul John Slater is a retired Anglican bishop. From 2018 until January 2022, he was the Bishop of Kirkstall, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Leeds. He was Archdeacon of Craven from 2005 to April 2014, Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven from April 2014 to July 2015, and Bishop of Richmond from 2015 until his title changed in 2018.
Beverley Anne Mason is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2018, she has served as the Bishop of Warrington, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Liverpool. She was the Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven in the Diocese of Leeds from 2016 to 2018.
