Diocese of London

Last updated
Diocese of London

Dioecesis Londiniensis
Diocese of London arms.svg
Coat of arms
Flag of the Diocese of London.svg
Flag
Location
Ecclesiastical province Canterbury
Archdeaconries London; Middlesex; Hampstead; Hackney; Northolt; Charing Cross
Statistics
Area460 km2 (180 sq mi)
Parishes403 [1]
Churches475 [1]
Information
Established4th Century
Cathedral St Paul's
Co-cathedral Westminster Abbey (1550–1556 only)
Patron saint Saint Paul
Language English
Current leadership
Bishop Sarah Mullally
Suffragans Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham
Emma Ineson, area Bishop of Kensington
Ric Thorpe, Bishop of Islington
Joanne Grenfell, area Bishop of Stepney
Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, area Bishop of Willesden
Anderson Jeremiah, area Bishop of Edmonton
Archdeacons Luke Miller, Archdeacon of London;
John Hawkins, Archdeacon of Hampstead
Richard Frank, Archdeacon of Middlesex
Catherine Pickford, Archdeacon of Northolt
Peter Farley-Moore, Archdeacon of Hackney
Katherine Hedderly, Archdeacon of Charing Cross
Website
london.anglican.org

Map of the Diocese of London in 1714. The current diocesan boundaries are greatly reduced. A large western tract and narrow eastern tract of Hertfordshire lay in this diocese, the rest in the Diocese of Lincoln; the whole county is in the Diocese of Saint Albans today. Diocese of London Survey by John Harris 1714.jpg
Map of the Diocese of London in 1714. The current diocesan boundaries are greatly reduced. A large western tract and narrow eastern tract of Hertfordshire lay in this diocese, the rest in the Diocese of Lincoln; the whole county is in the Diocese of Saint Albans today.

The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England.

Contents

It lies directly north of the Thames, covering 177 square miles (460 km2) and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of Middlesex. It includes the City of London in which lies its cathedral, St Paul's, and also encompasses Spelthorne which is currently administered by Surrey. It encompasses most of that part of Greater London which lies north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea.

The diocese covered all of Essex until 1846 when Essex became part of the Diocese of Rochester, after which St Albans and since 1914 forms the Diocese of Chelmsford. It also formerly took in southern and eastern parts of Hertfordshire.

The Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835), noted the annual net income for the London see was £13,929. [2] This made it the third wealthiest diocese in England after Canterbury and Durham.

Organisation

Following the huge growth of the metropolis and its population in the 19th century, successive Bishops of London successfully campaigned for the appointment of several suffragan bishops to assist them in the care of the northern half of what became the County of London and later Greater London. A system of assigning "districts" to these suffragans evolved into an experimental area scheme in 1970. [3] An archbishop's commission on the diocesan arrangements in Greater London was established in 1975 and chaired by Edmund Compton; [4] its report considered but did not recommend forming all Greater London into an ecclesiastical province. [5]

Since the formal institution of the London area scheme (the first of its kind) in 1979, [6] the diocese has been divided into five episcopal areas, each of which is the particular responsibility of one of the diocese's suffragan bishops. It is further divided into archdeaconries and deaneries, as shown below.

Episcopal areaArchdeaconryDeaneries
Two Cities Episcopal Area

(Bishop of London)

Archdeaconry of London Deanery of the City of London
Archdeaconry of Charing Cross Deanery of Westminster Paddington
Deanery of Westminster St Margaret
Deanery of Westminster St Marylebone
Edmonton Episcopal Area

(area Bishop of Edmonton)

Archdeaconry of Hampstead Deanery of Central Barnet
Deanery of West Barnet
Deanery of North Camden (Hampstead)
Deanery of South Camden (St Pancras and Holborn)
Deanery of Enfield
Deanery of East Haringey
Deanery of West Haringey
Kensington Episcopal Area

(area Bishop of Kensington)

Archdeaconry of Middlesex Deanery of Hammersmith and Fulham
Deanery of Hampton
Deanery of Hounslow
Deanery of Kensington
Deanery of Chelsea
Deanery of Spelthorne
Stepney Episcopal Area

(area Bishop of Stepney)

Archdeaconry of Hackney Deanery of Hackney
Deanery of Islington
Deanery of Tower Hamlets
Willesden Episcopal Area

(area Bishop of Willesden)

Archdeaconry of Northolt Deanery of Brent
Deanery of Ealing
Deanery of Harrow
Deanery of Hillingdon


Bishops

Under the London area scheme the diocesan bishop, the Bishop of London retains oversight of the two cities of London and Westminster while the four area bishops have responsibility in their own episcopal areas. The suffragan see of Stepney was created in 1895, Kensington in 1901, Willesden in 1911 and Edmonton in 1970. The suffragan see of Marlborough existed from 1888 to 1918. On 1 May 2015, it was announced [7] that Richard Chartres' (then-Bishop of London) proposal to take the See of Islington out of abeyance for the appointment of a "bishop for church plants" [8] would go ahead. Ric Thorpe was consecrated bishop suffragan of Islington on 29 September 2015.

Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese which do not accept the ordination of women as priests) is provided by a fifth suffragan bishop, Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham, who has the same ministry in the Southwark and Rochester dioceses. During a lengthy vacancy in that see, alternative episcopal oversight was offered by the then-area Bishop of Edmonton.

There are also several retired bishops living in the diocese, some of whom are licensed as honorary assistant bishops:

Schools

The London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) has responsibility for 155 Church of England schools within the London diocese, across 18 local authorities. [16]

Fraud

In December 2022, Martin Sargeant, formerly Head of Operations in the Two Cities, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to five years in prison for defrauding the London Diocese of £5.2m.He had built up close contacts within the Church of England. Around January 2002, he was renting a flat at St. George’s in the East Church, London E1OBH when Gillean Craig was Rector. Reference : GOV.Uk:”MARTIN SARGEANT (dissolve) Secretary, CONSULTANT, 2002.02.01 - 2003.07.01 3 SAINT GEORGES IN THE EAST CHURCH CANNON STREET ROAD. LONDON E1 0BH”. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, commonly known as the Bishop in Europe, is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese in Europe in the Province of Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Southwark</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Diocese of Rochester that was served by a suffragan bishop of Southwark (1891–1905). Before 1877 most of the area was part of the Diocese of Winchester, some being part of the Diocese of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Rochester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signature is: " (firstname) Roffen", Roffensis being the Latinised adjective referring to Rochester.

The Bishop of Bedford is an episcopal title used by a Church of England suffragan bishop who, under the direction of the Diocesan Bishop of St Albans, oversees 150 parishes in Luton and Bedfordshire.

The Bishop of Stepney is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Stepney, an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The post is held by Joanne Grenfell whose consecration as bishop, and start of her tenure as Bishop of Stepney, was on 3 July 2019 at St Paul's Cathedral; the principal consecrator was Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Bishop of Willesden is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Willesden, an area of the London Borough of Brent; the See was erected under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888 by Order in Council dated 8 August 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Manchester</span> Diocese of the Church of England

The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Bishop of Southwark</span> Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

The Bishop of Southwark is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Winchester</span> Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (cathedra) is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Peterborough</span> Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.

Trevor Willmott is a British retired bishop in the Church of England. He was the Bishop of Basingstoke from 2002 to 2009 and then Bishop of Dover from 2010 until his retirement in 2019. In retirement, he remains bishop for the Channel Islands.

The Archdeacon of West Cumberland is responsible for the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, one of three administrative divisions of the Church of England (Anglican) Diocese of Carlisle. The archdeaconry was created by Order-in-Council on 7 August 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Radford</span> Anglican Evangelical bishop

Andrew John "Andy" Radford 26 January 1944 – 21 May 2006) was an Anglican Evangelical bishop and religious broadcaster. He served the Church of England as Bishop of Taunton from 1998 until his death eight years later.

The Bishop of Islington is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England.

Colin Clement Walter James was an Anglican bishop in the Church of England, successively suffragan Bishop of Basingstoke, then the Bishop of Winchester.

John Robert Geoffrey Neale was a British Anglican bishop. From 1974 to 1988, he was the first suffragan Bishop of Ramsbury in the Church of England and the first area bishop under that diocese's 1981–2009 area scheme.

The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry of the Two Cities in the Diocese of London, an area without area bishop and, rather, overseen by the diocesan Bishop of London. The immediate western counterpart in this area is the Archdeacon(ry) of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Leeds</span> Diocese of the Church of England

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 Archdeacons in the Diocese of Southwark are senior clergy in the Church of England in South London and Surrey. They currently include: the archdeacons of Southwark, of Reigate and of Lewisham & Greenwich, the Archdeacon of Croydon and the archdeacons of Wandsworth and of Lambeth. Each one has responsibility over a geographical area within the diocese.

References

  1. 1 2 "Parish Finance Statistics 2019" (PDF). Church of England, Research & Statistics. 2021. p. 20. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.III, London, Charles Knight, 1847, p.362
  3. "Virtual autonomy for London's 'area bishops'?" . Church Times . No. 5584. 20 February 1970. p. 1. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 29 September 2020 via UK Press Online archives.
  4. "Commission for London" . Church Times . No. 5878. 10 October 1975. p. 20. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 4 January 2021 via UK Press Online archives.
  5. "Provincial status for London is ruled out" . Church Times . No. 5917. 9 July 1976. p. 3. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 4 January 2021 via UK Press Online archives.
  6. "4: The Dioceses Commission, 1978–2002" (PDF). Church of England. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  7. Diocese of London — The Revival of the See of Islington (Accessed 1 May 2015)
  8. "Chartres sets out plan for 'Bishop for church-plants'" . Church Times . No. 7929. 6 March 2015. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  9. "Marshall, Michael Eric" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  10. "Holland, Edward" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. "Makhulu, Walter Paul Khotso" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  12. "Millar, John Alexander Kirkpatrick (Sandy)" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  13. "Ladds, Robert Sidney" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  14. "Colclough, Michael John" . Who's Who . Vol. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 26 April 2014.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  15. "Appointments" . Church Times . No. 7920. 2 January 2014. p. 31. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  16. LDBS https://www.ldbs.co.uk/our-schools/
  17. Williams, Hattie (19 December 2022). "Martin Sargeant sentenced to five years for £5.2m diocesan fraud". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

51°30′50″N0°05′55″W / 51.5138°N 0.0986°W / 51.5138; -0.0986