Diocese of Lichfield

Diocese of Lichfield Church of England
Province:	Canterbury
Arms of the Bishop of Lichfield
Lichfield Cathedral Close
Bishop:	Jonathan Gledhill
signs as:	Lichfield
Cathedral:	Lichfield Cathedral
Organisation
Suffragan bishop(s):	Bishop of Wolverhampton Bishop of Shrewsbury Bishop of Stafford
Archdeaconries:	Lichfield, Stoke, Salop, Walsall
No. of parishes:	429
No. of churches:	582
Details
Website:	http://www.lichfield.anglican.org/

The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is Lichfield Cathedral: The Cathedral Church of Mary and Saint Chad. The diocese covers 1,744 square miles, covering Staffordshire, northern Shropshire and much of Warwickshire.

In the Early Middle Ages, the Diocese of Lichfield encompassed much of the Midlands and for a brief while it was an Archbishopric, though only one Archbishop of Lichfield was ever consecrated.

History

The Diocese of Mercia was created by Bishop Diuma in around 656 and the bishop's seat was settled in Lichfield in 669 by the then bishop, Ceadda (known to history as Saint Chad), who built a monastery there.

At the Council of Chelsea, Bishop Higbert was raised to the rank of archbishop and given authority over the dioceses of Worcester, Leicester, Lincoln, Hereford, Elmham and Dunwich. This was during the dominance of King Offa of Mercia, who wanted an archbishop to rival Canterbury. Offa died in 796, and at the Council of Clovesho in 803 Lichfield's archiepiscopal rank was removed and its dioceses restored to the authority of Canterbury.

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 mediæval 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 diocese of Chester was created and parishes in south Lancashire, Cheshire, Denbighshire and Flintshire were transferred to the new diocese.

The industrialisation of the Midlands brought further changes. On 24 January 1837, the archdeaconry of Coventry was transferred to the Diocese of Worcester and the Bishop, see and diocese of Lichfield and Coventry all accordingly renamed Lichfield. In 1884 the archdeaconry of Derby was transferred to the new Diocese of Southwell. In 1877 part of the archdeaconry of Stafford became the archdeaconry of Stoke-upon-Trent (now generally called merely Stoke) and in 1981 the remainder was renamed the archdeaconry of Lichfield. In 1997 another part of the archdeaconry (of Lichfield) was removed to form the new archdeaconry of Walsall, covering Trysull, Walsall, Wednesbury, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton.

The Bishop of Lichfield 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).

Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Mary and Saint Chad, known as Lichfield Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Lichfield, and stands in the heart of the little city of Lichfield in Staffordshire.

The Cathedral is most striking, an awe-inspiring mediæval cathedral in exhuberant Gothic and the only mediæval British cathedral with three spires.

Architecture

Ground Plan of the Cathedral

The cathedral is built of sandstone hewn from a quarry on the south side of Lichfield. The walls of the nave lean outwards slightly, due to the weight of stone used in the ceiling vaulting; some 200–300 tons of which was removed during renovation work to prevent the walls leaning further.

The cathedral's interior is 370 feet long and with a nave 68 feet broad. The central spire is 252 feet high and the western spires 190 feet.

Lichfield suffered severe damage during the Civil War. All of the stained glass was destroyed, but in spite of this the windows of the Lady Chapel contain some of the finest Flemish painted glass in existence, brought in 1801 from the Abbey of Herkenrode in Belgium, in 1801, having been purchased by Brooke Boothby when that abbey was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. It was sold on to the cathedral for the same price. There are also some fine windows by Betton and Evans (1819), and many fine late 19th century windows, particularly those by Charles Eamer Kempe.

The Lichfield Gospels, also known as the Book of Chad, are the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the early part of Luke, written in Latin and dating from around 730. There were originally two volumes but one went missing around the time of the Civil War. It is closely related in style to the Lindisfarne Gospels. The manuscript is on display in the Chapter House from Easter to Christmas.

The Close is one of the most complete in the country and includes a mediæval courtyard which once housed the men of the choir. The three spires are often referred to as 'the Ladies of the Vale'.

History of the cathedral

The Nave

The first cathedral to be built on the present site was in 700AD when Bishop Hedda built a new church to house the bones of St Chad which had become a sacred shrine to many pilgrims when he died in 672. Starting in 1085 and continuing through the twelfth century the original Anglo-Saxon church was replaced by a Norman cathedral, whih was in turn replaced by the current, Gothic cathedral.

The current cathedral was begun in 1195 and completed in the 1330s. The Choir dates from 1200, the Transepts from 1220 to 1240 and the Nave was started in 1260. The octagonal Chapter House, which was completed in 1249 and is one of the most beautiful parts of the Cathedral with some charming stone carvings, houses an exhibition of the cathedral's greatest treasure, the Lichfield Gospels, an 8th century illuminated manuscript.

There were three great sieges of Lichfield during the period 1643–1646 as the cathedral was surrounded by a ditch and defensive walls it made a natural fortress. The cathedral authorities with a certain following were for the king, but the townsfolk generally sided with the parliament, and this led to the fortification of the close in 1643. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, led an assault against it, but was killed by a deflected bullet from John Dyott (known as 'dumb' because he was a deaf mute) who along with his brother Richard Dyott had taken up a position on the battlements of the central cathedral spire on 2 March 1643. Brooke's deputy Sir John Gell, took over the siege. Although the Royalist garrison surrendered to Gell two days later, the close yielded and was retaken by Prince Rupert of the Rhine on 20 April of the same year. Rupert's engineers detonated a mine to breach the defences. Unable to defend the breach, the parliamentarians surrendered to Rupert the following day. The cathedral suffered extensive damage: the central spire was demolished, the roofs ruined and all the stained glass smashed.

After the Restoration in the 1660s Bishop John Hacket began the restoration of the cathedral, aided by substantial funds donated by the King. It was not until the 19th century though that the damage caused by the Civil War was fully repaired. Up until the 19th century, on top of an ornamented gable, between the two spires, stood a colossal figure of Charles II, by Sir William Wilson. Today it stands just outside the south doors.

The Cathedral Close

During the 18th century while Lichfield flourished, its cathedral decayed. The 15th-century library, on the north side of the nave, was pulled down and the books moved to their present location above the Chapter House. Most of the statues on the west front were removed and the stonework covered with Roman cement. At the end of the eighteenth century James Wyatt organised some major structural work, including installing a massive stone screen at the entrance to the Choir. Francis Eginton painted the east window and was commissioned by the chapter to do other work in the cathedral. The ornate west front was extensively renovated in the Victorian era by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The Lichfield Angel

Scott's work includes a remarkable number of ornate carved figures of kings, queens and saints, working with original materials where possible and creating fine new imitations and additions when the originals were not available. Wyatt's choir-screen had utilised mediæval stone-work which Scott in turn used to create the clergy's seats in the sanctuary. The new metal screen by Francis Skidmore and John Birnie Philip to designs by Scott himself is a triumph of High Victorian art, as are the fine Minton tiles in the choir, inspired by the mediæval ones found in the Choir foundations and still seen in the Library.

Lichfield Angel

In February 2003, an eighth century sculpted panel of the Archangel Gabriel was discovered under the nave of the cathedral. The panel some 24 inches high is carved from limestone, and originally was part of a stone chest, which is thought to have contained the relics of St Chad. The panel was broken into three parts but was still otherwise intact and had traces of red pigment from the period. The pigments on the Lichfield Angel correspond closely to those of the Lichfield Gospels which have been dated to around 730AD. The Angel was first unveiled to the public in 2006, when visitor numbers to the cathedral trebled. After being taken to Birmingham for eighteen months for examination, it is now exhibited in the cathedral.

Pictures

• 
  View of the Cathedral from the North West
• 
  Monument to Charles II
• 
  The Lichfield Gospels
• 
  Illumination in the Lichfield Gospels
• 
  The Rood Screen
• 
  William the Conqueror, holding the Domesday Book.
• 
  Lichfield Cathedral by Wenceslaus Hollar
• 
  The Cathedral Close

Bishop

The Bishop of Lichfield has his residence at Bishop's House, Lichfield. In the past, the title has had various forms, including "Mercia", "Coventry", "Lichfield and Coventry" and "Coventry and Lichfildl". The present bishop, the Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill, the 98th Lord Bishop of Lichfield, who signs as Jonathan Lichfield.

Bishops of Mercia (based at Repton)
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
?	aft 655	Diuma	Dwyna; Duma.
dates unclear		Ceollach	Cellach, a Scot; resigned and returned to Scotland.
c658	c 662	Trumhere	Trumhere, Abbot of Ingethling.
c 662	c 667	Jaruman
Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People (based at Lichfield)
669	672	Chad	Ceadda or "Saint Chad". Translated from York. After his consecration was first declared invalid and then restored; died in office.
Bishops of Lichfield
672	c674	Winfrith	Winfride; Winfrid. Deprived by Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury.
c 676	bef 692	Seaxwulf	Saxulf; Sexulf. Abbot of Medeshamstede (Peterborough); Saint Sexwulf.
691	bet 716–727	Headda	Headdi; Eatheadus of Sidnacester.
bef 731	737	Aldwine	Aldwyn; Aldwini.
737	bet 749–767	Witta	Huitta.
bef 757	765	Hemele	Hemel.
c 765	c 769	Cuthfrith	Cuthred; died in office.
c 769	bet 777–779	Berhthun	Died in office.
779	787	Hygeberht	Higbert; created Archbishop by King Offa in 787.
Archbishop of Lichfield
787	799	Hygeberht	Higbert; Bishop until 787.
Bishops of Lichfield
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
bet 799–801	bet 814–816	Ealdwulf	Adulphus; title of Archbishop laid aside.
bet 814–816	bet 817–818	Herewine
818	830	Æthelwold
830	bet 830–836	Hunberght	Humbert II.
bet 830–836	bet 841–845	Cynefrith	Cumbert; Cineferth; Saint Cumbert.
bet 843–845	bet 857–862	Tunberht	Tunbright; Tunfrith; Tumfriht.
bet 857–862	bet 866–869	Wulfsige
bet 866–869	bet 869–883	Burgheard
bet 869–883	bet 889–900	Wulfred
bet 889–900	bet 903–915	Wigmund	Omitted from Haydn's; not the same man as the Archbishop of York who died in 854.
bet 903–915	bet 935–941	Ælfwine
bet 935–941	bet 946–949	Wulfgar
bet 946–949	bet 963–964	Cynesige	Kinsey; Kynsy; Kinsius.
bet 963–964	975	Wynsige	Winsey; Winsius.
975	bet 1002–1004	Elphege
bet 1002–1004	after 1017	Godwin
after 1017	bet 1026–1027	Leofgar	Leosgar.
c 1027	1039	Brihtmær	Brithmar.
1039	1053	Wulfsige	Wulsy.
1053	1067	Leofwin	Abbot of Coventry.
Norman Bishops of Lichfield
1067	1075	Peter	Removed see to Chester.
Bishops of Chester
1075	1085	Peter
1086	1102	Robert de Limesey	Prebendary of St Paul's; removed see to Coventry.
Bishops of Coventry
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1102	1117	Robert de Limesey	As above, title change only; died in office.
1117	1121	Vacant for 4 years
1121	1126	Robert Peche	Henry I; died in office.
1126	1129	Vacant for 2 years
1129	1148	Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry	Also called Bishop of Lichfield & Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
1149	1159	Walter Durdent
1161	1182	Richard Peche
1183	1184	Gerard la Pucelle
1184	1188	Vacant
1188	1198	Hugh Nonant
1198	1208	Geoffrey de Muschamp
1208	1215	Vacant due to interdict by Pope Innocent III against King John's realms.
1215	1223	William de Cornhill
1224	1228	Alexander de Stavenby	Became Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
Bishops of Coventry and Lichfield
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1228	1238	Alexander de Stavenby	Previously Bishop of Coventry.
1239		William de Raley	William Raleigh; elected by both the chapter of Coventry and that of Lichfield but being also elected Bishop of Norwich he accepted the latter office.
1239		Nicholas Farnham	Elected by the Chapter of Coventry but did not take office, later Bishop of Durham.
1239		William de Manchester	Dean of Lichfield; elected by the Chapter of Lichfield but did not take office
1239	December 1241	Hugh de Pateshull	Lord Treasurer; accepted after much controversy between the two chapters and at Henry III's request; confirmed 25 December 1239; died in office.
December 1241	8 December 1241	Richard le Gras	Abbot of Evesham, elected but declined office or died before the disputed election was resolved.
December 1241	1245	Vacant
1243		Robert de Monte Pessulano	Elected but refused the appointment, finding the election disagreeable to Henry III.
1245	1256	Roger Weseham	Dean of Lincoln; appointed by Pope Innocent IV.
1258	1295	Roger de Meyland	Roger Longespée; Roger de Molend.
1296	1321	Walter Langton	Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor.
1322	1358	Roger Northburgh	Roger de Northbrugh; Archdeacon of Richmond; Lord Keeper and Lord Treasurer.
1360	1385	Robert de Stretton	Canon of Lichfield.
1386	1386	Walter Skirlaw	Dean of St Martin's; translated to Bath & Wells.
1386	1398	Richard le Scrope	Translated to York.
1398	1414	John Burghill	Translated from Llandaff.
1415	1419	John Catterick	John Keterich; Translated from St David's; translated to Exeter.
1419	1419	James Cary	translated to Exeter but died before taking office thereof.
20 November 1420	13 March 1447	William Heyworth
1447	1452	William Booth	York.
1452		Nicholas Close	Translated from Carlisle; Chancellor of Cambridge.
1453	1459	Reginald Boulers	Translated from Hereford.
1459	1490	John Hales	John Halse. Prebendary of St Paul's, London.
1493	1496	William Smyth	Archdeacon of Surrey; translated to Lincoln.
1496	1502	John Arundel	Dean of Exeter; translated to Exeter.
1503	1531	Geoffrey Blythe	Geoffry Blyth. Dean of York.
1534	1539	Rowland Lee	Chancellor and Prebendary of Lichfield and Lord President of Wales. Title changed when Coventry Cathedral was dissolved.
From the Reformation: Bishops of Lichfield and Coventry
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1539	1543	Rowland Lee	Previously Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, before the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
1543	1554	Richard Sampson	Translated from Chichester; Lord President of Wales.
1554	1559	Ralph Baines	Ralph Bayne; deprived and died soon after.
1560	1579	Thomas Bentham	Fellow of Magdalene College, Oxford.
1580	1609	William Overton	Prebendary of Winchester and Salisbury.
1609	1610	George Abbot	Dean of Winchester; translated to London.
1610	1614	Richard Neile	Richard Neale; translated to Rochester.
1614	1618	John Overall	Dean of St Paul's, London; translated to Norwich.
1619	1632	Thomas Morton	Translated from Chester; translated to Durham.
1632	1643	Robert Wright	Translated from Bristol.
1644	1660	Accepted Frewen	Dean of Gloucester; translated to York.
1661	1670	John Hacket	Canon-resident of St Paul's, London.
1671	1692	Thomas Wood	Dean of Lichfield.
1692	1699	William Lloyd	Translated from St Asaph; translated to Worcester.
1699	1717	John Hough	Translated from Oxford; translated to Worcester.
1717	1730	Edward Chandler	Prebendary of Worcester; translated to Durham.
1731	1749	Richard Smalbroke	Translated from St David's.
1750	1768	The Hon Frederick Cornwallis	Canon of Windsor; Dean of St Paul's, London (1766); translated to Canterbury.
1768	1771	John Egerton	Translated from Bangor; translated to Durham.
1771	1774	Brownlow North	Dean of Canterbury; translated to Worcester.
1775	1781	Richard Hurd	Master of the Temple; translated to Worcester.
1781	1824	The Hon James Cornwallis (after 1823: The Rt Hon The Earl Cornwallis)	Dean of Canterbury; grand-nephew of the Hon Frederick Cornwallis (above); died in office.
10 March 1824	31 March 1836	The Hon Henry Ryder	Translated from Gloucester; died in office.
3 July 1836	24 January 1837	Samuel Butler	Became Bishop of Lichfield when the Diocese of Coventry was created.
Bishops of Lichfield
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
24 January 1837	4 December 1839	Samuel Butler	Previously Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry; died in office.
23 January 1840	11 October 1843	James Bowstead	Translated from Sodor & Man.
3 December 1843	19 October 1867	John Lonsdale	Archdeacon of Middlesex and Principal of King's College, London; died in office.
4 January 1868	11 April 1878	George Selwyn	Translated from New Zealand; died in office.
24 June 1878	28 July 1891	William Maclagan	Vicar of St Mary Abbots, Kensington; translated to York.
29 September 1891	15 March 1913	The Hon Augustus Legge	Died in office.
13 June 1913	15 June 1937	John Kempthorne
29 July 1937	11 January 1953	Edward Woods	Died in office.
29 September 1953	1 December 1974	Stretton Reeve
2 January 1975	29 February 1984	Kenneth Skelton	Bishop of Matabeleland; retired.
12 October 1984	2003	Keith Sutton
2003	present	Jonathan Gledhill

Outside links

• Diocese of Lichfield
• Cathedral:
  • Lichfield Cathedral
  • Lichfield Cathedral Choir
  • Lichfield Cathedral Chamber Choir
  • Cathedral Photography Gallery by Tom Allwood
  • Lichfield Cathedral School
  • A history of the choristers of Lichfield Cathedral
  • Flickr images tagged Lichfield Cathedral
  • Lichfield Angel Project

References

• Beresford, W. (n.d.). Diocesan Histories: Lichfield. London: SPCK
• Cahill, M. (2001). The diocese of Coventry and Lichfield 1603–1642. PhD dissertation. University of Warwick.
• Cooper, T. N. (1994). Oligarchy and conflict : Lichfield Cathedral clergy in the early sixteenth century in 'Midland History', 19, 40–57.
• Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 219. ISBN 0-521-56350-X. 
• Haydn, Joseph. (1894). Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894). Horace Ockerby.
• Stenton, Frank M. (1971) Anglo-Saxon England (Third Edition). Oxford University Press
• Whittaker, James. (2004). Whitaker's Almanack 1883 to 2004. A & C Black, London.