Diocese of Rochester

Diocese of Rochester Church of England
Province:	Canterbury
counties:	Kent
Arms of the Bishop of Rochester
Bishop:	James Langstaff
signs as:	Roffen
Cathedral:	Rochester Cathedral
Organisation
Archdeaconries:	Bromley & Bexley Rochester, Tonbridge
No. of parishes:	218
No. of churches:	268
Details
Website:	rochester.anglican.org

The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese which ministers to western Kent. It forms part of the Province of Canterbury. Rochester is an ancient diocese, established in 604; only the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury is older in the Church of England.

The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries:

• Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley (Archdeacon: The Venerable Paul Wright)
• Archdeaconry of Rochester (Archdeacon: The Venerable Simon Burton-Jones)
• Archdeaconry of Tonbridge (Archdeacon: The Venerable Clive Mansell)

The current diocesan boundaries roughly match its pre-19th century extent. On 1 January 1846 the Hertfordshire territories of the Diocese of Lincoln and Diocese of London, and Essex, from the London diocese, were added to Rochester. In 1877 however, Essex and Hertfordshire became the new Diocese of St Albans. Meanwhile, on 1 August 1877, Rochester gained part of the Diocese of Winchester, in eastern Surrey. This became an independent diocese, Southwark, in 1905.

The Bishop of Rochester is currently the Right Reverend James Langstaff. The suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Tonbridge, is currently the Right Reverend Brian Castle.

Bishops

Pre-Conquest

Pre-Conquest Bishops of Rochester
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
604	624	Justus
624	633	Romanus
633	644	Paulinus of York
644	664	Ithamar
664	669	Damianus
669	676	Putta
676	678	Cwichelm
678	716	Gebmund
716	727	Tobias
727	741	Ealdwulf
741	747	Dunn
747	772	Eardwulf
772	785	Diora
785	805	Waermund (I)
805	844	Beornmod
844	868	Tatnoth
868	868	Badenoth
868	868	Waermund (II)
868	880	Cuthwulf
880	900	Swithwulf
900	c.926	Ceolmund
c.926	c.934?	Cyneferth
c.934	949	Burgric
949	955	Beorhtsige
955	964	Daniel	Bishop of Rochester or Selsey
964	995	Ælfstan
995	1046	Godwine (I)
1046	1058	Godwine (II)
1058	1076	Siward

Conquest to Reformation

Bishops of Rochester (Conquest to Reformation)
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1076	1077	Arnost
1077	1108	Gundulf	Builder of Rochester Castle and the White Tower (Tower of London)
1108	1115	Ralph d'Escures
1115	1125	Ernulf
1125	1137	John
1137	1142	John II
1142	1148	Ascelin
1148	1182	Walter
1182	1185	Waleran
1185	1215	Gilbert Glanvill
1215	1227	Benedict of Sausetun (Benedict of Sawston)
1227	1238	Henry Sandford
1238	1251	Richard Wendene
1251	1274	Lawrence of St Martin
1274	1278	Walter de Merton	Formerly Archdeacon of Bath and Lord Chancellor
1278	1283	John Bradfield
1283	1283	John Kirkby	Resigned.
1283	1292	Thomas Ingoldsthorpe
1292	1319	Thomas Wouldham
1319	1353	Hamo Hethe
1353	1362	John Sheppey
1362	1364	William Whittlesey
1364	1373	Thomas Trilleck
1373	1389	Thomas Brinton
1389	1400	William Bottlesham (William Bottisham)
1400	1404	John Bottlesham
1404	1419	Richard Young
1419	1422	John Kemp
1422	1435	John Langdon
1435	1437	Thomas Brunce
1437	1444	William Wells
1444	1468	John Low
1468	1472	Thomas Rotherham (Thomas Scott)
1472	1476	John Alcock
1476	1480	John Russell
1480	1493	Edmund Audley
1493	1497	Thomas Savage
1497	1504	Richard FitzJames
1504	1535	John Fisher	Cardinal

From the Reformation

Post-Reformation Bishops of Rochester
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1535	1540	John Hilsey (John Hildesleigh)
1540	1544	Nicholas Heath	Translated to Worcester
1544	1547	Henry Holbeach
1547	1550	Nicholas Ridley	Martyred
1550	1551	John Ponet (John Poynet)
1551	1552	John Scory
1554	1558	Maurice Griffith
1559	1559	Edmund Allen	Died before filling his position.
1560	1572	Edmund Gheast (Edmund Guest)
1572	1576	Edmund Freke
1576	1578	John Piers
1578	1605	John Young
1605	1608	William Barlow	Translated to Lincoln 1608
1608	1611	Richard Neile
1611	1628	John Buckeridge
1628	1630	Walter Curle
1630	1638	John Bowle
1638	1666	John Warner
1666	1683	John Dolben
1683	1684	Francis Turner
1684	1713	Thomas Sprat
1713	1723	Francis Atterbury
1723	1731	Samuel Bradford
1731	1756	Joseph Wilcocks
1756	1774	Zachary Pearce
1774	1793	John Thomas
1793	1802	Samuel Horsley
1802	1809	Thomas Dampier
1809	1827	Walker King
1827	1827	Hugh Percy	Translated to Carlisle.
1827	1860	George Murray
1860	1867	Joseph Wigram
1867	1877	Thomas Claughton
1877	1891	Anthony Thorold
1891	1895	Randall Davidson	Later Archbishop of Canterbury then Lord Davidson of Lambeth
1895	1905	Edward Talbot
1905	1930	John Harmer
1930	1940	Linton Smith
1940	1961	Christopher Chavasse
1961	1988	David Say
1988	1994	Michael Turnbull
1994	2009	Michael Nazir-Ali
2010	present	James Langstaff

Outside links

• Diocese of Rochester website
• Church In Society, a community charity associated with the Dioceses of Canterbury and Rochester

References

• Church of England Statistics 2002