Diocese of Exeter

Diocese of Exeter Church of England
Province:	Canterbury
Arms of the Bishop of Exeter
Exeter Cathedral
Cathedral:	Exeter Cathedral
Organisation
Suffragan bishop(s):	Bishop of Plymouth, Bishop of Crediton
Archdeaconries:	Barnstaple, Exeter, Plymouth, Totnes
No. of parishes:	506
No. of churches:	625
Details
Website:	exeter.anglican.org

The Diocese of Exeter is one of the largest of the dioceses of the Church of England and covers Devon, excluding the parishes west of the River Tamar. The Cathedral is Exeter Cathedral, the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Province of Canterbury.

Exeter Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter, commonly called Exeter Cathedral, is at the heart of the City of Exeter. The Cathedral Close provides a broad green space in the city centre surrounded by historic buildings and lanes. Although the Luftwaffe mauled Exeter cruelly during the War, the cathedral and its immediate surrounds largely survived.

History

The Diocese of Crediton was created out of the Diocese of Sherborne in AD 909 to serve Devon. In that age, Exeter was the largest town of the county, but Crediton was chosen as the site of an important monastery, and it was also the birthplace of Saint Boniface. The Diocese of Saint Germans, which served the Cornish, was absorbed at some point later in the century.

In 1046, Leofric became the Bishop of Crediton: following his appointment he decided that the see should be moved to the larger, more culturally significant and defensible walled town of Exeter. In 1050, King Edward the Confessor authorised that Exeter was to be the seat of the bishop for Devon and Cornwall and that a cathedral was to be built there for the bishop's throne. Thus, Leofric became the last diocesan Bishop of Crediton and the first Bishop of Exeter.

The diocese remained unchanged until 1876, when the Archdeaconry of Cornwall became the independent Diocese of Truro.

Organisation

The diocese is divided into four archdeaconries. The Bishop of Crediton oversees the Archdeaconries of Barnstaple and Exeter. The Bishop of Plymouth oversees the Archdeaconries of Plymouth and Totnes.

• The Archdeaconry of Exeter contains the Deaneries of Aylesbeare, Cadbury, Christianity (Exeter), Cullompton, Honiton, Kenn, Ottery, Tiverton
• The Archdeaconry of Totnes contains the Deaneries of Moreton, Newton Abbot and Ipplepen, Okehampton, Torbay, Totnes, Woodleigh
• The Archdeaconry of Barnstaple contains the Deaneries of Barnstaple, Hartland, Holsworthy, Shirwell, South Molton, Torrington
• The Archdeaconry of Plymouth contains the Deaneries of Ivybridge, Devonport, Moorside, Sutton, Tavistock

Coat of arms

The arms of the diocese are Gules two keys in saltire Or a sword hilt downwards in pale Argent with hilt Or surmounted by a mitre. The charges are emblems of Saints Peter (keys) and Paul (sword) who are the patron saints of the cathedral.

Bishops of Exeter

Pre-Reformation

Pre-Reformation Bishops of Exeter
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1050	1072	Leofric	The first bishop who had transferred the sees of Crediton and Cornwall to Exeter
1072	1103	Osbern FitzOsbern
1107	1138	William Warelwast
1138	1155	Robert Warelwast
1155	1160	Robert of Chichester
1161	1184	Bartholomew Iscanus
1186	1191	John the Chanter
1194	1206	Henry Marshal
1206	1214	See vacant	Due to papal interdict against King John's realms.
1214	1223	Simon of Apulia
1224	1244	William Briwere	Also recorded as William Brewer
1245	1257	Richard Blund	Also recorded as Richard Blundy
1258	1280	Walter Branscombe	Also recorded as Walter Bronescombe
1280	1291	Peter Quinel	Also recorded as Peter de Quivel or Quivil
1291	1307	Thomas Bitton	Also recorded as Thomas de Bytton
1308	1326	Walter de Stapledon
1326	1327	James Berkeley
1327		John Godeley	Also recorded as John Godele. Elected, but quashed.
1327	1369	John Grandisson
1370	1394	Thomas de Brantingham	Also recorded as Thomas Brantyngham
1395	1419	Edmund Stafford
1419		John Catterick	Also recorded as John Ketterick. Translated from Lichfield.
1420	1455	Edmund Lacey	Also recorded as Edmund Lacy. Translated from Hereford.
1455	1456	John Hales	Appointed, but resigned before consecration.
1458	1465	George Neville	Translated to York
1465	1478	John Booth
1478	1487	Peter Courtenay	Translated to Winchester
1487	1492	Richard Foxe	Translated to Bath and Wells
1493	1495	Oliver King	Translated to Bath and Wells
1496	1502	Richard Redman	Translated from St Asaph; later translated to Ely
1502	1504	John Arundel	Translated from Lichfield
1505	1519	Hugh Oldham

During the Reformation

Bishops of Exeter during the Reformation
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1519	1551	John Vesey (resigned)
1551	1553	Myles Coverdale
1553	1554	John Vesey (restored)
1555	1560	James Turberville

From the Reformation

Bishops of Exeter since the Reformation
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1560	1571	William Alley	Also recorded as William Alley
1571	1578	William Bradbridge
1579	1594	John Woolton
1595	1597	Gervase Babington	Translated to Worcester
1598	1621	William Cotton
1621	1626	Valentine Cary
1627	1641	Joseph Hall	Translated to Norwich
1642	1659	Ralph Brownrigg
1660	1662	John Gauden	Translated to Worcester
1662	1667	Seth Ward	Translated to Salisbury
1667	1676	Anthony Sparrow	Translated to Norwich
1676	1688	Thomas Lamplugh	Translated to York
1689	1707	Sir Jonathan Trelawney Bt	Translated from Bristol; later translated to Winchester
1708	1716	Ofspring Blackall
1717	1724	Lancelot Blackburne	Translated to York
1724	1742	Stephen Weston
1742	1746	Nicholas Clagett	Translated from St David's
1747	1762	George Lavington
1762	1777	Frederick Keppel
1778	1792	John Ross
1792	1796	William Buller
1797	1803	Reginald Courtenay	Translated from Bristol
1803	1807	John Fisher	Translated to Salisbury
1807	1820	George Pelham	Translated from Bristol; later translated to Lincoln
1820	1830	William Carey	Translated to St Asaph
1830	1830	Christopher Bethell	Translated from Gloucester; later translated to Bangor
1831	1869	Henry Phillpotts
1869	1885	Frederick Temple	Translated to London
1885	1900	Edward Bickersteth
1901	1903	Herbert Edward Ryle	Translated to Winchester
1903	1916	Archibald Robertson
1916	1936	Lord William Cecil
1936	1948	Charles Curzon
1949	1973	Robert Mortimer
1973	1985	Eric Mercer
1985	1999	Hewlett Thompson
1999	30 June 2013	Michael Langrish

Outside links

• Diocese of Exeter

References

Books

• Oliver, George (1846) Monasticon Dioecesis Exoniensis: being a collection of records and instruments illustrating the ancient conventual, collegiate, and eleemosynary foundations, in the Counties of Cornwall and Devon, with historical notices, and a supplement, comprising a list of the dedications of churches in the Diocese, an amended edition of the taxation of Pope Nicholas, and an abstract of the Chantry Rolls; [with supplement and index]. Exeter: P. A. Hannaford, 1846, 1854, 1889