The

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of m ...

of Berkshire (also rendered Archdeacon of Berks) is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contains ...

. The archdeacon is the head of the archdeaconry of Berkshire, a post historically found within the

diocese of Salisbury The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of Dorset (excepting the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which fall within the ...

, and then, from 7 October 1836, within Oxford diocese.

List of archdeacons

:''Some archdeacons without territorial titles are recorded from around the time of the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

; see

Archdeacon of Salisbury The Archdeacon of Sarum is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Salisbury, England. He or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the five area deaneries of the Sarum archdeaconry, which cover the ...

.''

High Medieval

*–aft. 1156:

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

*bef. 1173–bef. 1205:

Geoffrey de Vernun Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...

*bef. 1206–aft. 1215:

Alberic Alberic (french: Albéric; german: Alberich; nl, Alberik, lat, Albericus) is a name closely related to Aubrey. People with the name: People with the mononym *Alberic I, Count of Dammartin (died after 1162) * Alberic II, Count of Dammartin (die ...

*aft. 1204–aft. 1222: Geoffrey *bef. 1224–aft. 1236:

William of Merton William of Merton was the Dean of Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada ...

*: Clement *:

William de Raley William de Raley (died 1250) was a medieval judge, administrator and bishop. Most historians now believe that he was the author of the great law book ''Bracton''. Life In 1212 Raley was presented by the King to the church living at Bratton Flemi ...

*bef. 1237–aft. 1255: Giles of Bridport *:

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

*bef. 1266–aft. 1268: Walter Scammel *bef. 1275–bef. May 1284: Stephen of Newbury *aft. June 1284–bef. 1313: William de Berges

Late Medieval

*10 March 1313–bef. December 1313: Richard de Bello *bef. December 1313–bef. August 1331 (d.): Tydo de Varesio *14 September 1317: ''

Gilbert de Stapleton Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

'' (ineffective royal grant) *21 August 1331–aft. 1333: Robert de Ayleston (previously Archdeacon of Wiltshire) *bef. 1334–aft. 1359: Edmund de la Beche (

collate Collation is the assembly of written information into a standard order. Many systems of collation are based on numerical order or alphabetical order, or extensions and combinations thereof. Collation is a fundamental element of most office fili ...

d 12 September 1339) *aft. 1359–bef. 1365 (res.):

Thomas Paxton Thomas Charles Paxton (November 27, 1820July 3, 1887) was a Canadian politician, businessman and sheriff. As a partner in industrial business ventures, he was one of the founding fathers of Port Perry. He helped establish the first steam-power ...

*10 December 1365 – 1366 (res.): John Harewell *bef. 1371–aft. 1384: Guillaume Cardinal d'Aigrefeuille
(Cardinal-priest of St Stephen al Monte Celio) *26 October 1389–aft. 1392: Thomas Yokflete *papal grants: **?–1390: '' Andrea Cardinal Bontempi Martini
(Cardinal-priest of SS Marcellinus and Peter)'' **1390–22 April 1395 (exch.): '' Christopher Cardinal Marini
(Cardinal-priest of

San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane was a church in the Baths of Diocletian in Rome. It was made a titulus by the Roman synod of 1 March 499. According to a list written by Pietro Mallio during the pontificate of pope Alexander III, it was linked ...

)'' **22 April 1395 – 25 November 1397 (res.): '' Walter Cook'' *royal grants: **22 September 1395: '' John Southam'' **28 September 1395: ''Walter Cook'' **20 October 1395: '' Ralph Repyngton'' **: ''

John Wynwyk John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

'' *9 February 1397 – 30 January 1404 (exch.): John Southam (afterwards

Archdeacon of Oxford The Archdeacon of Oxford is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of Oxford, England. The office responsibility includes the care of clergy and church buildings within the area of the ''Archdeaconry of Oxford.'' History The first archd ...

) *30 January–15 March 1404 (d.): Thomas Southam *bef. 10 June 1404–?: John Fraunceys *aft. 10 June–26 December 1404 (exch.): Simon Sydenham *26 December 1404– (exch.):

Walter Medford Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

*–bef. 31 May 1427:

Peter de Alcobasso Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

*25 June 1427 – 1431 (res.):

Thomas Brunce Thomas Brunce ( c. 1388 – 6 December 1445) was a 15th-century Bishop of Rochester and then Bishop of Norwich. Life Brunce was the son of William Brunce of Brunce's Court in Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). He studied at O ...

*15 September 1431–bef. 1432: John Castell ''(possibly the Master of Univ)'' *24 September 1432 – 1433 (d.):

Alexander Sparrow Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

*18 October 1433 – 1462 (d.): John Norton ''(probably the

Chancellor of Oxford This is a list of chancellors of the University of Oxford in England by year of appointment. __TOC__ Chronological list See also *List of vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford * List of University of Oxford people * List of chancello ...

)'' *15 February 1462 – 1464 (d.): Richard Ewen *9 March 1464 – 1465 (res.): Robert Stillington *28 February 1466 – 1476 (res.):

John Russell John Russell may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Russell (English painter) (1745–1806), English painter * John Russell (Australian painter) (1858–1930), Australian painter * John Russell (screenwriter) (1885–1956), author and scree ...

*6 November 1476 – 1478 (res.): John Morton *31 December 1478 – 1482 (res.): Richard Martyn (also

Archdeacon of London The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of London) of the Two Cities (London and Westminster) in the Diocese of London, an area wit ...

and

Archdeacon of Hereford The Archdeacon of Hereford is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Hereford. The archdeacon is the senior priest with responsibility over the area of the archdeaconry of Hereford. History The first recorded archdeac ...

; became

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the St Davids, city of ...

) *bef. 1 December 1488 – 1492 (res.): Oliver King *15 January 1493 – 1507 (res.):

Stephen Bereworth Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to deat ...

*5 February 1507 – 1509 (d.): Christopher Twineho *20 December 1509 – 24 December 1510 (res.): Stephen Bereworth ''(again)'' *24 December 1510 – 1522 (d.): William Grey *14 February 1522 – 1545 (d.): Robert Audley

Early modern

*18 July 1545 – 1547 (d.): John Crayford (also Master of

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

, 1546-7) *24 September 1547 – 3 September 1557 (d.): William Pye (afterwards Dean of Chichester) *24 September 1557 – 12 June 1588 (d.): Thomas Whyte *16 June 1588 – 1605 (d.): Martin Culpepper, Dean of Chichester *9 November 1605–bef. 1631 (d.):

Leonel Sharp Leonel Sharp (1559 – 1631) was an English churchman and courtier, a royal chaplain and archdeacon of Berkshire, imprisoned for sedition in 1614. As a writer he took a strong anti-papal and anti-Spanish line. Life He was second son of Robert Shar ...

(imprisoned for sedition) *26 January 1631 – 1634 (res.):

Edward Davenant The Venerable Edward Davenant or D’Avenant, DD (1596–1679) was an English churchman and academic, Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1631 to 1634, known also as a mathematician. Life He was the son of Edward Davenant and nephew of John Davenant. ' ...

*20 November 1634 – 19 August 1665 (d.):

John Ryves The Ven John Ryves (1593- 1665) was Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1634 until his death. He became Rector of Tarrant Gunville in 1620; Canon of Sarum in 1625; Rector of North Moreton in 1634; Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's ...

*29 August 1665 – 1673 (res.):

Peter Mews Peter Mews (25 March 1619 – 9 November 1706) was an English Royalist theologian and bishop. He was a captain captured at Naseby and he later had discussions in Scotland for the Royalist cause. Later made a Bishop he would report on non-confor ...

*26 April 1673 – 1689 (res.): John Sharp (also

Dean of Norwich The Dean of Norwich is the head of the Chapter of Norwich Cathedral in Norwich, England. The role is vacant since Jane Hedges' retirement on 1 May 2022. List of deans Early modern *1538–1539 William Castleton (last prior) *1539–1554 Jo ...

from 1681) *6 December 1689 – 1698 (res.):

William Richards William, Bill, or Billy Richards may refer to: Sportspeople * Dicky Richards (William Henry Matthews Richards, 1862–1903), South African cricketer * Billy Richards (footballer, born 1874) (1874–1926), West Bromwich Albion football player * B ...

*12 May 1698–bef. 1710 (d.): Jonas Proast *25 April 1710 – 2 December 1716 (d.): Richard West *13 May 1717 – 9 December 1720 (d.): Edward Talbot *10 January 1721 – 1735 (res.): Martin Benson *8 March 1735 – 9 December 1746 (d.): Samuel Knight *2 January 1747 – 21 October 1763 (d.): John Spry *25 October 1763 – 23 October 1785 (d.):

William Dodwell William Dodwell (1709–1785) was an English cleric known as a theological writer, archdeacon of Berkshire from 1763. Life He was born at Shottesbrooke, Berkshire, on 17 June 1709, was the second son and fifth child of Henry Dodwell the elder, t ...

*12 November 1785 – 15 October 1817 (d.):

Arthur Onslow Arthur Onslow (1 October 169117 February 1768) was an English politician. He set a record for length of service when repeatedly elected to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, where he was known for his integrity. Early life and educat ...

(also

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Peter Atkinson, who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. Crockford's on-line accessed by subscription Tuesday 11 Jun ...

from 1795) *5 December 1817 – 25 August 1832 (d.):

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

*7 September 1832–''1836'':

Edward Berens The Ven Edward Berens, a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, and son in law of the Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary ...

:''Archdeaconry transferred to Diocese of Oxford, 7 October 1836'' *''1836''–1855 (res.): Edward Berens *21 March 1855 – 3 September 1869 (res.): James Randall

Late modern

*1870–1903 (res.):

Alfred Pott Alfred Pott (30 September 1822 – 28 February 1908) was an English churchman, Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1870 until 1903. Life Pott was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was president of the Oxford Union. He was ordaine ...

*1903–17 March 1922 (d.):

William Ducat The Ven. William Methven Gordon Ducat (17 March 1847 – 17 March 1922) was the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1903 until his death. Ducat was born in Edinburgh and educated at Edinburgh Academy and Balliol College, Oxford and ordained in 1873. ...

*1922–1942 (res.):

Richard Wickham Legg The Ven. Richard Wickham Legg (23 July 1867 – 18 January 1952) was the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1922 until 1942. Legg was the son of William Legg, sometime Rector of Hawkinge and educated at Harrow, New College, Oxford and Ripon Coll ...

*1942–1954 (res.): Arthur Parham, Bishop suffragan of Reading *1955–1967 (res.): Eric Knell, Bishop suffragan of Reading *1968–1973 (res.): Eric Wild (also Bishop suffragan of Reading from 1972) *1973–1976 (res.): Raymond Birt *1978–1986 (res.): John Brown *1987–1992 (res.): David Griffiths *1992–1998 (res.): Mike Hill *1998–31 May 2013 (ret.): Norman Russell *11 October 201319 November 2019: Olivia Graham (became

Bishop of Reading The Bishop of Reading is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford, which is within the Province of Canterbury, England. The current bishop of Reading is Olivia Graham (formerly Archdeacon of Berk ...

) *29 February 2020present: Stephen Pullin

References

Sources

* * * *
Account of Purley on Thames – Archdeacons (PDF)
(accessed 4 December 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkshire, Archdeacon of Lists of Anglicans