The Bishop of Coventry is the
ordinary of 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 Brit ...
Diocese of Coventry in the
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitute the Church of England. The other is the Province of York (which consists of 12 dioceses).
Overview
The Province consist ...
. In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
was a title used by the bishops known today as the
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and W ...
.
The present diocese covers most of the County of
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...
. The
see is in the
City of Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
where the bishop's seat is located at the
Cathedral Church of Saint Michael. The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Coventry.
History
From 1102 to 1238, the former
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Priory and Cathedral of St Mary in the city was the seat of the early Bishops of Coventry (previously known as
Bishops of Chester or
of Lichfield). It was, afterwards, one of the two seats of the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield until the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
of the 1530s when Coventry (St Mary's) Cathedral was demolished and the bishop's seat moved to
Lichfield
Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...
, though the title remained as Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry until 1837, when Coventry was united with the
Diocese of Worcester.
Bishops of the modern diocese
The diocese was revived in 1918 under
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
when the parish church of Saint Michael was elevated to cathedral status. The cathedral suffered under fire-bombing by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
on the night of 14 November 1940 and remains today as a dignified ruin adjacent to the new cathedral building consecrated on 25 May 1962. The 8th Bishop of Coventry was
Colin Bennetts
Colin James Bennetts (9 September 1940 – 10 July 2013) was a British Anglican bishop. He was the 8th Bishop of Coventry from 1998 to 2008.
The son of James Thomas Bennetts and Winifred Couldrey, he was educated at Battersea Grammar School ...
, who retired on 31 January 2008.
Christopher Cocksworth
Christopher John Cocksworth (born 12 January 1959) is a Church of England bishop in the open evangelical tradition. He is the current Bishop of Coventry; prior to becoming bishop he was the Principal of Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
Early life and ...
was ordained and consecrated as the 9th Bishop of Coventry on 3 July 2008 at
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark ...
. He was enthroned and received into the diocese during a service at
Coventry Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The cur ...
on 1 November 2008. Cocksworth was previously Principal of
Ridley Hall
Ridley Hall is a theological college located on the corner of Sidgwick Avenue and Ridley Hall Road in Cambridge (United Kingdom), which trains men and women intending to take Holy Orders as deacon or priest of the Church of England, and member ...
, part of the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges.
Assistant bishops
Among those who have served as assistant bishops of the diocese have been:
*1937–1952:
Richard Heywood, retired
Bishop of Mombasa
The Anglican dioceses of Mombasa are the Anglican presence in and around Mombasa and south-east Kenya; they are part of the Anglican Church of Kenya. The remaining dioceses of the Church are in the areas of Maseno, of Mount Kenya, and of Nakuru. ...
*1952–1959:
Nathaniel Newnham Davis, Rector of
Ladbroke and former
Bishop of Antigua
The Anglican Diocese of North East Caribbean and Aruba was originally established in 1842 as the Diocese of Antigua and the Leeward Islands when the Anglican Diocese of Barbados, then with the Diocese of Jamaica, one of the two dioceses covering ...
*1960–1980:
John McKie, Rector of
Berkswell
Berkswell ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England.
Historically in Warwickshire, Berkswell is situated in the rural east of the borough, approximately 2 miles (3.25 k ...
(until 1966), Vicar of
Great
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
and
Little Packington (from 1966) and former
Bishop of Geelong
*1968–1975 (ret.):
John Daly, Priest-in-charge of
Honington with
Idlicote
Idlicote is a small settlement and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire, about north-east of Shipston-on-Stour and south-east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Population details can be found under Honington. The best known feature is Idl ...
and
Whatcote
Whatcote is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, about northeast of Shipston on Stour in the Vale of the Red Horse.Edwards, 1950, p.51 The population at the 2011 census was 143.
Manor
The Domesday Book records that in 1086 ...
(until 1970), Vicar of
Bishop's Tachbrook
Bishop's Tachbrook is a village and civil parish in the Warwick District of Warwickshire, England. The village is about south of Warwick and Leamington Spa. A church at Bishop's Tachbrook is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''. The village conta ...
thereafter; former Bishop
of Gambia and the Rio Pongas,
of Accra,
in Korea and
of Taejon
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Crockford's Clerical Directory: Historical successions
{{Anglican Bishops & Archbishops - Great Britain
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
Bishops of Coventry
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Diocese of Coventry