The Diocese of Bristol is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
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 Britain ...
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 ...
, England. It is based in the city of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and covers
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
and parts of north
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, as far east as
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
. The diocese is headed by the
Bishop of Bristol
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 ca ...
and the
Episcopal seat
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, commonly known as
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...
.
History
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 ...
, Bristol was part of the medieval
Diocese of Worcester.
Under the
Suffragan Bishops Act 1534
The Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 (26 Hen 8 c 14) is an Act of the Parliament of England that authorised the appointment of suffragan (i.e., assistant) bishops in England and Wales. The tradition of appointing suffragans named after a town in the d ...
,
Henry Holbeach
Henry Holbeach ( – 2 August 1551) was an English clergyman who served as the last Prior and first Dean of Worcester, a suffragan bishop, and diocesan bishop of two Church of England dioceses.
Life
Born as Henry Rands (or Randes) in Holbeach ...
was appointed the only
suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
of Bristol in 1538 and assisted the
Bishop of Worcester
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 ca ...
in overseeing the medieval diocese. Nearly two years later, Bristol became part of the newly formed
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester. It is part of the Province ...
in 1541.
[ The following year, the Diocese of Bristol was established on 4 June 1542 and consisted of the city of Bristol together with the county of ]Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
.[ The Diocese of Bristol continued until 5 October 1836 when Dorset was annexed to 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 t ...
and the remainder, the city of Bristol, formed part of the Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol.[ After sixty years, the Diocese of Bristol was "reconstituted" on 9 July 1897, but with different boundaries.
]
Organisation
Bishops
Viv Faull
Vivienne Frances Faull (born 20 May 1955) is a British Anglican bishop and Lord Spiritual. Since 2018, she has served as the Bishop of Bristol. In 1985, she was the first woman to be appointed chaplain to an Oxbridge college. She was later a cat ...
has been the diocesan Bishop of Bristol
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 ca ...
since the confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
of her election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
on 25 June 2018; the bishop is assisted by Lee Rayfield
Lee Stephen Rayfield (born 30 September 1955) is the current Bishop of Swindon.[Official n ...](_blank)
, Bishop suffragan of Swindon. The provincial episcopal visitor
A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of ...
(for parishes in the diocese who reject the ministry of priests who are women) is the Bishop suffragan of Ebbsfleet, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop
An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.
Church of England
In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...
of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.
There are two retired bishops licensed as honorary assistant bishops in the diocese:
*2003–present: former Bishop suffragan of Swindon Peter Firth
Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...
lives outside the diocese in Winchcombe
Winchcombe () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the county of Gloucestershire, England, it is 6 miles north-east of Cheltenham. The population was recorded as 4,538 in the 2011 census and estimated at 5,347 in ...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, in the neighbouring Gloucester diocese.
*2009–present: Retired Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, George Cassidy, lives in Stogursey
Stogursey is the name of a small village and civil parish in the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is situated from Nether Stowey, and west of Bridgwater. The village is situated near the Bristol Channel, which bounds the parish on the no ...
in the Diocese of Bath & Wells.
Archdeaconries and deaneries
The diocese is divided into two archdeaconries, each of which is further divided into deaneries (groups of parishes).
Churches
Source:
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...
falls outside the following deanery structure.
Archdeaconry of Bristol
Deanery of Bristol South: Ashton Gate (St Francis), Bedminster (St Aldhelm), Bedminster Down (St Oswald), Bishopsworth (St Peter), Brislington (St Anne), Brislington (St Christopher), Brislington (St Cuthbert), Brislington (St Luke), Hartcliffe (St Andrew), Hengrove (Christ Church), Knowle (Holy Nativity), Knowle (St Martin), Knowle West (St Barnabas), Redcliffe (St Mary the Virgin), Southville (St Paul's), Stockwood (Christ the Servant), Whitchurch (St Augustine), Whitchurch (St Nicholas), Windmill Hill (St Michael & All Angels), Withywood Church
Deanery of Bristol West: Abbots Leigh (Holy Trinity), Almondsbury (St Mary the Virgin), Alveston (St Helen), Aust (St John), Avonmouth (St Andrew), Clifton (All Saints), Clifton (Christ Church), Compton Greenfield (All Saints), Elberton (St John), Henbury (St Mary the Virgin), Henleaze (St Peter), Lawrence Weston (St Peter), Leigh Woods (St Mary the Virgin), Littleton-on-Severn (St Mary of Malmesbury), Olveston (St Mary the Virgin), Pilning (St Peter), Sea Mills (St Edyth), Shirehampton (St Mary), Southmead (St Stephen), Stoke Bishop (St Mary Magdalene), Westbury-on-Trym (Holy Trinity), Westbury Park (St Alban)
City Deanery: Barton Hill (St Luke), Bishopston (Good Shepherd), Bishopston St Michael & All Angels, Bristol St Aidan, Bristol St Bartholomew with St Andrew, Bristol Christ Church, Bristol St Matthew, Bristol St Nicholas, Bristol SS Philip & Jacob, Bristol St Stephen, Clifton St Paul, Cotham (St Saviour with St Mary), Easton All Hallows, Easton Holy Trinity, Eastville (St Anne), Fishponds All Saints, Fishponds St John, Fishponds St Mary, Horfield Holy Trinity, Horfield St Gregory the Great, Hotwells (Holy Trinity), Lockleaze (St Mary Magdalene), Redland Parish Church, St Paul's (St Agnes), Two Mile Hill (St Michael the Archangel), Whitehall (St Ambrose)
Archdeaconry of Malmesbury
Deanery of Chippenham: Biddestone (St Nicholas), Bowden Hill (St Anne), Box (St Thomas a Becket), Castle Combe (St Andrew), Chapel Plaister
Chapel Plaister is a hamlet in west Wiltshire, England. It lies on the B3109 road between Corsham and Bradford on Avon, about south-east of the village of Box and south-west of the town of Corsham.
The settlement takes its name from a small A ...
(Pilgrims' Chapel), Chippenham St Andrew, Chippenham St Paul, Chippenham St Peter, Cold Ashton (Holy Trinity), Colerne (St John the Baptist), Corsham (St Bartholomew), Ditteridge (St Christopher), Gastard (St John the Baptist), Grittleton (St Mary the Virgin), Hardenhuish (St Nicholas), Kington St Michael (St Michael), Lacock (St Cyriac), Langley Burrell (St Peter), Littleton Drew (All Saints), Marshfield (St Mary the Virgin), Neston (SS Phillip & James), Nettleton (St Mary the Virgin), North Wraxall (St James), Slaughterford (St Nicholas), Tormarton (St Mary Magdalene), Tytherton Lucas (St Nicholas), West Kington (St Mary the Virgin), West Littleton (St James), Yatton Keynell (St Margaret)
Deanery of Kingswood and South Gloucestershire: Abson (St James the Great), Bitton (St Mary), Bradley Stoke Christ the King, Bradley Stoke Holy Trinity, Coalpit Heath (St Saviour), Downend (Christ Church), Doynton (Holy Trinity), Dyrham (St Peter), Filton (St Peter), Frampton Cotterell (St Peter), Frenchay (St John the Baptist), Hanham (Christ Church), Hanham Abbots (St George), Iron Acton (St James the Less), Kingswood All Souls, Kingswood Ascension, Kingswood Holy Trinity, Longwell Green (All Saints), Mangotsfield (St James), Oldland (St Anne), Patchway (St Chad), Pucklechurch (St Thomas a Becket), Soundwell (St Stephen), Stapleton (Holy Trinity), Stoke Gifford (St Michael), Syston (St Anne), Wapley (St Peter), Warmley (St Barnabas), Westerleigh (St James the Great), Wick (St Bartholomew), Winterbourne (St Michael the Archangel), Winterbourne Down (All Saints), Yate St Mary, Yate St Nicholas
Deanery of North Wiltshire: Alderton (St Giles), Ashley (St James), Ashton Keynes (Holy Cross), Brokenborough (St John the Baptist), Brinkworth (St Michael & All Angels), Charlton (St John the Baptist), Christian Malford (All Saints), Corston (All Saints), Cricklade (St Sampson), Crudwell (All Saints), Dauntsey (St James the Great), Easton Grey Parish Church, Foxley Parish Church, Garsdon (All Saints), Great Somerford (SS Peter & Paul), Hankerton (Holy Cross), Hullavington (St Mary Magdalene), Kington Langley (St Peter), Latton (St John the Baptist), Lea (St Giles), Leigh (All Saints), Little Somerford (St John the Baptist), Luckington (SS Mary & Ethelbert), Malmesbury (SS Peter & Paul), Minety (St Leonard), Norton (All Saints), Oaksey (All Saints), Rodbourne (Holy Rood), Seagry (St Mary the Virgin), Sherston Magna (Holy Cross), Stanton St Quintin (St Giles), Sutton Benger (All Saints), Tytherton Kellaways (St Giles)
Deanery of Swindon: Bishopstone (St Mary the Virgin), Blunsdon (St Andrew), Broad Blunsdon (St Leonard), Hannington (St John the Baptist), Haydon Wick (St John), Highworth (St Michael), Hinton Parva (St Swithun), Lyddington (All Saints), Lydiard Millicent (All Saints), Lydiard Tregoze (St Mary), Purton (St Mary), Rodbourne Cheney (St Mary), Sevenhampton (St James), Shaw (Holy Trinity), South Marston (St Mary Magdalene), Stanton Fitzwarren (St Leonard), Stratton (St Margaret), Swindon All Saints, Swindon St Aldhelm, Swindon St Andrew, Swindon St Augustine of Canterbury, Swindon St Barnabas, Swindon Christ Church, Swindon St John the Baptist, Swindon St Luke, Swindon St Mark, Swindon St Mary, Swindon St Paul, Swindon St Peter, Swindon St Saviour, Swindon St Timothy, Toothill Church, Upper Stratton (St Philip the Deacon), Wanborough (St Andrew), Westlea Church, Wroughton (SS John the Baptist & Helen)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
Religious organizations established in 1897