HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Diocese of Winchester forms part of 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 ...
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 ...
. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enlarged version of Hampshire.


Territory

The area of the diocese is an area of eastern
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 ...
, and modern
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, including the city of
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, with four exceptions: *the south-eastern quarter of the county (which together with the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
constitutes the Diocese of Portsmouth) *an area in the north-east (in the
Diocese of Guildford __NOTOC__ The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese covering eight and half of the eleven districts in Surrey, much of north-east Hampshire and a parish in Greater London. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the ...
) *a small area in the west (in the Diocese of Salisbury) *one parish in the north (in the
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 contain ...
) The diocese historically covered a much larger area, see below. In the most recent major revision in 1927, the Archdeaconry of Surrey was removed to form the new Diocese of Guildford, and south-eastern Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were removed to form the Diocese of Portsmouth. The Bishop of Winchester is ''ex officio'' a
Lord Spiritual The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who serve in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. 26 out of the 42 diocesan bishops and archbishops of the Church of England serve as Lords Spiritual (not counting retired archbi ...
of the
Westminster Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
, one of five clerics (specifically certain
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
s) of the Church of England with such automatic entitlement. The bishop is also Prelate of the
Most Noble Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...
, that office having been held by every Bishop of Winchester since the order was created.


Bishops

The Bishop of Winchester heads the diocese and is assisted by two suffragan bishops, the bishops of
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
(
Debbie Sellin Deborah Mary Sellin (born 1 October 1964) is a Church of England priest serving as Bishop of Southampton, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Winchester, and acting as diocesan Bishop of Winchester. Early life and education Sellin is originall ...
) and of
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
( David Williams), who are informally responsible for the north and south of the diocese respectively (roughly corresponding to the archdeaconries of Winchester and Bournemouth). From 1927 until the suffragan See of Basingstoke was created in 1973, the Bishop of Southampton was the suffragan bishop for the whole diocese. There had previously also been suffragan sees of
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
(1874–1927) and of
Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
(1905–1909). Other bishops living in the diocese are licensed as
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 ...
s: *2009–present:
Christopher Herbert Christopher William Herbert (born 7 January 1944) is a British Anglican bishop. From 1996 to 2009, he was the Bishop of St Albans. Early life Herbert was born on 7 January 1944, in Lydney in the Forest of Dean. His father helped run the family ...
, retired diocesan
Bishop of St Albans The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three ar ...
, lives outside the diocese, in
Wrecclesham Wrecclesham is a village on the southern outskirts of the large town of Farnham in Surrey, England. Its local government district is the Borough of Waverley. History It was once in the estate of Henry of Westminster and Blois the powerful 13th ...
, Surrey. *2012–present:
Timothy Bavin Timothy John Bavin (born 17 September 1935) is a British Anglican bishop and monk. He was the bishop of Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg from 1974 to 1985. He was then Bishop of Portsmouth from 1985 to 1995. Early life and education Bavin was ...
, oblate master at
Alton Abbey Alton Abbey is an Anglican Benedictine monastery (founded in 1895) in the village of Beech, near Alton, Hampshire, England. The abbey is not far from one of Hampshire's highest points, King's Hill (218 m). The community was founded by the ...
, is a retired Bishop of Portsmouth who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop in both Winchester (in which diocese the abbey lies) and
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
dioceses.
Alternative episcopal oversight 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 which do not accept the sacramental ministry of women priests is provided by 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 ...
, Norman Banks, suffragan
Bishop of Richborough The Bishop of Richborough is a suffragan bishop and provincial episcopal visitor for the whole of the Province of Canterbury in the Church of England. History The see was erected under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888 by Order in Council dat ...
, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop for ministry in the diocese. Traditionally, the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
were part of the diocese. After a conflict with the 97th bishop, oversight of the Channel Islands had been delegated from 2014 to 2019 to
Trevor Willmott Trevor Willmott (born 29 March 1950) is a British retired bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Basingstoke (one of two suffragan bishops in the Diocese of Winchester) from 2002 to 2009 and then Bishop of Dover (''de facto'' ...
, an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese and, until his 2019 retirement,
Bishop of Dover The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent. The Bishop of Dover holds the additional title of "Bishop i ...
. In January 2021, the Channel Islands were transferred permanently to the Diocese of Salisbury.


2021 rebellion

On 20 May 2021, it was reported that Dakin had "stepped back" as bishop for six weeks in light of the threat of a diocesan synod motion of no confidence in his leadership. Williams also "stepped back" and Sellin served as acting diocesan bishop. Dakin did not return to active ministry, and in February 2022 resigned his See and retired.


History

The Diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most influential in England. Originally it was the see of the kingdom of
Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...
(as such it is sometimes called the "Diocese of Wessex"), with the first ''cathedra'' at lost Dorchester Cathedral which site is commemorated by later medieval
Dorchester Abbey The Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, more usually called Dorchester Abbey, is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the ...
church in south-central
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. The cathedral was founded and served successively by Saints
Birinus Birinus (also ''Berin'', ''Birin'';  – 3 December 649 or 650) was the first Bishop of Dorchester and was known as the " Apostle to the West Saxons" for his conversion of the Kingdom of Wessex to Christianity. He is venerated as a saint ...
and
Agilbert Agilbert ( 650–680) was the second bishop of the West Saxon kingdom and later Bishop of Paris. He is venerated as a saint within the Catholic Church, with his feast day falling on 11 October. The date and place of Agilbert's birth are unknow ...
, the first a missionary sent from Rome. This Wessex diocese not only covered most of
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
,
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
,
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, parts of
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
and
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 ...
but for the first few decades three more south-western counties mentioned below. The bishop's seat was swiftly transferred to
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
in AD 660: the episcopal
cathedral 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 denomination ...
see was, at some point, at
Old Minster, Winchester The Old Minster was the Anglo-Saxon cathedral for the diocese of Wessex and then Winchester from 660 to 1093. It stood on a site immediately north of and partially beneath its successor, Winchester Cathedral. Some sources say that the minster ...
. Around 704–705, Aldhelm saw the four south-west peninsular counties of England, save for Cornwall, form the
Diocese of Sherborne The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's sea ...
. To Devon, Somerset and Dorset, Cornwall was added at the end of the ninth century. These were well-settled and healthy counties in relative terms and in about 909 Sherborne was divided in three with the creation of the bishoprics of Wells, covering Somerset, and Crediton, covering Devon and Cornwall, leaving Sherborne comprising Dorset. Winchester shed north-western lands in AD 909 such that Wiltshire and Berkshire and the parts of Oxfordshire formed the See of Ramsbury, with its seat being Salisbury Cathedral. The see of the Bishop of Winchester ran from the Isle of Wight and later the Channel Islands to the south bank of the River
Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
at
Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
close to
London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
where the remnant shell of his palace is
Winchester Palace Winchester Palace was a 12th-century palace which served as the London townhouse of the Bishops of Winchester. It was located in the parish of Southwark in Surrey, on the south bank of the River Thames (opposite the City of London) on what i ...
. It formed one of the largest and richest sees. During 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 a ...
, the rump diocese left of all areas appertaining to Hampshire and Surrey before those counties shrank was one of the wealthiest English sees, owning for instance the rectories (the feudal landlord's interest in farms, fisheries, mills and great or small tithes) of many churches in its former, greater area and even in Norman France. Its bishops included a number of politically prominent Englishmen, notably the 9th century Saint
Swithun Swithun (or Swithin; ang, Swīþhūn; la, Swithunus; died 863 AD) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for pos ...
and medieval magnates including
William of Wykeham William of Wykeham (; 1320 or 1324 – 27 September 1404) was Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. He founded New College, Oxford, and New College School in 1379, and founded Winchester College in 1382. He was also the clerk of wor ...
and Henry of Blois. In the 1530s the diocese faced low compensation for the confiscation of its accumulated wealth and monastic feudal dues and lands in the Dissolution of the Monasteries such as, principally, the pensioning of abbots and friars and in some cases granting of the rectories to the incumbent priests. Later the diocese found it difficult to prevent unlawful, nefarious subletting of some of its buildings, for morally dubious purposes such as connected with the numerous
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
wharves involved in the slave trade often due to the distance, physically and legally from the perpetrators in ownership/operating structure of diocesan clergy and administrators as chief landlords. In the early 19th century office holders lobbied hard with other bishops to bring to an end the trade in the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
, through its missionaries, and in the messages preached across the diocese itself. The ''Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales'' (1835) found the Winchester see was the third wealthiest in England, after Canterbury and London, with an annual net income of £11,151. By the 19th century much of the non-church buildings estate of the church had been lost, some statutorily such as by the Tithe Acts procedures but much willingly sold for urban church building. Many schools built by the diocese transferred to state hands in the process of secularisation and National school charitable movement as it evolved under
Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a centr ...
. Many schools were co-founded by the diocese in the 20th century and various remain supported by the diocese.


Channel Islands component

The
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
were transferred from the
Diocese of Coutances The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)''; French: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathed ...
in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, France, in 1500 by papal bull. The transfer was later confirmed by a letter from Elizabeth I and an order in council dated 11 March 1569 which expressly perpetually united the islands with the diocese and, for avoidance of doubt, the bishop, which remains the law. The islands have for centuries operated their own canon law variants under the bishop. The islands were voluntarily removed from the present bishop's involvement in 2014 after a dispute with Bishop Dakin, who agreed to their Anglican churches' worship, work and ethos being overseen by
Trevor Willmott Trevor Willmott (born 29 March 1950) is a British retired bishop in the Church of England. He served as Bishop of Basingstoke (one of two suffragan bishops in the Diocese of Winchester) from 2002 to 2009 and then Bishop of Dover (''de facto'' ...
, then the
Bishop of Dover The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent. The Bishop of Dover holds the additional title of "Bishop i ...
. This measure is ratified by the parent province authorities of Canterbury as interim. It arises by use of the powers of episcopal delegation: Bishop Dakin delegates his authority up to the Archbishop of Canterbury who in turn delegates it down to the Bishop of Dover. Bishop Willmott was previously Bishop of Basingstoke, a suffragan see of the Winchester diocese, and in that capacity was familiar with the islands' preferences.


Notoriety of the Liberty of the Clink

A small area of Southwark for centuries lay outside the jurisdiction of the City of London, and that of the county authorities of Surrey, and some activities forbidden in those areas were permitted within it. In 1161 Bishop Henry (and successors) was granted power to license prostitutes and brothels in the liberty by King Henry II. The prostitutes were known as ''Winchester Geese'', and many are buried in
Cross Bones Cross Bones is a disused post-medieval burial ground on Redcross Way in Southwark, south London. Up to 15,000 people are believed to have been buried there. It was closed in 1853. Cross Bones is thought to have been established originally as ...
, unconsecrated ground.Constable, John. ''The Southwark Mysteries''. Oberon Books, 1999, pp. 9, 264-5, 291, 304-5, 338-9. Similarly, to "be bitten by a Winchester goose" (mid 16th-17th century) meant "to have/contract a venereal disease", and "
goose bumps Goose bumps, goosebumps or goose-pimples are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is tickled, cold or experiencing strong emotions such as fear, euphoria or sexual arousal. The ...
" was slang for symptoms of
venereal disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are Transmission (medicine), spread by Human sexual activity, sexual activity, especi ...
s. Theatres and playhouses were allowed in the Clink; the most famous was the Globe Theatre where
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
performed his plays. Another was The Rose, where Shakespeare and
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
both premiered plays.
Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...
and bear baiting were also permitted.


Archdeaconries and deaneries

*including Cathedral Additionally, from shortly after 6 April 2014 Paul Moore was instituted "Archdeacon for Mission Development"; this had no sub-territory and was a role to help reach out (mission). His appointment ended in 2020.


Churches


Not in a deanery


Deanery of Alresford


Deanery of Alton


Deanery of Andover


Deanery of Basingstoke


Deanery of Odiham


Deanery of Whitchurch


Deanery of Winchester


Deanery of Bournemouth


Deanery of Christchurch


Deanery of Eastleigh


Deanery of Lyndhurst


Deanery of Romsey


Deanery of Southampton


Deanery of Jersey


Deanery of Guernsey


References


External links

* {{authority control 676 establishments 7th-century establishments in England Dorchester
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
Dorchester Wessex