The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest see of the Church of England. The ''Report ...

(a division 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 ...

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 ...

). Like other

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 o ...

s, he or she is an administrator in the diocese at large (having oversight of parishes in roughly one-third of the diocese) and is a

Canon Residentiary A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

of the cathedral.

History

The Archdeacon of Canterbury has an additional role, traditionally serving as the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

's representative at enthronement ceremonies for new diocesan bishops in his province. At these services, the Archdeacon reads the Archbishop's mandate and, taking the new bishop by the hand, conducts him to his episcopal throne. The archdeaconry and archdeacon of Canterbury have been in constant existence since the 11th century. There was one short-lived attempt to split the role in the 12th century. In modern times, the archdeaconry has been split twice: creating Maidstone archdeaconry in 1841 and Ashford archdeaconry in 2011.

Composition

The archdeaconry covers approximately the north-east corner of the diocese. , the archdeaconry of Canterbury consists the following deaneries in the

: * Deanery of Canterbury * Deanery of East Bridge * Deanery of Reculver *

Deanery of Thanet A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

Deanery of West Bridge A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

*bef. –aft. :

Valerius The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of th ...

*bef. 1075–aft. 1086: Ansketil *bef. 1099–aft. 1108:

William William is a male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...

*1115–May 1125 (res.):

John 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 * Secon ...

*bef. 1126–1138: Helewise *bef. –March 1148 (res.):

Walter 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 ...

*aft. 1148–October 1154 (res.):

Roger de Pont L'Évêque Roger de Pont L'Évêque (or Robert of Bishop's Bridge; c. 1115–1181) was Archbishop of York from 1154 to 1181. Born in Normandy, he preceded Thomas Becket as Archdeacon of Canterbury, and together with Becket served Theobald of Bec while The ...

*aft. 1154–1163 (res.):

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

(also

from 1162) *bef. 1163–October 1174 (res.): Geoffrey Ridel *1175–June 1194 (res.):

Herbert Poore Herbert Poore or Poor or - the Norman did not necessarily translate the English ''poor'' but represents Latin , a "boy", and particularly one of good family, a knight. (died 1217) was a medieval English clergyman who held the post of Bisho ...

*bef. 1194–aft. 1195 (res.):

Philip of Poitou Philip of Poitou (sometimes Philip of Poitiers; died 22 April 1208) was Bishop of Durham from 1197 to 1208, and prior to this Archdeacon of Canterbury. Early life Philip's origins and early life are unknown, although it is believed he may have ...

*bef. 1196–aft. 1206: Henry de Castilion *bef. 1213–May 1227 (res.):

Henry Sandford Henry Sandford was a medieval Bishop of Rochester. Sandford was a royal official before becoming a canon of the diocese of Salisbury and was Archdeacon of Canterbury from about 1213 until he was chosen for Rochester.

*14 May 1227 – 1248 (d.): Simon Langton *28 January 1232–?:

Richard de Sancto Johanne Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

(ineffective royal appointment) *bef. 1248–July 1269 (d.): Stephen de Monte Luelli (aka of Vienne) *aft. July 1269–9 October 1275 (d.): Hugh de Mortuo Mari *October 1275–May 1278 (res.): William Middleton *1278–bef. 1280 (d.): Robert of Gernemue *aft. 1280–1299 (res.):

Richard de Ferings Richard de Ferings (died 1306), was the Archbishop of Dublin. Ferings was an official of the archdiocese of Canterbury The Province of Canterbury, or less formally the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces which constitu ...

*29 June 1299–September 1305 (res.): John de Langeton

Late Medieval

*22 September 1305–bef. 1306 (res.): Simon de Faversham *13 February 1306 – 22 November 1310 (res.): Bernard Ezius de le Breto *3 December 1310–bef. 1319 (res.):

Guichard de le Breto Guichard is a French surname, and may refer to; * Éric Guichard (born 1953), French cinematographer * Étienne Guichard, French actor * Jean Guichard (born 1952), French photographer * Jorge Guichard, (1996-) Producer, and video editor * Joseph Gu ...

*1 May 1319–bef. 1323 (d.): Simon of Comminges (''Simon Convenis''), son of Bernard VII,

Count of Comminges This is a list of counts of the County of Comminges. Counts of Comminges House of Comminges House of Lescun ''In 1462, the king of France Louis XI detached the county of Comminges from the royal domain and gave it to his friend.'' * 146 ...

and brother of

Bernard VIII, Count of Comminges Bernard VIII of Comminges (c. 1285–1336) was the Count of Comminges in what is now southern France. He was the son and successor of Count Bernard VII of Comminges (died 1312) and Laura of Montfort (died before 1300). The County of Comminges ...

*18 April 1323 – 1323 (dep.):

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (born 18 May 1947) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004 to 2009, Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001, Leader of ...

*23 April 1323–November 1325 (d.): Raymond de Roux *13 March 1326 – 1332 (res.): Hugh de Angoulême *15 July 1332 – 1333 (res.): Simon de Montacute *1334–1337 (res.):

Robert de Stratford Robert de Stratford ( c. 1292 – 9 April 1362) was an English bishop and was one of Edward III's principal ministers. Early life Stratford was born into the landed Stratford family of Stratford-on-Avon around 1292. His father was anot ...

*bef. 1338–bef. 1343 (d.): Bernard Sistre *25 June 1343–bef. 1370 (res.): Pierre Roger (became

Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pope ...

) *28 June 1343–bef. 1348 (res.):

Simon Islip Simon Islip (died 1366) was an English prelate. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury between 1349 and 1366. Early life Islip was the uncle of William Whittlesey. He was a cousin of Walter de Islip, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer:Ball, F. ...

(royal grant; set aside) *bef. 1372–28 April 1374 (d.): William Cardinal de la Jugee
(cardinal-priest of St Clement) *6 June 1374 – 12 September 1375 (res.):

Henry de Wakefield Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

*aft. 1375–3 June 1379 (deprived): Aymar Roche *adt. 1379–9 September 1381 (res.): John de Fordham *20 September 1381–bef. 1390 (d.):

William Pakington William is a male given name of Germanic 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 conquest of Engl ...

*28 July 1390 – 23 February 1397 (exch.):

Adam Mottrum Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

*26 August 1390 – 1390: Thomas Butiller (ineffective royal grant) *23 February 1397 – 1400 (res.):

Richard Clifford Richard Clifford (died 1421) was a Bishop of London who had previously been Bishop of Worcester, Bishop-elect of Bath and Wells, and Lord Privy Seal. Clifford's brother was the politician Robert Clifford, who was member of parliament (MP) fir ...

*7 April 1400 – 12 May 1406 (res.): Robert Hallam *28 October 1406 – 31 May 1408 (d.): Angelo Cardinal Acciaioli, Dean of the
College of Cardinals &

cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri The Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia is an ecclesiastical territory located within the Metropolitan City of Rome in Italy. It is one of the seven suburbicarian dioceses. The incumbent Bishop is cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Since ...

( obedience of Rome) *13 July 1408 – 1415 (res.):

John Wakering John Wakering (or Wakeryng; died 9 April 1425) was a medieval Bishop of Norwich. Wakering was appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Canterbury (a division of the Church of En ...

*5 June 1416–bef. 1420 (d.): Henry Rumworth (or Circeter) *3 October 1420–bef. 1424 (d.): William Chichele *10 June 1424–bef. 1434 (res.): Prospero Cardinal Colonna
(cardinal-deacon of St George in Velabro) *14 December 1434 – 26 January 1467 (d.):

Thomas Chichele Sir Thomas Chicheley (25 March 1614 – 1 February 1699) of Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire was a politician in England in the seventeenth century who fell from favour in the reign of James II. His name is sometimes spelt as Chichele. Life He was ...

*bef. 1467–bef. 1479 (d.): Thomas Winterbourne *February 1479–bef. 1495 (d.): John Bourgchier *26 November 1495 – 25 July 1504 (d.): Hugh Peynthwyn *aft. 1505–bef. 1534 (res.):

William Warham William Warham ( – 22 August 1532) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1503 to his death. Early life and education Warham was the son of Robert Warham of Malshanger in Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford ...

*9 March 1534 – 15 March 1554 (deprived): Edmund Cranmer

Early modern

*March 1554–bef. 1559 (deprived):

Nicholas Harpsfield Nicholas Harpsfield (1519–1575) was an English historian and a Roman Catholic apologist and priest under Henry VIII, whose policies he opposed. Origins Born in 1519 in the parish of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street, in the City of London, he was ...

*November 1559–bef. 1571 (res.):

Edmund Gheast Edmund Gheast (also known as Guest, Geste or Gest; 1514–1577) was a 16th-century cleric of the Church of England. Life Guest was born at Northallerton, Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Geste. He was educated at York Grammar School and Eton College ...

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...

*aft. 1572–aft. 1575 (res.): Edmund Freke, Bishop of Rochester *17 May 1576 – 1595 (res.): William Redman *January 1595–29 March 1619 (d.):

Charles Fotherby Charles Fotherby (c. 1549 – 1619) was a Church of England clergyman who became Dean of Canterbury (1615–1619). Life Fotherby's date of birth is not recorded but he is stated to have been 70 when he died. His father was Martin Fotherby of ...

(also

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...

from 1615) *10 April 1619 – 29 January 1648 (d.):

William Kingsley William Kingsley, D.D. was an Anglican priest in the 17th century. Lever was born in London and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was Archdeacon of Canterbury The Archdeacon of Canterbury is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of ...

*1648–1660: ''See suspended during the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were governed as a republic after the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execut ...

'' *August 1660–23 August 1668 (d.): George Hall (also

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the C ...

from 1662) *7 October 1668 – 1670 (res.):

William Sancroft William Sancroft (30 January 161724 November 1693) was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of the Seven Bishops imprisoned in 1688 for seditious libel against King James II, over his opposition to the king's Declaration of Indulge ...

*18 November 1672 – 20 March 1688 (d.): Samuel Parker (also

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his electio ...

from 1686) *22 March 1688 – 10 October 1708 (d.): John Battely *28 October 1708 – 1721 (res.): Thomas Green *7 November 1721 – 23 August 1724 (d.): Thomas Bowers (also

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's seat ...

from 1722) *1 September 1724 – 1748 (res.):

Samuel Lisle Samuel Lisle (1683 – 3 October 1749) was an English academic and bishop. Life Lisle was born in Blandford, Dorset. He graduated M.A. at Wadham College, Oxford, in 1706, and was ordained in 1707.''Concise Dictionary of National Biography'' ...

(also

Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is loca ...

from 1744) *April 1748–4 December 1769 (d.): John Head (Sir John Head, 5th Baronet from 1768) *13 December 1769 – 29 September 1788 (d.):

William Backhouse William Backhouse (17 January 1593 – 30 May 1662) was an English philosopher, alchemist, astrologer, translator, and the esoteric mentor of Elias Ashmole. Born into the wealthy Backhouse family, Backhouse enjoyed an education at Oxford, and w ...

*7 November 1788 – 1 May 1803 (d.): John Lynch *19 May 1803 – 8 April 1822 (d.): Houstonne Radcliffe *26 April 1822–bef. 1825 (res.): Hugh Percy *18 June 1825 – 9 May 1869 (d.):

James Croft Sir James Croft PC (c.1518 – 4 September 1590) was an English politician, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of England. Life He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Croft of Cro ...

Late modern

*1869–November 1890 (ret.): Edward Parry (also Bishop suffragan of Dover from 1870) *1890–1897 (res.):

Rodney Eden George Rodney Eden (called Rodney; 9 September 1853 – 7 January 1940) was an Anglican bishop, Bishop of Dover (a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Canterbury) and then Bishop of Wakefield ( diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Wakefield). Backgr ...

(also Bishop suffragan of Dover from 1890) *bef. 1898–17 October 1918 (d.): William Walsh (also Bishop suffragan of Dover from 1898) *1918–1924 (res.): Leonard White-Thomson *1924–1939 (ret.):

Edward Hardcastle Edward Hardcastle (1826 – 1 November 1905) was a British businessman and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1892. Hardcastle was the second son of Alfred Hardcastle of Hatcham House, Surrey, and his wife ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1939–1942 (ret.):

Karl Sopwith The Ven Thomas Karl Sopwith MA (known as Karl; 28 May 1873 – 14 December 1945) was an eminent Anglican clergyman in the first half of the 20th century. He was born on 28 May 1873, the eldest son of Arthur Sopwith of Chasetown & his wife Cathe ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1942–1968 (ret.):

Alexander Sargent Alexander Sargent (9 May 1895 – 5 January 1989) was an eminent Anglican clergyman in the mid 20th century. He was born on 9 May 1895, educated at The King's School, Canterbury and St Edmund Hall, Oxford and ordained in 1920. After curacies a ...

*1967–1972 (res.):

Michael Nott Michael John Nott (9 November 1916 – 3 February 1988) was an Anglican priest. Nott was born in 1916, educated at St Paul's and King's College London and ordained in 1939. His first posts were at Abington, Reading and Kettering. Following thi ...

*1972–1981 (ret.): Bernard Pawley (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1981–1986 (res.): John Simpson *1986–1996 (res.): Michael Till *1996–2001 (res.): John Pritchard *2002–2007 (ret.): Patrick Evans (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *April 20076 January 2016 (res.): Sheila Watson *6 December 201522 January 2017: Philip Down & Stephen Taylor, Joint Acting Archdeacons of Canterbury. *22 January 20174 December 2021 (res.):

Jo Kelly-Moore Joanne Kelly-Moore (born 1968) is a New Zealand Anglican priest who has been the Dean of St Albans since 2021. She was previously the Dean of Auckland in the Anglican Church of New Zealand from 2010 to 2017, and then Archdeacon of Canterb ...

Canterbury Cathedral — New Archdeacon of Canterbury
(Accessed 8 February 2017) *18 July 2022present:

Will Adam William Adam is a Church of England priest. He was appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury in 2022 and had previously been the Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion and ecumenism, ecumenical advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Educ ...

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Canterbury, Archdeacon of Anglican ecclesiastical offices Church of England Diocese of Canterbury Lists of Anglicans Lists of English people