The Diocese of Oxford is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

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, prov ...

that 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 consi ...

. The diocese is led by the

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 (bishop), Steven Croft, following the Confirm ...

(currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

. It contains more church buildings than any other diocese and has more paid clergy than any other except

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The diocese now covers the counties of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(118 churches),

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

(152 churches),

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

(227 churches) and five churches in the nearby counties.

History

The Diocese of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

was created by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

from

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

on 1 September 1542, out of part of the

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...

Osney Abbey Osney Abbey or Oseney Abbey, later Osney Cathedral, was a house of Augustinians, Augustinian canons at Osney in Oxfordshire. The site is south of the modern Botley Road, down Mill Street, Oxford, Mill Street by Osney Cemetery, next to the rail ...

was designated the original cathedral, but in 1545 this was changed to St Frideswide's Priory which became Christ Church Cathedral. In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from 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 the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, ...

to Oxford. This comprises the county of Berkshire and parts of Wiltshire. An

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

of 1837 transferred the Archdeaconry of Buckingham from the

. In 2013 and 2014, the Diocese of Oxford discussed and resolved to undertake some pastoral alterations; the new archdeaconry of Dorchester was created on 1 March 2014. On 3 March 2014, it was announced that Judy French would become the first Archdeacon of Dorchester from June 2014.

Bishops

The diocesan Bishop of Oxford is assisted by the area bishops of Dorchester, Buckingham, and Reading. The suffragan See of Buckingham was created in 1914, and was the suffragan bishopric for the whole diocese until 1939 when the See of Dorchester was created; the See of Reading was re-created in 1942, after having been 'in abeyance' since 1909. 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 w ...

(for Anglo-Catholic parishes in the diocese – among twelve other dioceses in the western part of the Province of Canterbury – which do not accept the ordination of women as priests) is the

Bishop of Oswestry The Bishop of Oswestry is a suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Lichfield who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. Since 2023, Paul Thomas has been the Bishop of Oswestry. Background Following the first ...

, 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 ministry in the diocese. Conservative evangelicals who reject the ordination and/or leadership of women due to complementarian beliefs, receive alternative episcopal oversight from the

Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet is a suffragan bishop who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. From its creation in 1994 to 2022, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet served traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes that reject t ...

. Several retired bishops resident in or near the diocese are licensed to serve as

s.: *Since 2001: Bill Down, retired Assistant Bishop of Leicester and Bishop of Bermuda, lives in

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. History The Toponymy, place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest kno ...

. *Since 2010: Anthony Russell, former

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

and area Bishop of Dorchester, lives in Holton. *Since 2010: Henry Scriven, Mission Director for Latin America ( CMS) and former Assistant Bishop in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and Suffragan Bishop in Europe, lives in

Abingdon-on-Thames Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in the Vale of the White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The Historic counties of England, historic county town of Berksh ...

and is also licensed in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

and

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 N ...

dioceses. *Since 2013: David Jennings, retired former Bishop suffragan of Warrington, lives in

Northleach Northleach is a market town and former civil parish, now in parish Northleach with Eastington, in the Cotswold District, Cotswold district, in Gloucestershire, England. The town is in the valley of the River Leach in the Cotswolds, about northe ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and is also licensed in Gloucester diocese. *Since 2013:

John Went John Stewart Went (born 11 March 1944) was the Anglican Bishop of Tewkesbury, the suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Gloucester, from 25 January 1996 until 2 March 2013. He was educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School and Corpus Christi Col ...

, former Bishop suffragan of Tewkesbury, lives in Latimer. George Carey (retired

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

) lives in the diocese and was an honorary assistant bishop, but resigned his licence following his implication in the Peter Ball abuse case, and Humphrey Southern, former Bishop suffragan of Repton, is the Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon.

Current extent

Counties

The diocese now covers the counties of *

(118 churches) *

(152 churches) *

(227 churches) and has *three churches in the county of

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

*one church in the traditional county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

*one church in the county of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

Episcopal areas

Since the creation of an area scheme in 1984, the diocese has been divided into three episcopal areas. The

has authority throughout the diocese, but also has primary responsibility for the city and suburbs of

, which form the Archdeaconry of Oxford. *City of Oxford and surrounding area (Archdeaconry of Oxford) **current

: Steven Croft **includes Deaneries of

and Cowley * Dorchester Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Dorchester) **current area Bishop of Dorchester: Gavin Collins **includes Deaneries of

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

& Cuddesdon,

Bicester Bicester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, north-west of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre � ...

& Islip,

Chipping Norton Chipping Norton is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cotswolds in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 201 ...

, Deddington, Henley,

and

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

*Buckingham Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Buckingham) **current area Bishop of Buckingham: Dave Bull **includes Deaneries of

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

, Burnham &

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

, Claydon,

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

, Mursley, Newport, Wendover and Wycombe *Reading Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Berkshire) **current area Bishop of Reading: Mary Gregory **includes Deaneries of Abingdon,

Bracknell Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Re ...

, Bradfield,

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

& Windsor, Newbury,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

Sonning Sonning (traditional: ; modern: ) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book ''Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fair ...

Vale of White Horse The Vale of White Horse is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It Historic counties of England, was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of ''the'' White Hors ...

, Wallingford and

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Berkshire, it has been a ...

Archdeaconries and deaneries

*including Cathedral

Churches

Outside deanery structures

Deanery of Oxford

¹situated within the area covered by the Cowley deanery

Deanery of Cowley

Deanery of Abingdon

Deanery website

Deanery of Aston and Cuddesdon

Deanery of Bicester and Islip

Deanery of Chipping Norton

Deanery of Deddington

Deanery of Henley

Deanery of Vale of White Horse

Deanery of Wallingford

Deanery of Wantage

Deanery website

Deanery of Witney

Deanery of Woodstock

Deanery of Amersham

Deanery website

Deanery of Aylesbury

Deanery of Buckingham

Deanery website

Deanery of Burnham and Slough

Deanery of Claydon

Deanery of Milton Keynes

Deanery of Mursley

Deanery of Newport

Deanery of Wendover

Deanery of Wycombe

Deanery website

Deanery of Bracknell

Deanery of Bradfield

Deanery of Maidenhead and Windsor

Deanery of Newbury

Deanery of Reading

Deanery website

Deanery of Sonning

Other foundations employing Church of England clergy within the diocesan area

References

Church of England Statistics 2002

External links

*
Churches in the Diocese of Oxford ("A Church Near You")
{{coord, 51.831, -1.305, type:adm2nd_region:GB, display=title

1541 establishments in England Religious organizations established in the 1540s Dioceses established in the 16th century

History

Bishops

Current extent

Counties

Episcopal areas

Archdeaconries and deaneries

Churches

Outside deanery structures

Deanery of Oxford

Deanery of Cowley

Deanery of Abingdon

Deanery of Aston and Cuddesdon

Deanery of Bicester and Islip

Deanery of Chipping Norton

Deanery of Deddington

Deanery of Henley

Deanery of Vale of White Horse

Deanery of Wallingford

Deanery of Wantage

Deanery of Witney

Deanery of Woodstock

Deanery of Amersham

Deanery of Aylesbury

Deanery of Buckingham

Deanery of Burnham and Slough

Deanery of Claydon

Deanery of Milton Keynes

Deanery of Mursley

Deanery of Newport

Deanery of Wendover

Deanery of Wycombe

Deanery of Bracknell

Deanery of Bradfield

Deanery of Maidenhead and Windsor

Deanery of Newbury

Deanery of Reading

Deanery of Sonning

Other foundations employing Church of England clergy within the diocesan area

See also

References

External links