The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham'' in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. The cathedral is the mother church of the

Diocese of Durham The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic county of Durham (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluding southern Teesdale). It was created in ...

and seat of the

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

List of deans

Early modern

*1541–1551

Hugh Whitehead Hugh Whitehead (died 1551) was the last prior of the Benedictine monastery at Durham in England. The monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1540. Whitehead would go on to become the cathedral's first dean. Life He was from a County ...

(last prior) *1551–1553 Robert Horne *1553–1558 Thomas Watson *1558–1559 Thomas Robertson (deprived) *1559–1561 Robert Horne ''(again)'' *1561–1563 Ralph Skinner *1563–1579

William Whittingham William Whittingham (c. 1524–1579) was an English Puritan, a Marian exile, and a translator of the Geneva Bible. He was well connected to the circles around John Knox, Bullinger, and Calvin, and firmly resisted the continuance of the English li ...

*1580–1581 Thomas Wilson ''(Lay dean)'' *1583–1595

Tobias Matthew Tobias Matthew (also Tobie and Toby; 13 June 154629 March 1628), was an Anglican bishop who was President of St John's College, Oxford, from 1572 to 1576, before being appointed Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1579 to 1583, and Matthew ...

*1596–1606

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

*1606–1620

Adam Newton Adam Lee Newton (born 4 December 1980) is a former professional footballer who played for West Ham United, Peterborough United, Brentford and Luton Town. Born in England, he represented the England U21 national team and the Saint Kitts and Ne ...

''(Lay dean)'' *1620–1638 Richard Hunt *1639–1645

Walter Balcanquhall Walter Balcanquhall (1586? – 1645) was a Scottish clergyman who became a staunch royalist and supporter of the church policy of Charles I of England. He was chosen by James I as a delegate from the Church of Scotland to the Synod of Dort. ...

*1646

Christopher Potter Christopher Potter (1591 – 3 March 1646) was an English academic and clergyman, Provost of The Queen's College, Oxford, controversialist and prominent supporter of William Laud. Life He was born in Westmoreland, the nephew of Barnaby Potter. ...

*1646–1659 William Fuller *1660–1661

John Barwick John Barwick (1612–1664) was an early English royalist churchman and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral. Early life He was born at Witherslack, in Westmorland. John was the third of five sons, and he and his brother Peter Barwick (later his biogr ...

*1661–1684

John Sudbury John Sudbury was Dean of Durham from his installation on 15 February 1661 until his death on 29 November 1684. He was born at Bury St Edmunds in 1604, educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and ordained in 1629. He was Vicar of Leigh, Kent fr ...

*1684–1690 Denis Granville *1691–1699 Thomas Comber *1700–1728 John Montague *1728–1746 Henry Bland *1746–1774

The Hon ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Spencer Cowper Spencer Cowper (23 February 1670 – 10 December 1728) was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and British House of Commons between 1705 and 1727. Early life Cowper was the second son of Sir Willia ...

*1774–1777

Thomas Dampier Thomas Dampier (1748 – 13 May 1812) served as Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Ely. Life He was eldest son of Dr Thomas Dampier, who was lower master at Eton College and from 1774 Dean of Durham. He was educated at Eton College, and in 17 ...

*1777–1788 William Digby *1788–1794

John Hinchliffe Bishop John Hinchliffe DD (1731 – 11 January 1794 in the Bishop's Palace, Peterborough) was an English churchman and college fellow. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1768–88, Bishop of Peterborough, 1769–94, and Dean of Durham ...

Late modern

*1794–1824 The Hon James Cornwallis :(The Earl Cornwallis from 1823) *1824–1827 Charles Hall *1827–1840 John Jenkinson *1840–1869

George Waddington George Waddington (; 7 September 1793 – 20 July 1869) was an English priest, traveller and church historian. Life He was the son of George Waddington (1754?-1824), vicar of Tuxford and Anne Dollond, youngest daughter of the optician Peter Do ...

*1869–1894 William Lake (also Warden of the University) *1894–1912

George Kitchin George William Kitchin (7 December 1827 – 13 October 1912) was the first Chancellor of the University of Durham, from the institution of the role in 1908 until his death in 1912. He was also the last Dean of Durham to govern the university. ...

*1912–1918 Hensley Henson *1918–1933

James Welldon James Edward Cowell Welldon (25 April 1854 – 17 June 1937) was an English clergyman and scholar. He was Bishop of Calcutta from 1898 to 1902, Dean of Manchester from 1906 to 1918, and Dean of Durham from 1918 to 1933. Early life Welldon was ...

*1933–1951

Cyril Alington Cyril Argentine Alington (22 October 1872 – 16 May 1955) was an English educationalist, scholar, cleric, and author. He was successively the headmaster of Shrewsbury School and Eton College. He also served as chaplain to King George V and as De ...

*1951–1974

John Wild John Wild may refer to: *Jack Wild (1952–2006), English actor *John Benton Wild (1806–1857), Australian politician *John Caspar Wild (1804–1846), American painter *John Daniel Wild (1902–1972), American philosopher *John J. Wild (1914–200 ...

*1974–1979

Eric Heaton Eric William Heaton (15 October 1920 – 24 August 1996) was an Old Testament scholar and a former Dean of Christ Church, Oxford (1979–1991). Eric Heaton's father was a sheep farmer at Long Preston in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was educ ...

*1980–1988

Peter Baelz Peter Richard Baelz (1923-2000) was an Anglican priest and theologian. Born on 27 July 1923, he was educated at Dulwich College, Dulwich and Cambridge University, where he won a tennis blue. He trained for ordination at Westcott House, Cambrid ...

*1989–2002 John Arnold *2003–2015

Michael Sadgrove Michael Sadgrove (born 13 April 1950) is a Church of England priest and noted theological author. Between 2003 and 2015, he was Dean of Durham. From 1995 to 2003, he was Provost, then Dean of Sheffield Cathedral. He is now Dean Emeritus of Durham. ...

*17 July 201625 September 2022

Andrew Tremlett Andrew Tremlett (born 9 March 1964) is a British Church of England priest. Since 2022, he has served as Dean of St Paul's, and is therefore the head of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral and the most senior priest in the Diocese of ...

(became Dean of St Paul's

References

Sources

British History – ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae'' 1541–1857, Vol. 11 – Deans of Durham
{{Deans of Durham

Deans of Durham The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St C ...

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