The Bishop of Dorchester was a bishop in the pre-Reformation Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 in the Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

 period, in charge of the Diocese of Dorchester

Diocese of Dorchester

The Diocese of Dorchester was an Anglo-Saxon Roman Catholic diocese in southern and eastern England.The Bishop of Dorchester had his seat, or cathedra, at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The Wessex diocese covered most of Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Oxfordshire and...

. His seat, or cathedra

Cathedra

A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...

, was at the cathedral

Dorchester Abbey

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 site of a Saxon cathedral.-History:...

 in Dorchester-on-Thames

Dorchester, Oxfordshire

Dorchester-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thame in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames, but just above the Thame's confluence with it...

 in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

.

History

A cathedral at Dorchester was founded in 634 by the Roman missionary Saint Birinus

Birinus

Birinus , venerated as a saint, was the first Bishop of Dorchester, and the "Apostle to the West Saxons".-Life and ministry:After Augustine of Canterbury performed initial conversions in England, Birinus, a Frank, came to the kingdoms of Wessex in 634, landing at the port of "Hamwic", now in the...

. It was the seat of a Bishop of the West Saxons; the episcopal see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 for that kingdom was moved to Winchester

Winchester

Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...

 in 660 and so the Wessex Bishops of Dorchester were succeeded by the Bishops of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...

.

In the 660s, the seat at Dorchester-on-Thames was abandoned, but briefly in the late 670s it was once more a bishop's seat under Ætla

Ætla

Ætla, who lived in the 7th century, is believed to be one in a series of Bishops of Dorchester of the Roman Catholic Church of England during the Anglo-Saxon period. The village of Attlebridge, Norfolk is named after him, as he is credited for the construction of a bridge there.He was attested...

, under Mercian control.

The town again became the seat of a bishop in around 875, when the Mercia

Mercia

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...

n Bishop of Leicester

Bishop of Leicester

The Bishop of Leicester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Leicester in the Province of Canterbury.The first bishops of Leicester were originally prelates who administered an Anglo-Saxon diocese between the 7th and 9th centuries...

 transferred his seat there. The diocese merged with that of Lindsey

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 :...

 in 971; the bishop's seat was moved to Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

 in 1072 and thus the Mercian Bishops of Dorchester were succeeded by the Bishops of Lincoln

Bishop of Lincoln

The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...

.

List of the Anglo-Saxon Bishops of the Diocese of Dorchester

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
Wessex Diocese of Dorchester
625 or 634 to 650	Birinus Birinus Birinus , venerated as a saint, was the first Bishop of Dorchester, and the "Apostle to the West Saxons".-Life and ministry:After Augustine of Canterbury performed initial conversions in England, Birinus, a Frank, came to the kingdoms of Wessex in 634, landing at the port of "Hamwic", now in the...	Sent from Rome by the pope Pope Honorius IV Pope Honorius IV , born Giacomo Savelli, was Pope for two years from 1285 to 1287. During his unremarkable pontificate he largely continued to pursue the pro-French policy of his predecessor, Pope Martin IV... , founded missionary diocese; Saint Birinius
650 to ???	Agilbert Agilbert Agilbert was the second Bishop of the West Saxon kingdom and later Bishop of Paris. Son of a Neustrian noble named Betto, he was a first cousin of Audoin and related to the Faronids and Agilolfings, and less certainly to the Merovingians...
?660 to ???	Ætla Ætla Ætla, who lived in the 7th century, is believed to be one in a series of Bishops of Dorchester of the Roman Catholic Church of England during the Anglo-Saxon period. The village of Attlebridge, Norfolk is named after him, as he is credited for the construction of a bridge there.He was attested...
Mercian Diocese of Dorchester (seat at Dorchester)
869 or 888 to 893 or 896	Harlardus Harlardus Harlardus was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester.He was consecrated between 869 and 888 and died between 895 and 897.-References:... (Alhheard; Eahlheard)
893 or 900 to 903 or 909	Wigmund of Dorchester (Wilferth)
905 or c.909 to 909 or 925	Coenwulf of Dorchester Coenwulf of Dorchester Coenwulf was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester.He was consecrated in 909 and died between 909 and 925.-References:*Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London: Royal Historical Society 1961... (Kenulphus)
909 or 925 to 934 or 945	Wynsige Wynsige Wynsige was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester.He was consecrated between 909 and 925 and died between 934 and 951.-References:* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961...
934 or 945 to 949 or 950	Æthelwold
949 to 950 to 971	Oscytel	Translated to York Archbishop of York The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
??? to ???	?Wulfric
Diocese of Lindsey (seat at Dorchester)
971 to 971 or 975	Leofwine	Bishop of Lindsey Bishop of Lindsey The Bishop of Lindsey was a prelate who administered an Anglo-Saxon diocese between the 7th and 11th centuries. The episcopal title took its name after the ancient Kingdom of Lindsey.-History:... ; united the sees of Dorchester and Sidnacester in 971, bishops of the united diocese known as Bishop of Dorchester
971 or 975 to 975 or 979	Alnothus Alnothus Alnothus was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated between 965 and 975 and died between 975 and 979.-References:... (Alfnoth)
967 or 975 or 979 to 994 or 23 April 1002	Æscwig (Œswy; Ascwinus Ascwinus Æscwig was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated between 975 and 979 and died in 1002.-References:... )
994 or 1002 to 1004 or 1007 or 1009	Ælfhelm (Alfhelmus Alfhelmus Harlardus was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated in 1002 and died between 1005 and 1006.-References:... )
1004 or 1007 or 1009 to 18 October 1016	Eadnoth (Eadnothus Eadnothus Eadnoth the Younger or Eadnoth I was a medieval monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Ramsey and Bishop of Dorchester. From a prominent family of priests in the Fens, he was related to Oswald, Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York and founder of Ramsey Abbey. Following in the footsteps of his... )	Abbot of Ramsey; killed at the battle of Assandun
1016 to 8 December 1034	Æthelric (Eadhericus Eadhericus Eadhericus was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated in 1016 and died in 1034.-References:... ; Brihtmær)
1034 to 18/19 September 1049	Eadnoth II, Bishop of Dorchester, Leicester, and Sidnacester (Eadnothus Eadnothus II Eadnothus II was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated in 1034 and died in 1049.-References:... )
1052 or 1049 to 14 September 1052	Ulfus Normanus Ulfus Normanus Ulfus Normanus was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.He was consecrated in 1050 and was expelled in 1052.-References:... (Ulf Ulf Ulf is a male name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" . The oldest written proof of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone from the 11th Century. The female form is Ylva... )	Royal priest; suspended at the Council of Vercelli 1050; expelled
1053 to 1067	Wulfwig (Wulfinus Wulfinus Wulfwig was a medieval Bishop of Dorchester, when the city was seat of the united dioceses of Lindsey and Dorchester.-Life:He was consecrated in 1053 on the continent. and died in 1067. He was buried in Dorchester.-References:... )	Royal priest
1070 to 1071	Remigius de Fécamp Remigius de Fécamp Remigius de Fécamp was a Benedictine monk who was a supporter of William the Conqueror.-Early life:... (Remigius de Feschamp)	Moved the see to Lincoln