All Topics  
Bishop of London

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Bishop of London
 
 
  Topics Bishop of London Topic Home

The Bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 is the Ordinary
Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to executive the church's laws....
 of the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 Diocese of London
Diocese of London

The Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames, and bordered the dioceses of Anglican Diocese of Norwich and Diocese of Lincoln to the north and west....
 in the Province of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury

The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England. It consists of 30 dioceses, covering roughly the southern two-thirds of England, along with the Channel Islands, the Falkland Islands, a few parishes in Wales, and the mainland of Europe....
.

The diocese covers 458 kmē (177 sq. mi.) of 17 boroughs of Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
 north of the River Thames (historically the County of Middlesex
Middlesex

Middlesex , from the Old English Middelseaxe , is one of the 39 Historic counties of England of England and the List of counties of England by area in 1831....
) and a small part of the County of Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
. The see
Episcopal See

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

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
 which was founded as a cathedral in 604 and was rebuilt from 1675 following the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London, England, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666....
 (1666).

The Bishop's residence is The Old Deanery, Dean's Court, London.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Bishop of London'
Start a new discussion about 'Bishop of London'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
 of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 is the Ordinary
Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to executive the church's laws....
 of the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 Diocese of London
Diocese of London

The Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames, and bordered the dioceses of Anglican Diocese of Norwich and Diocese of Lincoln to the north and west....
 in the Province of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury

The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England. It consists of 30 dioceses, covering roughly the southern two-thirds of England, along with the Channel Islands, the Falkland Islands, a few parishes in Wales, and the mainland of Europe....
.

The diocese covers 458 kmē (177 sq. mi.) of 17 boroughs of Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
 north of the River Thames (historically the County of Middlesex
Middlesex

Middlesex , from the Old English Middelseaxe , is one of the 39 Historic counties of England of England and the List of counties of England by area in 1831....
) and a small part of the County of Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
. The see
Episcopal See

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

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
 which was founded as a cathedral in 604 and was rebuilt from 1675 following the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London, England, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666....
 (1666).

The Bishop's residence is The Old Deanery, Dean's Court, London. Previously, for over a thousand years Fulham Palace
Fulham Palace

Fulham Palace in Fulham, London , England, at one time the main residence of the Bishop of London, is of medieval origin. It was the country home of the Bishops of London from at least 11th century until 1975, when it was vacated....
 was the residence, although, from the eighteenth century, London House, next to the Bishop's Chapel in Aldersgate
Aldersgate

Aldersgate was a City gate in the London Wall in the City of London, which has given its name to a ward and Aldersgate Street, a road leading north from the site of the gate, towards Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington....
 Street, was where he had his chambers, and was used as a more convenient place for the Bishop to conduct his affairs.

Third in seniority in the Church of England after the Archbishops of Canterbury
Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
 and York
York

York is a walled city, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire and River Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city status in the United Kingdom is noted for its rich heritage and it has played an important role throughout much of its almost 2,000 year existence....
, the Bishop is one of five senior bishops, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the Episcopal see that churches must be in communion with in order to be a part of the Anglican Communion....
, the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York

File:Williamtemple1.jpgArchbishop 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 bishop of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man....
, the Bishop of Durham
Bishop of Durham

The Bishop of Durham is the Church of England bishop responsible for the diocese of Diocese of Durham in the province of York. The Diocese is one of the oldest in the country and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords....
, and the Bishop 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 a Lord Spiritual regardless of their length of service....
, who sit as of right as one of the 26 Lords Spiritual
Lords Spiritual

The Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called Spiritual Peerage, are the 26 bishops of the State religion Church of England who serve in the House of Lords along with the Lord Temporal....
 in the House of Lords
House of Lords

The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". The Parliament comprises the British monarchy, the British House of Commons , and the Lords....
 (as opposed to the remaining diocesan bishops of lesser rank, for whom elevation to one of the seats reserved is attained upon its vacancy and is determined by chronological seniority).

The current Bishop of London is the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Richard John Carew Chartres
Richard Chartres

Richard John Carew Chartres Privy Council of the United Kingdom Venerable Order of St John Society of Antiquaries Burgon Society is the 132nd Lord Bishop of London, being confirmed in office in November 1995....
, the 132nd Lord Bishop of London, who was installed on 26 January 1996 and who signs Richard Londin.

History

Because the Bishop's diocese includes the Royal palaces and the seat of government at Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
, he has been regarded as the 'King's bishop' and has historically had considerable influence with members of the Royal Family and leading politicians of the day. Since 1748 it has been customary to appoint the Bishop of London to the post of Dean of the Chapel Royal
Dean of the Chapel Royal

Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's Chapel Royal, the Ecclesiastical Household which is part of the Royal Household and ministers to it....
, which has the amusing effect of putting under the bishop's jurisdiction as dean several chapels (at the Tower of London
Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London , is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames....
 and St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace

St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated on Pall Mall, London in London, just north of St. James's Park....
, among others) which are geographically in the Diocese of London but as royal peculiars are specifically outside the bishop's jurisdiction as bishop.

The recorded antiquity of the office dates back to the Roman province
Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
 of Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
. where sixteen named archbishops are listed by Jocelyne of Furness in his work Bishops. Stowe noted that this was the sole available source of these names. However, the earlier of the two bishops named Restitutus
Restitutus

Restitutus was an bishop of London in the early 4th century....
 in the work was alive in 314, the year which he was named as attending the Council of Arles. The Saxon bishopric of which the present diocese is the direct successor was established in 604 by Mellitus
Mellitus

Mellitus was the first Bishop of London and the third Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of the members of the Gregorian mission sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons....
, the same year as St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
 (and also the Diocese of Rochester) were founded.

External links