Bishop of Norwich
Encyclopedia
The Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

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 execute the church's laws...

 of the 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...

 Diocese of Norwich
Anglican Diocese of Norwich
The Diocese of Norwich forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of Dunwich founded in 630. In common with many Anglo-Saxon bishoprics it moved, in this case to Elmham in 673...

 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...

.

The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

 and part of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

. 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 as 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 Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....

.

The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Norwich. The current bishop is The Right Reverend Graham James, the 71st Bishop of Norwich, who signs +Graham Norvic.

East Anglia has held a bishopric since 630 when the first cathedral was founded at Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...

 on a site which is now submerged by the sea off the coast of Suffolk. The seat was moved in 673 to Elmham (now North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....

) and thence to Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...

 in 1070 before finally being located in Norwich in 1094 under King William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...

 ahead of the completion of the new cathedral building.

History

Though the see took the name Norwich only in the eleventh century, its history goes back five hundred years earlier, to the conversion of East Anglia by St Felix in the reign of King Sigeberht, who succeeded to the kingdom of his father Redwald
Raedwald of East Anglia
Rædwald ; also Raedwald or Redwald, was a 7th century king of East Anglia, a long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the son of Tytila of East Anglia and a member of the Wuffingas dynasty , who were the first rulers of the East Angles...

 on the death of his half-brother Eorpweald
Eorpwald of East Anglia
Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...

 in 628. St Felix first fixed his see at Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...

, a sea-coast town whose site is now submerged off the coast of Suffolk in Southwold Bay. From there he evangelized the areas corresponding to Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...

, the counties which later were to form the Norwich diocese. He was succeeded by Thomas (647), Beorhtgils (Boniface), who died about 669, and Bisi, on whose death, in 673, St Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior 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. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

, divided the see into two, with cathedrals at Dunwich and Elmham (now North Elmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....

).

The see of Elmham came to an end about 870, when St Edmund
Edmund the Martyr
St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...

, King of the East Angles, and the bishop St Humbertus
Humbertus
Humbertus was a medieval Bishop of Elmham.He was consecrated before 824. He was martyred by the Danes, and later venerated as Saint Humbert...

 were murdered by the Danes. The country was ravaged, the churches and monasteries destroyed, and Christianity was only practised with difficulty. Bishop Wilred of Dunwich seems then to have reunited the dioceses, choosing Elmham as his see. The line of his successors at Elmham then descended to Bishop Herfast, a chaplain to William the Conqueror, who removed his see to Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory is a Cluniac Priory located at Thetford, Norfolk, England.One of the most important East Anglian monasteries, it was founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk and dedicated to Our Lady....

 and died in 1084.

Herbert de Losinga
Herbert de Losinga
Herbert de Losinga was the first Bishop of Norwich. He founded Norwich Cathedral in 1096 when he was Bishop of Thetford.-Life:...

 obtained his appointment in 1091 by means of a simoniacal gift to King William Rufus to secure his election, but being subsequently struck with remorse went to Rome, in 1094, to obtain absolution from the pope. Herbert founded a priory of Norwich in expiation for his sin and at the same time moved his see there from Thetford in 1094 under King William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...

. The chapter of secular canons was dissolved and the monks took their place. The foundation-stone of the new cathedral at Norwich was laid in 1096, in honour of the Blessed Trinity. By the time of his death in 1119, Herbert de Losinga had completed the choir, which is apsidal and encircled by a procession path, and which originally gave access to three Norman chapels. His successor, Bishop Everard, completed the long Norman nave so that the cathedral is a very early twelfth-century building, modified naturally by later additions and alterations. The chief of these were the Lady chapel (c. 1250, destroyed by the Protestant Dean Gardiner 1573-1589); the cloisters (c. 1300), the West Window (c. 1440), the rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...

, the spire and the vault spanning the nave (c. 1450). The cathedral suffered much from iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...

 during the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

 and the civil wars
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

.

The Norwich diocese consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk with some parts of Cambridgeshire, being divided into four archdeaconries: Norfolk, Norwich, Suffolk, and Sudbury. At the end of the seventeenth century there were 1121 parish-churches, and this number had probably not changed much since Catholic times.

The main religious houses in the medieval diocese were the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

 Abbeys of Bury St Edmunds, Wymondham
Wymondham
Wymondham is a historic market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies 9.5 miles to the south west of the city of Norwich, on the A11 road to Thetford and London.- Before The Great Fire :...

, and St Benet's of Hulm, the cathedral priory of Norwich, along with the Cistercian Abbey of Sibton, the only Cistercian Abbey in East Anglia (the ruins now privately owned by the Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...

-Scrivener family), and the abbeys of the Augustinian Canons at Wendling, Langley, and Laystone. Both Dominican and Franciscan convents were to be found at Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....

, Norwich, Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

, Dunwich, and Ipswich, while the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

s also had houses at Thetford and Sudbury and the Franciscans at Bury St Edmund's and at Walsingham
Walsingham
Walsingham is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is famed for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary and as a major pilgrimage centre...

, where the great shrine of Our Lady was, a foundation of Augustinian canons. The Carmelites were at Lynn, Norwich, Yarmouth, and Blakeney; and the Austin Friars at Norwich, Lynn, and Orford
Orford, Suffolk
Orford is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Like many Suffolk coastal towns it was of some importance as a port and fishing village in the Middle Ages. It still has a fine mediaeval castle, built to dominate the River Ore.The main geographical feature of the...

.

The last bishop before the start of the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

 was Richard Nykke
Richard Nykke
Richard Nykke was bishop of Norwich, the last Roman Catholic to hold the post before the Henrician reform. Described as "ultra-conservative", but also "much-respected", he maintained an independent line and was embroiled in conflict until blind and in his last years...

 (succeeded 1501), who was succeeded by William Rugg
William Rugg
William Rugg was an English Benedictine theologian, and bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1549.-Life:He was born in Northrepps, Norfolk.He was a Doctor of Divinity of Gonville Hall, Cambridge in 1513...

 in 1536. After him came in 1550 Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby was an English bishop. While he acquiesced in the Henrician schism, with its rejection in principle of the Roman papacy, he remained otherwise loyal to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church during the English Reformation....

, who had already been appointed Bishop of Westminster by the King alone but was reconciled to the Pope in the reign of Queen Mary. After him in 1554 came John Hopton
John Hopton
John Hopton was a 16th Century Bishop of Norwich.He was a member of the Dominican Order by 1516, in Oxford. He was educated at the University of Bologna in Italy and at Oxford University, where he took a doctorate in theology....

, the last Bishop of Norwich in communion with Rome, who died in 1558. In the early 17th century, the diocese was a hotbed of Puritanism
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...

. During the reign of Charles I, an angry Puritan mob invaded the cathedral and destroyed all Catholic symbols in 1643. It would be repaired at the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

.

List of bishops of Norwich

For precursor offices‎, see Bishop of Dunwich
Bishop of Dunwich
The Bishop of Dunwich is an episcopal title which was first used by an Anglo-Saxon bishop between the 7th and 9th centuries and is currently used by a suffragan bishop who assists a diocesan bishop. The title takes its name after Dunwich in the English county of Suffolk, which has now largely been...

, Bishop of Elmham and Bishop of Thetford
Bishop of Thetford
The Bishop of Thetford is an episcopal title which takes its name after the market town of Thetford in Norfolk, England. The title was originally used by the Normans in the 11th century, and is presently used by a Church of England suffragan bishop....


Pre-Reformation bishops

Pre-Reformation Bishops of Norwich
From Until Incumbent Notes
1094 1119 Herbert de Losinga
Herbert de Losinga
Herbert de Losinga was the first Bishop of Norwich. He founded Norwich Cathedral in 1096 when he was Bishop of Thetford.-Life:...

Elected and consecrated bishop of Thetford
Bishop of Thetford
The Bishop of Thetford is an episcopal title which takes its name after the market town of Thetford in Norfolk, England. The title was originally used by the Normans in the 11th century, and is presently used by a Church of England suffragan bishop....

 in 1090; transferred the see to Norwich in 1094; died 22 July 1119
1121 1145 Everard of Calne
Everard of Calne
Everard was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:Everard was from Calne in Wiltshire. He was a royal chaplain and held prebends in the diocese of London as well as an archdeacon in the diocese of Salisbury....

Formerly Archdeacon of Salisbury; elected bishop soon after 13 March and consecrated 12 June 1121; resigned in 1145; died 12 October 1146; also possibly known as Everard of Calne
1146/47 1174 William de Turbeville
William de Turbeville
William de Turbeville William de Turbeville William de Turbeville (or William Turbe; circa (c. 1095 – January 1174) was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:Turbeville was educated in the Benedictine cathedral priory of Norwich. Here he also made religious profession, first as a teacher and later as...

Formerly Prior of Norwich; elected and consecrated in 1146 or early 1147; died 16 January 1174; also recorded as William Turbe
1175 1200 John of Oxford
John of Oxford
John of Oxford was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.John's father was Henry of Oxford, sheriff of Oxford. He was a royal clerk and represented King Henry II at a diet held in May of 1165 at Würzburg that dealt with the issue of the Antipope Paschal III. Some reports held that John supported the...

Formerly Dean of Salisbury; elected before 26 November and consecrated 14 December 1175; died 2 June 1200
1200 1214 John de Gray
John de Gray
John de Gray was Bishop of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk, as well as being elected Archbishop of Canterbury, but was never confirmed as archbishop.-Life:...

Elected before 3 September and consecrated 24 September 1200; became Archbishop-elect of Canterbury in 1205, but was set aside by the pope
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....

 in 1206; continued bishop of Norwich until his death on 18 October 1214
1215 1226 Pandulf Masca Elected sometime between 18 July and 9 August 1215, but was not consecrated until 29 May 1222; also was Papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....

 1218-1221; died 16 September 1226
1226 1236 Thomas Blunville
Thomas Blunville
Thomas Blunville was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:Blunville was a royal clerk and administered the see of Norwich after the death of the previous bishop, Pandulf Masca. He was elected in October 1226 with royal assent to his election coming on 5 November 1226...

Formerly Clerk of the Exchequer; elected in October and consecrated 20 December 1226; died 16 August 1236; also recorded as Thomas de Blundeville
1236 1239 (Simon of Elmham
Simon of Elmham
Simon of Elmham was a medieval Bishop-elect of Norwich.-Life:Simon was Prior of Norwich from 1235. He was elected to the see of Norwich about 9 November 1236 but his election was quashed by Pope Gregory IX on 17 January 1239 after King Henry III appealed to the pope and the case was heard by the...

)
Elected after 9 November 1236, but quashed 17 January 1239
1239 1243 William de Raley
William de Raley
William de Raley was a medieval judge, administrator and bishop.-Life:In 1212 Raley was presented with the church of Bratton Fleming, with his occupation being described as "clerk". He is known to have served as a clerk of the bench in 1214, and again from 1219 to 1229...

Elected 10 April and consecrated 25 September 1239; translated to 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 September 1243; also recorded as William Raleigh
1245 1257 Walter Suffield
Walter Suffield
-Life:Suffield was a canonist at Paris before his election to the see of Norwich about 9 July 1244. He was consecrated on 26 February 1245. He died on 19 May 1257.-References:* accessed on 29 October 2007...

Elected before 9 July 1244 and consecrated 26 February 1245; died 19 May 1257; also recorded as Walter de Suthfield, and Walter Calthorp
1258 1266 Simon Walton
Simon Walton (bishop)
Simon Walton was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:A royal justice, Walton was elected to the see of Norwich on 4 June 1257 and was consecrated on 10 March 1258...

Elected 4 June 1257 and consecrated 10 March 1258; died before January 1266; also recorded as Simon de Wanton
1266 1278 Roger Skerning
Roger Skerning
Roger Skerning was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.-Life:Skerning was a monk of Norwich Cathedral before he was elected Prior of Norwich in 1257....

Elected 23 January and consecrated 4 April 1266; died 22 January 1278
1278 1288 William Middleton Elected 24 February and consecrated 29 May 1278; died 31 August or 1 September 1288
1289 1299 Ralph Walpole
Ralph Walpole
-Life:Walpole was Archdeacon of Ely by 6 February 1272.Walpole was elected to the see of Norwich on 11 November 1288 and consecrated on 20 March 1289.Walpole was translated to the see of Ely on 5 June 1299. He died on 20 March 1302.-References:...

Elected 11 November 1288 and consecrated 20 March 1289; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 5 June 1299
1299 1325 John Salmon
John Salmon
-Life:Salmon's family was hereditary goldsmiths to the diocese of Ely. His parents were Salomon and Alice, and he was the eldest of three brothers. He entered the Benedictine priory of Ely sometime before 1291...

Appointed sometime between 5 and 18 June 1299 and consecrated 15 November 1299; died 6 July 1325
1325 (Robert Baldock
Robert Baldock
Robert Baldock was the Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England, during the reign of King Edward II of England. He may also have been the Robert Baldock who was elected Bishop of Norwich on 23 July 1325 but resigned the office on 3 September 1325....

)
Elected 23 July 1325; resigned without being consecrated 3 September 1325
1325 1336 William Ayermin
William Ayermin
William Ayermin was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.Ayermin was a canon of St. Paul's, Lincoln and Hereford when he was named Lord Privy Seal about 26 May 1324...

Appointed 19 July and consecrated 15 September 1325; died 27 March 1336; also recorded as William Ayermine
1336 1337 (Thomas Hemenhale
Thomas Hemenhale
Thomas Hemenhale was a medieval Bishop of Norwich-elect and then Bishop of Worcester.Hemenhale was elected to the see of Norwich on 6 April 1336 but was transferred to the see of Worcester on 14 March 1337 before he was consecrated at Norwich.Hemenhale was consecrated as Bishop of Worcester on 30...

)
Elected 6 Apr 1336, but transferred before consecration to Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...

 14 March 1337
1337 1343 Antony Bek Formerly Bishop-elect 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...

; appointed 14 March and consecrated 30 March 1337; died 18 December 1334
1344 1355 William Bateman
William Bateman
William Bateman was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.Bateman was the son of William Bateman, a Norwich citizen and bailiff who was an M.P.. He graduated at Cambridge University in Civil and Canon Law. He was appointed Archdeacon of Norwich in 1328...

Appointed 23 or 24 January and consecrated 23 May 1344; died 6 January 1355
1356 1369 Thomas Percy Appointed 4 February 1355 and consecrated 3 January 1356; died 8 August 1369
1370 1406 Henry le Despenser Appointed 3 April and consecrated 14 August 1370; died 23 August 1406
1407 1413 Alexander Tottington Elected 14 September 1406; appointed 19 January and consecrated 23 October 1407; died before 20 April 1413
1413 1415 Richard Courtenay
Richard Courtenay
Richard Courtenay , English prelate, was a son of Sir Philip Courtenay of Powderham Castle, near Exeter, and a grandson of Hugh de Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon...

Elected before 28 June 1413 and appointed on that date; consecrated 17 September 1413; died 15 September 1415
1416 1425 John Wakering
John Wakering
John Wakering was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.Wakering was named Lord Privy Seal in June 1415 and dismissed from that office in July of 1416....

Elected before 24 November 1415 and consecrated 31 May 1416; died 9 April 1425; also recorded as John Wakeryng
1426 1436 William Alnwick
William Alnwick
William Alnwick was an English Catholic clergyman. He was Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Lincoln .Educated at Cambridge, Alnwick was Archdeacon of Salisbury before being named Keeper of the Privy Seal on 19 December 1422...

Appointed 27 February and consecrated 18 August 1426; translated to 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...

 19 September 1436
1436 1445 Thomas Brunce
Thomas Brunce
Thomas Brunce was a 15th century Bishop of Rochester and then Bishop of Norwich.-Life:...

Translated from Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...

; appointed 19 September 1436; died 6 December 1445; also known as Thomas Brouns, and sometimes incorrectly Thomas Brown
1446 1472 Walter Hart
Walter Hart
Walter Hart was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.He was nominated 24 January 1446 and was consecrated on 27 February 1446. He died on 24 May 1472.-References:...

Appointed 24 January and consecrated 27 February 1446; died 24 May 1472; also recorded as Walter Lyhert
1472 1499 James Goldwell
James Goldwell
James Goldwell was a medieval Dean of Salisbury and Bishop of Norwich.Goldwell was nominated on 17 July 1472 and was consecrated on 4 October 1472. He died on 15 February 1499.-References:...

Appointed 17 July and consecrated 4 October 1472; died 15 February 1499
1499 1500 Thomas Jane Appointed 14 June and consecrated 20 October 1499; died in September 1500
1501 1535 Richard Nykke
Richard Nykke
Richard Nykke was bishop of Norwich, the last Roman Catholic to hold the post before the Henrician reform. Described as "ultra-conservative", but also "much-respected", he maintained an independent line and was embroiled in conflict until blind and in his last years...

Appointed 26 February and consecrated 6 June 1501; died 29 December 1535; also recorded as Richard Nix

Bishops during the Reformation

Bishops of Norwich during the Reformation
From Until Incumbent Notes
1536 1550 William Rugg
William Rugg
William Rugg was an English Benedictine theologian, and bishop of Norwich from 1536 to 1549.-Life:He was born in Northrepps, Norfolk.He was a Doctor of Divinity of Gonville Hall, Cambridge in 1513...

Elected 31 May and consecrated 11 June 1536; resigned before 26 January 1550; died 21 September 1550; also recorded as William Repps
1550 1554 Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby was an English bishop. While he acquiesced in the Henrician schism, with its rejection in principle of the Roman papacy, he remained otherwise loyal to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church during the English Reformation....

Translated from Westminster
Bishop of Westminster
The Bishop of Westminster was an office in the Church of England. It existed from 1540 to 1550 and its only holder was Thomas Thirlby. The Bishop's seat was at Westminster Abbey....

 1 April 1550; later moved to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 10 July 1554
1554 1558 John Hopton
John Hopton
John Hopton was a 16th Century Bishop of Norwich.He was a member of the Dominican Order by 1516, in Oxford. He was educated at the University of Bologna in Italy and at Oxford University, where he took a doctorate in theology....

Nominated 4 September and consecrated 28 October 1554; died after 24 August 1558

Post-Reformation bishops

Post-Reformation Bishops of Norwich
From Until Incumbent Notes
1560 1575 John Parkhurst
John Parkhurst
John Parkhurst was an English Marian exile and from 1560 the Bishop of Norwich.-Early life:Born about 1512, he was son of George Parkhurst of Guildford, Surrey. He initially attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, before at an early age moving to Magdalen College School at Oxford...

Nominated 27 March and consecrated 1 September 1560; died 2 February 1575
1575 1584 Edmund Freke
Edmund Freke
-Life:He was born in Essex, and educated at Cambridge, gaining his M.A. there c. 1550.He was Dean of Salisbury from 1571 to 1572 when he became Bishop of Rochester and was simultaneously Archdeacon of Canterbury in commendam. In 1575, he became Bishop of Norwich...

Translated from Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...

; nominated 21 July and confirmed 14 November 1575; translated to Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...

 5 December 1584
1585 1594 Edmund Scambler
Edmund Scambler
-Life:He was born at Gressingham, and was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, Queens' College, Cambridge and Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1542....

Translated from Peterborough
Bishop of Peterborough
The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire...

; elected 15 December 1584 and confirmed 15 January 1585; died 7 May 1594
1594 1602 William Redman
William Redman
-Early life:He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1559, gaining his BA in 1562/3 and becoming a fellow of Trinity in 1563.-Career:Ordained in 1570, he was made Archdeacon of Canterbury by Edmund Grindal in 1576. He was elected Bishop of Norwich on 17 December 1594, and consecrated on...

Elected 17 December 1594 and consecrated 12 January 1595; died 25 September 1602
1603 1618 John Jegon
John Jegon
John Jegon was an English academic and Bishop of Norwich. He supported uniformity of Anglican doctrine and worship, and strong government. This led him into conflict with John Robinson, later of the Mayflower. On the other hand, he made efforts to satisfy local Puritans by the appointment of...

Nominated 10 January and consecrated 20 February 1603; died 13 March 1618
1618 1619 John Overall
John Overall (Bishop)
John Overall was the 38th bishop of the see of Norwich from 1618 until his death one year later. He had previously served as Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield , as Dean of St Pauls Cathedral from 1601, as Master of Catharine Hall from 1598, and as Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge...

Translated from Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...

; nominated 9 May and confirmed 30 September 1618; died 12 May 1619
1619 1629 Samuel Harsnett
Samuel Harsnett
Samuel Harsnett , born Samuel Halsnoth, was an English writer on religion and Archbishop of York from 1629.- Early life :...

Translated from Chichester
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 in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...

; nominated 1 June and confirmed 28 August 1619; 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...

 13 January 1629
1628 1631 Francis White Translated from Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...

; elected 22 January and confirmed 9 February 1629; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

1632 1635 Richard Corbet
Richard Corbet
Richard Corbet was an English bishop in the Church of England. He was also a poet of the metaphysical school who, although highly praised in his own lifetime, is relatively obscure today.-Life:...

Translated from Oxford
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...

; elected 7 April and confirmed 7 May 1632; died 28 July 1635
1635 1638 Matthew Wren
Matthew Wren
"Matthew Wren" is also a British actor who appeared in BBC children's show Trapped!.Matthew Wren was an influential English clergyman and scholar.-Life:...

Translated from Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...

; elected 10 November and confirmed 5 December 1635; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 24 April 1638
1638 1641 Richard Montagu
Richard Montagu
Richard Montagu was an English cleric and prelate.-Early life:He was born during Christmastide 1577 at Dorney, Buckinghamshire, where his father Laurence Mountague was vicar, and was educated at Eton. He was elected from Eton to a scholarship at King's College, Cambridge, and admitted on 24...

Translated from Chichester
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 in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...

; nominated 1 May and confirmed 12 May 1638; died 13 April 1641
1641 1656 Joseph Hall Translated from Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....

; elected 15 November and confirmed 16 December 1641; died 8 September 1656
1656 1660 See vacant
1661 1676 Edward Reynolds
Edward Reynolds
Edward Reynolds was a bishop of Norwich in the Church of England and an author.He was born in Holyrood parish Southampton, the son of Augustine Reynolds, one of the customers of the city, and his wife, Bridget....

Nominated 30 September 1660 and consecrated 13 January 1661; died 28 July 1676
1676 1685 Anthony Sparrow
Anthony Sparrow
Anthony Sparrow was an English Anglican priest. He was Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Exeter.-Life:He was educated and became a fellow at Queens' College, Cambridge, and was ordained a priest in February 1635. He was an adherent to the Laudianism movement...

Translated from Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....

; elected 28 August and confirmed 18 May 1685
1685 1690 William Lloyd Translated from Peterborough
Bishop of Peterborough
The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire...

; elected 11 June and confirmed 4 July 1685; deprived 1 February 1690; died 1 January 1710
1691 1707 John Moore
John Moore (Bishop of Ely)
John Moore was an English cleric, scholar, and book collector. He was bishop of Norwich and bishop of Ely ....

Nominated 25 April and consecrated 5 July 1691; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 31 July 1707
1708 1721 Charles Trimnell
Charles Trimnell
Charles Trimnell was an English bishop. He was a Whig in politics, and known for his attacks on High Church views, writing on the subordination of the Church of England to the state...

Nominated 13 January and consecrated 8 February 1708; translated to 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...

 19 August 1721
1721 1723 Thomas Green
Thomas Green (bishop)
-Life:He was born in Norwich, and educated at Norwich grammar school and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1679 and became a Fellow in 1680....

Nominated 19 August and consecrated 8 October 1721; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 24 September 1723
1723 1727 John Leng
John Leng
Sir John Leng was a Liberal Party politician in Scotland.Leng was born in Hull, the brother of W. C. Leng. In the 1850s, he purchased the Dundee Advertiser....

Nominated 27 August and consecrated 3 November 1723; died 26 October 1727
1727 1732 William Baker
William Baker (bishop)
William Baker was an English churchman and academic, Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, Bishop of Bangor and bishop of Norwich.-Life:...

Translated from Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...

; nominated 2 November and confirmed 19 December 1727; died 4 December 1732
1733 1738 Robert Butts
Robert Butts (bishop)
Robert Butts was an English churchman and strong partisan of the administration of Sir Robert Walpole, successively Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Ely.-Life:...

Nominated 17 January and consecrated 25 February 1733; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 27 June 1738
1738 1748 Thomas Gooch
Thomas Gooch
-Life:Gooch was born to Thomas Gooch of Yarmouth, and educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which he entered in 1691. He graduated B.A. in 1694, and M.A. in 1698. He became chaplain to Henry Compton, Bishop of London, and preached at his funeral in 1713. Subsequently he was chaplain to...

Translated from Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...

; nominated 29 August and confirmed 17 October 1738; translated to Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...

 11 March 1748
1748 1749 Samuel Lisle
Samuel Lisle
Reverend Samuel Lisle FRS was an English academic and bishop.-Life:he was born in Blandford, Dorset.He graduated M.A. at Wadham College, Oxford in 1706, and was ordained in 1707....

Translated from St Asaph
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 located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...

; nominated 17 March and confirmed 9 April 1748; died 3 October 1749
1749 1761 Thomas Hayter
Thomas Hayter
Thomas Hayter was an English divine, who served as a Church of England bishop for 13 years.He was born in Chagdord, Devon , officially the son of George Hayter. It has often been claimed that Lancelot Blackburne was his father, but there is no conclusive evidence either way...

Nominated 13 October and consecrated 3 December 1749; translated to London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...

 24 October 1761
1761 1783 Philip Yonge
Philip Yonge
Philip Yonge DD was a British clergyman. He was appointed Bishop of Bristol in 1758, translated to become Bishop of Norwich in 1761 and died in that office in 1783....

Translated from Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...

; nominated 27 October and confirmed 25 November 1761; died 23 April 1783
1783 1790 Lewis Bagot
Lewis Bagot
Lewis Bagot MA was an English cleric, the fifth son of Sir Walter Wagstaffe Bagot of Blithfield Hall, Staffordshire, and younger brother of William, Lord Bagot....

Translated from Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...

; nominated 15 May and confirmed 14 June 1783; translated to St Asaph
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 located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...

 24 April 1790
1790 1792 George Horne Nominated 7 May and consecrated 6 June 1790; died 17 June 1792
1792 1805 Charles Manners-Sutton
Charles Manners-Sutton
Charles Manners-Sutton was a priest in the Church of England who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1805 to 1828.-Life:...

Nominated 5 February and consecrated 8 April 1792; translated to Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior 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. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

 21 February 1805
1805 1837 Henry Bathurst
Henry Bathurst (bishop)
Henry Bathurst was an English churchman, a prominent Whig and bishop of Norwich.-Life:He was the seventh son of Benjamin Bathurst, younger brother of Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, born at Brackley, Northamptonshire, on 16 October 1744. He was educated at Winchester School, and New College,...

Nominated 5 March and consecrated 28 April 1805; died 5 April 1837
1837 1849 Edward Stanley
Edward Stanley (bishop)
Edward Stanley FRS was a British clergyman and Bishop of Norwich between 1837 and 1849.Born in London into a notable Cheshire family, Stanley was the second son of Sir John Stanley, 6th Baronet, and the younger brother of John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley.Educated at St John's College,...

Nominated 14 April and consecrated 11 June 1837; died 6 September 1849
1849 1857 Samuel Hinds
Samuel Hinds (bishop)
Samuel Hinds, DD , was a British clergyman. He was appointed Bishop of Norwich in 1849 and resigned in 1857. Hinds was of the Anglo-Catholic persuasion. He had strong links with the colonisation of New Zealand and the town of Hinds, New Zealand is named after him.-Life:Hinds was born in Barbados...

Nominated 26 September and consecrated 2 December 1849; resigned in 1857; died 7 February 1872
1857 1893 John Pelham Nominated 5 May and consecrated 11 June 1857; resigned 16 May 1893; died 1 May 1894
1893 1910 John Sheepshanks
John Sheepshanks (bishop)
John Sheepshanks was an English Anglican Bishop in the last decade of the 19th century and the first one of the 20th.Born in 1834, he was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1857, he was a Curate at Leeds Parish Church and later Rector of New Westminster and Chaplain to the Bishop...

Nominated 26 May and consecrated 29 June 1893; resigned 19 February 1910; died 3 June 1912
1910 1942 Bertram Pollock
Bertram Pollock
The Rt Rev Bertram Pollock, KCVO, DD was an Anglican Bishop in the first half of the 20th century.Born on 6 December 1863 he was educated at Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1890. he was a Master and Chaplain at Marlborough and later Headmaster of Wellington College...

Nominated 19 February and consecrated 25 April 1910; resigned 24 June 1942; died 17 October 1943
1942 1959 Percy Herbert Translated from Blackburn
Bishop of Blackburn
The Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...

; nominated 1 July and confirmed 22 July 1942; resigned 25 July 1959; died 22 January 1968
1959 1971 Launcelot Fleming Translated from Portsmouth; nominated 23 October and confirmed 18 December 1959; also was Dean of Windsor
Dean of Windsor
The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as primus inter pares.-List of Deans of Windsor:* William Mugge, 1348* Walter Almaly, 1380...

; resigned both posts 30 June 1971; died 30 July 1990
1971 1985 Maurice Wood
Maurice Wood
Maurice Arthur Ponsonby Wood DSC was an Anglican bishop in the Evangelical tradition. He was a Royal Navy commando chaplain in World War II and later the Bishop of Norwich.-Early life and education:...

Nominated 12 July and consecrated 29 September 1971; resigned 26 August 1985; died 24 June 2007
1985 1999 Peter Nott Translated from Taunton
Bishop of Taunton
The Bishop of Taunton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title was first created under the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 and takes its name after Taunton, the county town of Somerset.The...

; nominated and consecrated in 1985; resigned 1999
1999 present Graham James Translated from St Germans
Bishop of St Germans
The Bishop of St Germans is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Truro, in the Province of Canterbury, England....

; enthroned 29 January 2000
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