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Vicar Apostolic of the London District

Overview

The Vicar Apostolic of the London District was the title given to the bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

who headed an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...

in England, the Vicariate Apostolic

Apostolic vicariate

An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese. It is therefore essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...

of the London District, from 1688 to 1850.

Within a short space of time after the accession of Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

those Catholic bishops who had not died were deposed and replaced in their sees by Protestant appointees. Most of the deposed bishops were imprisoned in various locations and died in captivity over a period of years.

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Encyclopedia

The Vicar Apostolic of the London District was the title given to the bishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

who headed an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

in England, the Vicariate Apostolic

Apostolic vicariate

of the London District, from 1688 to 1850.

Within a short space of time after the accession of Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I of England

Thomas Goldwell

Thomas Goldwell was an English bishop, the last of those who had refused to accept the Protestant Reformation.-Life:He began his career as rector of Cheriton in 1532, after graduating BA and then MA at All Souls College, Oxford.He became chaplain to Cardinal Pole and lived with him at Rome, was...

, Bishop of 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...

, in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...

on April 3 1585. In 1623, after 65 years, the pope, Urban VIII, decided once again to appoint a Catholic bishop with actual jurisdiction in England.

The choice fell upon William Bishop, who was given the title of Vicar Apostolic of England. Bishop landed secretly in England at midnight on July 31 1623, but was to die only nine months later. He was succeeded in office by Richard Smith

Father Richard Smith

Richard Smith , , was the second Bishop over England, Wales and Scotland after Catholicism was banned in England in 1559. He followed Father William Bishop who died in 1624.-Early life:Richard Smith was born in Lincolnshire, England...

, also ordained a bishop, who arrived in England in April 1625.

However, two warrants issued for his arrest in August 1631, and Smith was forced to resign and flee to France, where he died in Paris in 1655. After 1631 there was no Catholic bishop in England for another 54 years, and the void was to some extent filled by a dean

Dean (religion)

A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...

and chapter

Chapter (religion)

Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches.The word is said to be derived from the chapter of the rule book: it is a custom under the Rule of Saint Benedict that monks gather daily for a meeting to discuss monastery...

of rather unsure legal status, established by Bishop and confirmed by Smith.

It was only in 1685 that a successor was appointed by Rome, in the person of John Leyburn

John Leyburn

John Leyburn, an English Dominican, was Vicar Apostolic of the London District, and thus the senior Roman Catholic prelate in England, from 1685 to 1702.Leyburn had been secretary to Philip Cardinal Howard, and was reputed to be a learned and cautious man...

, a Doctor of the Sorbonne and former President of the English College at Douai

English College, Douai

The English College, Douai was a Catholic seminary at Douai , a town now in Northern France.-A University of Douai:...

, who was consecrated bishop in Rome on September 9 1685. In 1623, Bishop had divided the country into six areas, at the head of each of which he placed a superior with the title of vicar general and this had remained the system thereafter. Leyburn then reduced these to four. In the summer of 1687 he personally toured the North and confirmed over 20,000 Catholics there.

In early 1688, the number of bishops in England was multiplied by the pope on January 20 to a total of four vicars apostolic and the territory of the former single vicariate apostolic was restricted, being centred still on London, with the title Vicariate Apostolic of the London District. The first Vicar Apostolic of the London District from January 30 1688 was Bishop John Leyburn

John Leyburn

, who had been Vicar Apostolic of All England and Wales since August 24 1685.

Although the vicariates as a whole were later more finely divided over the years, and notwithstanding intermittent persecution, a Vicariate Apostolic of the London District continued in existence until on 29 September 1850 Pope Pius IX issued the bull

Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end to authenticate it....

Universalis Ecclesiae
Universalis Ecclesiae
On 29 September 1850, by the Bull Universalis Ecclesiae, Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England, which had gone underground with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I...

, by which thirteen new dioceses were created, among them the Archdiocese of Westminster, a new jurisdiction to replace formally the previous vicariate.

The last Vicar Apostolic of the London District was Bishop Nicholas Wiseman (d. 1865), who on September 29 1850 was assigned the title of Metropolitan Archbishop of Westminster

Archbishop of Westminster

The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman...

and the following day was created a cardinal

Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available...

List of Vicars Apostolic

Vicars Apostolic Apostolic vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese. It is therefore essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more... of England
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
15 March 1623	13 April 1624	William Bishop, Titular Bishop of Chalcedon	Priest 1581-1623; ordained Bishop (Catholic Church) In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church.... 4 June 1624; died in office
29 Nov. 1624	1632	Richard Smith Father Richard Smith Richard Smith , , was the second Bishop over England, Wales and Scotland after Catholicism was banned in England in 1559. He followed Father William Bishop who died in 1624.-Early life:Richard Smith was born in Lincolnshire, England... , Titular Bishop of Chalcedon	Priest 1582-1632; ordained 12 June 1625; resigned 1632; died 18 March 1655
1632	24 Aug. 1685	Vacant
24 Aug. 1685	30 Jan. 1688	John Leyburn John Leyburn John Leyburn, an English Dominican, was Vicar Apostolic of the London District, and thus the senior Roman Catholic prelate in England, from 1685 to 1702.Leyburn had been secretary to Philip Cardinal Howard, and was reputed to be a learned and cautious man... , Titular Bishop of Hadrumetum	ordained 9 September 1685; appointed Vicar Apostolic of the London District
In 1688, England was divided into four vicariates apostolic – the London, Midland Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District.... , Northern Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District The Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District.... , and Western Vicar Apostolic of the Western District The Vicar Apostolic of the Western District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Western District.... districts.
Vicars Apostolic Apostolic vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese. It is therefore essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more... of the London District
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
30 Jan. 1688	9 June 1702	John Leyburn John Leyburn John Leyburn, an English Dominican, was Vicar Apostolic of the London District, and thus the senior Roman Catholic prelate in England, from 1685 to 1702.Leyburn had been secretary to Philip Cardinal Howard, and was reputed to be a learned and cautious man... , Titular Bishop of Hadrumetum	Hitherto Vicar Apostolic of England; died in office
14 March 1703	12 March 1734	Bonaventure Giffard Bonaventure Giffard Bonaventure Giffard was the Roman Catholic Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 until 1703.-Life:Born at Wolverhampton, England, Giffard was second son of Andrew Giffard of Chillington Hall, Staffordshire. His father, who married Catherine, daughter of Sir Walter Leveson,... , Titular Bishop of Madaurus	Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District was the title given to the Bishop who, between 1688 and 1850, headed the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in England known as the Vicariate Apostolic of the Midland District.... 1687-1703; died in office
12 March 1734	22 Dec. 1758	Benjamin Petre, O.S.B., Titular Bishop of Prusa	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1721-1734; ordained 11 November 1721; succeeded 1734; died in office
22 Sept. 1758	12 Jan. 1781	Richard Challoner Richard Challoner Richard Challoner , was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the eighteenth century.-Early life and education:... , Titular Bishop of Doberus	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1739-1758; ordained 29 January 1741; succeeded 1758; died in office
12 Jan. 1781	26 Jan. 1790	James Robert Talbot, Titular Bishop of Birtha	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1759-1781; ordained 24 August 1759; succeeded 1781; died in office
10 Sept. 1790	8 May 1812	John Douglass, Titular Bishop of Centuria	ordained 19 December 1790; died in office
8 May 1812	26 Nov. 1827	William Poynter William Poynter William Poynter was an English Catholic priest, bishop as vicar apostolic in London.-Life:He was educated at the English College at Douai, where he was ordained in 1786... , Titular Bishop of Alia	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1803-1812; succeeded 1812; died in office
26 Nov. 1827	11 July 1836	James Yorke Bramston James Yorke Bramston James Yorke Bramston was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vicar Apostolic of the London District from 1827 until his death in 1836.... , Titular Bishop of Usula	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1823-1827; succeeded 1827; died in office
11 July 1836	12 Aug. 1847	Thomas Griffiths, Titular Bishop of Olena	Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1833-1836; succeeded 1863; died in office
17 July 1848	18 Feb. 1849	Thomas Walsh Thomas Walsh (UK bishop) Bishop Thomas Walsh was a Roman Catholic, Vicar Apostolic who served the Midlands area of the United Kingdom. He was born in London on 3 October 1776. He was ordained priest on 19 September 1801. At the age of 46, he was made Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District by the Pope, with... , Titular Bishop of Cambysopolis	ordained 1 May 1825; Vicar Apostolic of the Central District 1840-1848; died in office
18 Feb. 1849	29 Sept. 1850	Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman, Titular Bishop of Milopotamus	ordained 8 June 1840; Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of London District 1847-1849; appointed first Archbishop of Westminster Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the Metropolitan of the Province of Westminster and, as a matter of custom, is elected President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, and therefore de facto spokesman...
In 1850, the London District became the Archdiocese of Westminster Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The archdiocese consists of all the London boroughs north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, together with the towns southwest of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames and... when Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX Pope Blessed Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest reigning Pope in Church history, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed Papal infallibility... re-established the hierachy Universalis Ecclesiae On 29 September 1850, by the Bull Universalis Ecclesiae, Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England, which had gone underground with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I... in England and Wales.

Sources

Basil Hemphill, "The Early Vicars Apostolic of England 1685-1750", Burns & Oates, London, 1953.
Godfrey Anstruther, "The Seminary Priests", St Edmund's College, Ware / Ushaw College, Durham, vol. 1, pp. 321-322.
Godfrey Anstruther, "The Seminary Priests", St Edmund's College, Ware / Ushaw College, Durham, vol. 2, pp. 193, 195-200.

Vicar Apostolic of the London District

List of Vicars Apostolic

Sources

See also