The
Diocese of Winchester forms part of the
Province of CanterburyThe 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...
of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
.
Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The area of the diocese incorporates:
- the majority of the county
A county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
of HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
(including the city of SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
), with the following exceptions:
- the south-eastern quarter of the county (which together with the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is an English island and a county, located 3-5 miles from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is separated from mainland England by the Solent and is situated south of the county of Hampshire...
constitutes the Diocese of PortsmouthThe Diocese of Portsmouth is an administrative division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight...
)
- an area in the north-east (belonging to the Diocese of Guildford
The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese based in Guildford, covering the most of Surrey and part of Hampshire. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Guildford. It is part of the Province of Canterbury....
)
- a small area in the west (Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. It covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire , and is a constituent of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury, currently the Right Reverend David Stancliffe, and the diocesan synod...
)
- one parish in the north (Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln....
)
plus
- an area of eastern Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
- the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
(transferred from the diocese of Coutances during the reign of King Henry VII of EnglandHenry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty.Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars...
)
The diocese is divided into two
ArchdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
ries:
- the Archdeaconry of Winchester
- comprises the Deaneries
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:...
of AndoverAndover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is situated on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, WhitchurchWhitchurch is a town in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, from Newbury, Berkshire, from Winchester, miles from Andover and miles from Basingstoke. Much of the town is a Conservation Area...
, BasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477...
, OdihamOdiham is a village in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. The current population is 4,406. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Calvados Department of France.RAF Odiham aerodrome lies to the south of the village.-History:...
, Winchester, AlresfordThe Deanery of Alresford lies within the Diocese of Winchester in England.It includes the parishes of Cliddesden, Dummer, Itchen Abbas, Martyr Worthy, New Alresford and Old Alresford Place.- External links :*...
and AltonAlton is a small market town in Hampshire, England, to the southwest of Farnham. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census, and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It also is home to Treloar College, the National Specialist college for Young Disabled People...
- the Archdeaconry of Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is the largest town on the south coast and the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
- comprises the Deaneries of Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles south-west of Winchester. Just under 15,000 people live in Romsey, which has an area of about 4.93 square kilometres.Romsey lies on the River Test, which is famous for...
, EastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
, Southampton, LyndhurstLyndhurst is the largest village within the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is often called the "Capital of the New Forest" and is a popular tourist location with many shops, cafés, pubs and hotels. Lyndhurst is also home to . The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the...
, ChristchurchChristchurch is a borough and town in Dorset on the English Channel coast, adjoining Bournemouth in the west, with the New Forest to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it is the most easterly borough in Dorset...
and Bournemouth.
The Bishop of the Diocese is assisted by two
suffragan bishopA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
s, the Bishops of Basingstoke and Southampton, to whom specific episcopal responsibilities are delegated within the Archdeaconries of Winchester and Bournemouth respectively.
The Deaneries of
GuernseyThe Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown Dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou, Sark and other islets. Although the defence of all these islands is the...
and
JerseyThe Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands of the Minquiers, Écréhous, the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs. Together with the bailiwick of Guernsey...
are not part of an Archdeaconry.
The
Diocese of Winchester forms part of the
Province of CanterburyThe 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...
of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
.
Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The area of the diocese incorporates:
- the majority of the county
A county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
of HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
(including the city of SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
), with the following exceptions:
- the south-eastern quarter of the county (which together with the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is an English island and a county, located 3-5 miles from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is separated from mainland England by the Solent and is situated south of the county of Hampshire...
constitutes the Diocese of PortsmouthThe Diocese of Portsmouth is an administrative division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. The diocese covers south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight...
)
- an area in the north-east (belonging to the Diocese of Guildford
The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese based in Guildford, covering the most of Surrey and part of Hampshire. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Guildford. It is part of the Province of Canterbury....
)
- a small area in the west (Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. It covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire , and is a constituent of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury, currently the Right Reverend David Stancliffe, and the diocesan synod...
)
- one parish in the north (Diocese of Oxford
The Diocese of Oxford forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln....
)
plus
- an area of eastern Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
- the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
(transferred from the diocese of Coutances during the reign of King Henry VII of EnglandHenry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty.Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars...
)
The diocese is divided into two
ArchdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
ries:
- the Archdeaconry of Winchester
- comprises the Deaneries
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:...
of AndoverAndover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is situated on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, WhitchurchWhitchurch is a town in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, from Newbury, Berkshire, from Winchester, miles from Andover and miles from Basingstoke. Much of the town is a Conservation Area...
, BasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477...
, OdihamOdiham is a village in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. The current population is 4,406. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Calvados Department of France.RAF Odiham aerodrome lies to the south of the village.-History:...
, Winchester, AlresfordThe Deanery of Alresford lies within the Diocese of Winchester in England.It includes the parishes of Cliddesden, Dummer, Itchen Abbas, Martyr Worthy, New Alresford and Old Alresford Place.- External links :*...
and AltonAlton is a small market town in Hampshire, England, to the southwest of Farnham. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census, and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It also is home to Treloar College, the National Specialist college for Young Disabled People...
- the Archdeaconry of Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is the largest town on the south coast and the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
- comprises the Deaneries of Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles south-west of Winchester. Just under 15,000 people live in Romsey, which has an area of about 4.93 square kilometres.Romsey lies on the River Test, which is famous for...
, EastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
, Southampton, LyndhurstLyndhurst is the largest village within the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is often called the "Capital of the New Forest" and is a popular tourist location with many shops, cafés, pubs and hotels. Lyndhurst is also home to . The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the...
, ChristchurchChristchurch is a borough and town in Dorset on the English Channel coast, adjoining Bournemouth in the west, with the New Forest to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it is the most easterly borough in Dorset...
and Bournemouth.
The Bishop of the Diocese is assisted by two
suffragan bishopA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
s, the Bishops of Basingstoke and Southampton, to whom specific episcopal responsibilities are delegated within the Archdeaconries of Winchester and Bournemouth respectively.
The Deaneries of
GuernseyThe Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown Dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou, Sark and other islets. Although the defence of all these islands is the...
and
JerseyThe Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes the nearly uninhabited islands of the Minquiers, Écréhous, the Pierres de Lecq and other rocks and reefs. Together with the bailiwick of Guernsey...
are not part of an Archdeaconry. Due to their distinctive history and separate civil government, they are not subject to the same methods of governance and systems of
canon lawCanon law is the body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
as the rest of the Church of England.
The Diocese historically covered a much larger area, originally including the greater part of south-eastern England. In the most recent major alteration to Diocesan boundaries in 1927, the Archdeaconry of
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
was removed to form the new Diocese of Guildford, and south-eastern Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to form the Diocese of Portsmouth.
The Bishop of Winchester is
ex officio a
Lord SpiritualThe Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called Spiritual Peers, are the 26 bishops of the established Church of England who serve in the House of Lords along with the Lords Temporal. The established Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian in polity, is not represented by spiritual peers...
of the
Westminster ParliamentThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
, one of only five
prelateA prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who either is an ordinary or ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, literally, "carry before," or "to be set above, or over," or "to prefer," hence a prelate is one set over...
s of the Church of England with such automatic entitlement.
External links