|
Archbishops
of Canterbury (Roman Catholic Church)
AD 597 - 1534
The organisation of the British Church
in Roman
Britain is very poorly known, but there may have been an archbishop for
each of the four Late Roman provinces within the
Diocese of the
Britains: Maxima Caesariensis at Londinium; Flavis Caesariensis at Lind
Colun (Anglian Lindsey,
modern Lincoln); Britannia Secunda at Eboracum (British
Ebrauc, modern York); and
Britannia Prima at Corinum (Caer
Ceri, modern Cirencester). This organisation was swept away by the
collapse of
British government in the fifth and sixth centuries, with a rump church
surviving only in the far west and in
Ireland. This
now-Celtic
church was reintroduced into Britain outside of
Wales and
Cornwall via pagan
Pictland, but in the south-east of Britain a rival was introduced from
Rome
by the Christian
Frankish wife of King Æthelbert of
Kent. In time this became the
dominant church in the British Isles.
As metropolitan archbishops, Canterbury and York each have the right and the
obligation to confirm the election of new diocesan bishops, and to ordain
all new bishops within their province. By ancient and regular precedent the
archbishop of Canterbury also has the right to preside at the Eucharist
during which he anoints and crowns a new British monarch.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from
Ulwencreutz's The Royal Families in Europe V, Lars Ulwencreutz,
from A History of the English Church and People, The Venerable
Bede (Leo Sherley-Price translation - revised by R E Latham), and from
External Links:
Westminster
Abbey, and
Archaeology News Network.) |
596 - 597 |
In
596 Augustine is sent by
Pope
Gregory to England to establish the Catholic church and Christianise the
Anglo-Saxons. Landing at Ebbsfleet in 597, he is cautiously received in
Kent, thanks to Æthelbert's
Christian wife, and, using the already-existing church of St Martin's as
his first place of worship, he establishes the archbishopric at Canterbury.
Details of his life are scarce, but he had been prior of St Andrew's in
Rome before being selected to lead the first mission to
England. |
597 - 604/609 |
Augustine |
First archbishop of Canterbury. Died 26 May 604 or 609. |
601 |
The
pallium, the symbol of office, is sent by
Pope
Gregory from Rome, along with a second team of monks and various books and
other useful tools. Æthelbert of
Kent has himself been baptised
by now, and Gregory grants Augustine authority over the southern part of
Britain, including
its native clergy, the the British Church
which has grown out of the collapse of
Roman
empire.
 |
The Roman city of Canterbury was, by the sixth century, in
ruins, with small Anglo-Saxon houses built in between. The
remains of the city wall can be seen in the distance
|
|
|
603 |
The first meeting takes place between the
Roman
Church in the form of St Augustine, and the
Celtic
Church (the descendant of the former
British Church of the
Roman
period). It is arranged when Æthelbert of the
Cantware uses the
Hwicce as intermediaries, as
they possess a church organisation which seems to have survived intact from
prior to the Saxon takeover of the region. The meeting occurs at a place
Bede names at St Augustine's Oak, on the border between the Hwicce territory
and that of the West Seaxe
(somewhere on the eastern slopes of the Cotswolds, perhaps near Wychwood
in Oxfordshire, which means the 'Hwiccas' wood'). The meeting goes favourably
for Augustine.
A second meeting is quickly arranged, although perhaps not in the same year.
This takes place at Abberley in Worcestershire, probably close to the border
between the Hwicce and Pengwern.
It is attended by seven bishops of the Celtic Church, along with many
learned monks, mainly from Bangor-is-Coed (in Pengwern). The
Britons are not
impressed with Augustine's imperious manner and the meeting ends in
disappointment for the Roman envoy, with no agreements of cooperation or
unity being reached between the two churches, especially in regard to the
important question of the calculations for Easter and evangelising the pagan
English. The failure is a
blow for the Roman Church in England (from which it eventually recovers). |
c.604 |
In around 604, Sæberht is the
first East Saxon king to be
baptised (by Mellitus, first bishop of London, consecrated by Augustine
himself, and later archbishop in his own right), but upon his death the
kingdom reverts to paganism. Also in 604, the first church is built at
Rochester, within the kingdom of the
Cantware. Justus is the first
bishop there. |
604 - 619 |
Laurentius / Laurence |
Member of the Gregorian mission in 597. |
616 |
Sexred of the East Seaxe
shares power with his two brothers, and they jointly agree to expel
Mellitus and his Gregorian missionaries from the kingdom, inadvertently
ensuring that Canterbury remains the centre of Christianity in
England. Mellitus takes
refuge in
Francia and the entire mission seems to be under threat, especially
following the disastrous meetings of 603, the loss of the East Seaxe, and
the fact that the new king of the
Cantware is a pagan. Justus,
bishop of Rochester is also impelled to abandon his see and join Mellitus.
Only the fact that Laurentius manages to put the fear of God into Eadbald of
the Cantware and convince him to accept baptism saves the presence of the
Roman
Church in the country. Justus and Mellitus return, although the latter is
never able to return to London, which remains part of a pagan kingdom for
the remainder of his lifetime. |
619 - 624 |
Mellitus |
Formerly the first bishop of London. Died 24 April 624. |
624 - 627 |
Justus |
Formerly the first bishop of Rochester. |
627 - 629 |
Another lost British Church
diocese is re-established by Canterbury. Justus is responsible for consecrating
Paulinus as the first bishop of York within the Anglian kingdom of
Deira. As well as conducting the
baptism of Edwin of Deira, two years later Paulinus also converts the
Lindisware and oversees the
rebuilding of the church of St Paul in the Bail. |
627 - 655 |
Honorius |
Member of the Gregorian mission in 597. |
c.634 or 636 |
The reign of Sigeberht of the
East Engle has witnessed the victory of Christianity over paganism in
the kingdom. He has rounded off the victory by overseeing the establishment
of an East Anglian bishopric based at Dunwich (in Suffolk), which is divided
not long afterwards to create a second see at North Elmham (in Norfolk), the
division probably reflecting that of the North Folk and Suth Folk. Sigeberht
abdicates to become a monk. |
655 - 664 |
St Deusdedit |
First Saxon archbishop, a
West Saxon. Killed by plague. |
664 - 668 |
Deusdedit
dies during an apparent epidemic which sweeps the country. Earconberht, king
of the Cantware, is also taken
suddenly. Wighard is selected to be archbishop by the new king of
Kent, Egbert I, perhaps with
support from Oswiu of
Northumbria. He is sent to Rome to receive consecration from
Pope
Vitalianus, but is also killed by bubonic plague before the act can be carried
out. The post remains vacant for four years. |
664 |
Wighard / Wigheard |
Jutish priest from
Kent. Killed by plague. |
664 |
The
Synod of Whitby in
Northumbria sees Oswiu accept the Catholic church of
Rome
in preference to the
Celtic Church based
at Iona and Lindisfarne, thereby sidelining the latter. The seat of the
church in Northumbria is moved from Lindisfarne to York. |
668 - 690 |
Theodore of Tarsus |
Friend of
Pope Vitalianus
selected for the post. |
678 |
A reformer of the English church, Theodore is selected so that he can extend
Canterbury's limited influence outside the kingdom of
Kent and establish its primacy
once and for all. One of his changes is a proposal to divide the
Northumbrian
diocese in two, which brings him into conflict with the forceful personality
of the bishop of York, Wilfred. He has to depose and expel the bishop before
he can carry out his reform. In the same year, Eadhead (678-679) is consecrated
as the first bishop of Lindsey.
|
c.680 |
Theodore establishes a bishopric for the kingdom of the
Magonset at Hereford,
possibly as a result of a re-organisation agreed at the Synod of Hertford in
673. Merewalh is believed to erect a new cathedral at Hereford (although its
location is uncertain) for the new bishop Putta, the former bishop of
Rochester in Kent. The see of
Worcester is also created, this falling within the territory of the
Hwicce. |
c.685 |
The
Franks of the River Main are still pagan, although itinerant Anglo-Saxon
monks are just beginning to wander
Germanic areas of Europe to spread the word. One of the first of these
is the Irish monk,
Kilian, who becomes the apostle to the Franks. Around this time he and his
companions, Colman and Totnan, arrive at Würzburg to form a proto-bishopric
(in lands that later become part of
Franconia).
The populace refuse his preaching and murder all three of them, following
which they become martyrs. |
690 - 693 |
The post is vacant for a little over two years following Theodore's death.
The reason is the political disturbance of
Kent, where rival factions are
pursuing claims to the throne, although Bishop Wilfred's wish to take the
post based on a promise from Theodore may also be a contributing factor. |
693 - 731 |
St Berhtwald /
Bertwald |
Former
abbot of Reculver (Raculf). |
693 |
  Berhtwald
works closely with Kent's last
strong and fully independent king, Wihtred, to strengthen the kingdom and
the church. The parochial structure in England is still in its infancy at
this time. There are few churches in existence. Instead, priests are sent
out to administer services around a simple cross or perhaps in a small
chancel housed under a wooden canopy (such as at St Stephen's, Hackington).
It is an era which is dominated by the great ecclesiastical establishments
(St Augustine's and Christchurch at Canterbury, Rochester, etc). |
695 |
Pope
Sergius ordains Bishop Willibrord as the bishop of the
Frisians. The bishop is a
Northumbrian
missionary and a follower of Bishop Wilfred, one of a wave of English
Christians to enter
Germanic lands in this period in order to bring them into the faith.
 |
A Northumbrian missionary who spent his early years under the
influence of St Wilfred, bishop of York, Willibrord was
appointed bishop of the Frisians at Utrecht, during which he
became known as the 'Apostle to the Frisians'
|
|
|
724 |
Wessex-born St
Boniface of the church at Canterbury, 'Apostle of the Germans', fells the
sacred oak of the
Thuringians
at Gaesmere (modern Geismar) to symbolise the abolition of their paganism, and
they are converted to Christianity en masse. The
Chatti are included
amongst this group of Germans to be so converted, perhaps better known by now
as Hessi. |
731 - 734 |
Tatwine |
A
Mercian. |
735 - 740 |
Nothelm |
|
735 |
In a further step in Theodore's reforms, the English church is divided
into the two provinces of Canterbury and York (the
Roman
capital of the north). Canterbury still has seniority
(although this is not laid down officially until 1353). At this time,
Canterbury is still the capital of the Anglian/Jutish kingdom of
Kent, while
York is part of the Anglian kingdom of
Northumbria,
where the Venerable Bede has just finished his Historia ecclesiastica
gentis Anglorum (Nothelm helped with this by visiting
Rome to consult
the papal archives on behalf of Bede before becoming archbishop). Bishop
Ecgberht, brother of King Eadberht of Northumbria, becomes the first
archbishop at York.
|
740 - 761 |
Cuthbert of Canterbury |
|
c.741/742 |
St Boniface founds the first permanent bishopric of Würzburg (in lands that
later become known as
Franconia).
Burchard is the first incumbent. In or soon after 742, St Willibald founds
another bishopric at Eichstatt which includes within its borders the
south-eastern regions of the still-forming Franconia. |
761 - 765 |
Bregowine |
|
765 |
Offa of Mercia, who
is busy attempting to impose his control over
Kent
through a series of pawns, is unable to prevent the election of a staunch
supporter of Kentish independence to the office of archbishop of Canterbury.
Jænberht, former abbot of St Augustine's, is one of the key players in the
subsequent revolt against Mercia and remains an implacable opponent of Offa. |
765 - 793 |
Jaenbert / Jænberht |
Former abbot of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. |
787 - 799 |
Britain briefly pays host to a third archdiocese when Offa of
Mercia
raises the bishopric of Lichfield, as an act of revenge against Canterbury
and a desire to halve its power. Following the reassertion of his control
over Kent in 785 and his poor relations with Jaenbert, Offa creates a
new archbishopric under Hygeberht, bishop of Lichfield within Mercia, which
answers to him but which also receives the blessing of the
Pope. It lasts
until 799 and is officially terminated in 803, with full authority being
returned to Canterbury.
 |
By the turn of the ninth century, St Augustine's Abbey, shown
here, was in competition with Christ Church Canterbury (the
later Cathedral) for primacy in Kent. Even the matter of where
deceased archbishops were buried was a matter of prestige
|
|
|
787 - 803 |
Hygeberht / Higbert |
Archbishop of Lichfield in
Mercia. |
793 - 805 |
Æthelhard / Ethelhard |
Formerly bishop of Winchester.
Mercia's man. |
796 - 803 |
Æthelhard is deposed by Eadbert II (Praen) when he seizes the kingdom of
Kent from
Mercian
overlordship. Æthelhard flees to the court of his Mercian supporters and
refuses to venture back to Canterbury, even though it seems safe. In 803, he
returns to England from
Rome and
convenes the Council of Clovesho (Clofesho), which re-establishes the prime importance
of Canterbury and, with papal authority, asserts the freedom of the church
from secular authority.
|
805 - 832 |
Wulfred / Wilfred |
Formerly archdeacon of Christ Church Canterbury. |
811 |
During the reign of Baldred of Kent,
Coenwulf of Mercia
clearly retains the overlordship of Kent, as it is in this year that he
sells the manor of Graveney to Wulfred for the use of Christ Church,
Canterbury. |
832 |
Feologeld |
Enthroned Jun-Aug but possibly not elected due to a
dispute. |
833 - 870 |
Ceolnoth |
|
833 - 870 |
At
some point between these dates, during the incumbency of Ceolnoth, the
independent Cornish
bishops submit to the English church. Corniu is included within the diocese
of Sherborne. The first bishop of Cornwall is Kenstec. |
c.850 |
The city of Canterbury is sacked during a Viking raid. There are further
raids on
Kent in 855
and 865.
|
870 - 888 |
Æthelred / Ethelred |
|
890 - 914 |
St Plegmund |
|
914 - 923 |
Athelm |
Formerly the first bishop of Wells. |
923 - 941 |
Wulfhelm |
|
942 - 959 |
St Oda the Severe / the Good |
Of Danish parentage, possibly from
East Anglia. |
959 |
Ælfsige / Aelfsige |
Appointed by Edwy of
England but died before taking up the post. |
959 |
Brithelm / Byrhthelm / Beorhthelm |
Formerly the bishop of Wells. |
959 |
Despite being nominated by King Edwy, Brithelm is deemed
unsuitable for the post due to his lack of skill in governance and is sent
back to his home diocese of Bath by the new king of all
England, Edgar the Peaceful. Dunstan, one of the most important clerical
figures of the early Middle Ages, is selected as his replacement. He reforms
the English church and restores monastic life. Until Becket (1162-1170), he
is the most popular saint in the country. |
960 - 988 |
St Dunstan |
Formerly the bishop of London. Canonised 1029. |
988 - 990 |
Æthelgar / Ethelgar |
Formerly the bishop of Selsey. Died 13 Feb. |
990 - 994 |
Sigeric the Serious |
|
991 |
Sigeric advises
Anglo-Saxon
king Ethelred II to pay tribute to the invading
Danes
under Sweyn Forkbeard. |
995 - 1005 |
Ælfric / Aelfric of Abingdon |
|
1005 - 1013 |
Ælfheah / Alphege of Canterbury |
Killed by
Danes. |
1013 - 1014 |
Danish raiders kill
Alphege before being bought off with a huge bribe, but peace in
England from Danish incursions is hard to come by, at least
partially due to a massacre of Danes not of the Danelaw in 1002.
A Danish occupation of the country takes place under King Sweyn
Forkbeard while Ethelred seeks temporary refuge in
Normandy.
|
1013 - 1020 |
Lyfing |
Held captive for a time by
Danes
in 1014. |
1020 - 1038 |
Æthelnoth / Ethelnoth |
|
1038 - 1050 |
Eadsige |
Former royal priest for Canute in
England. |
1040s |
King Edward establishes his royal palace by the banks of the River Thames on
land known as Thorney Island. Close by is a small Benedictine monastery that
had been founded under the patronage of King Edgar and St Dunstan around AD 960.
Edward chooses to re-endow and greatly enlarge this monastery, building a
large stone church in honour of St Peter the Apostle. The church becomes
known as the 'west minster' to distinguish it from St Paul's Cathedral (the
east minster) in the City of London. It is consecrated on 28 December 1065,
just a few days before Edward's death. His mortal remains are entombed in
front of the High Altar. |
1051 - 1052 |
Robert of Jumieges / Robert Chambert |
First
Norman archbishop of Canterbury. |
1052 - 1070 |
Stigand |
Died in captivity. |
1070 |
Stigand is deposed by William of
Normandy
and England and
is held at Winchester, where he dies in 1072. His lands and wealth are
confiscated by the king.
 |
Canterbury Cathedral was built between 1070-1077, with the
original Augustinian building lying beneath the floor of the new
nave
|
|
|
1070 - 1093 |
Lanfranc |
|
c.1084 |
One of Lanfranc's acts is to establish St Nicholas' Hospital in the hamlet
of Harbledown to the north-west of Canterbury, which also contains a church and
chantry, for the relief of lepers. He also founds many churches, one of
which is St Dunstan's to the north-west of Canterbury's Westgate.
|
1093 - 1114 |
Anselm of Canterbury |
|
1114 - 1122 |
Ralph d'Escures |
|
1123 - 1139 |
William de Corbeil |
First canon to become archbishop. |
1126 |
William de Corbeil is granted Rochester Castle by the king. He builds (or
rebuilds) the keep so that it is a massive stone structure which survives in
good order to the present day.
|
1133 - 1135 |
In 1133,
William de Corbeil consecrates Nigel,
Lord High Treasurer, as
bishop of Ely. Two years later he is one of the men who is instrumental in
securing King Stephen's claim to the
English throne in the face of Matilda's superior claim.
|
1139 - 1161 |
Theobald of Bec / Tedbald |
|
1162 - 1170 |
St Thomas Becket |
|
1170 - 1173 |
Becket is murdered by four of the king's knights in
Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December following a long-running dispute between
him and Henry II
Plantagenet over the jurisdiction of the church. The king is generally
blamed for the atrocity and, accepting that he is at fault, pays public
penance at Becket's tomb, stopping at St Michael's Church in Harbledown and
walking to St Dunstan's Church, where he undresses before his walk into the
cathedral.
It takes Henry another two years before he
decides to fill the vacant position of archbishop, and he eventually selects
Richard of Dover, the monk who had taken charge of Becket's body and
arranged for its immediate burial in Canterbury Cathedral. |
1173 |
Roger de Bailleul |
Elected but declined the post. |
1174 - 1184 |
Richard (of Dover) |
|
1184 - 1190 |
Baldwin of Exeter |
Died on the Third Crusade to
Jerusalem. |
1191 |
Reginald Fitz Jocelin / Reginald Italus |
Elected but died before he could be consecrated. |
1193 - 1205 |
Hubert Walter |
|
c.1206 |
Reginald |
Elected secretly against the king's wishes, denied by the
Pope. |
1206 |
John de Gray |
Elected as the king's choice, but denied by the
Pope. |
1206 - 1207 |
A dispute between King John
Plantagenet, the monks of Canterbury, and the
Pope sees both
the secretly-elected choice of the monks and the king's nomination both
denied by the pope. Instead, the monks are asked to vote on a new candidate
with the pope's full approval, although not the king's. |
1207 - 1228 |
Stephen Langton |
|
1207 - 1215 |
Playing a central role in the disagreement between the
Pope and John
Plantagenet, Stephen Langton is finally able to enter England as
archbishop in 1213. He becomes a leader in the struggle against the king,
joining forces with the barons to force John to sign Magna Carta in 1215. |
1228 - 1229 |
Walter d'Eynsham |
Elected, but denied by Henry III and the
Pope. |
1229 - 1231 |
Richard le Grant |
Henry III's choice in preference to d'Eynsham. |
1231 - 1232 |
Ralph Neville |
Elected, but denied by the
Pope for not
being learned. |
1232 |
John of Sittingbourne |
Elected, but resigned at the
Papal office. |
1233 |
John Blund / Johannes Blund |
Elected, but failed to win
Papal
approval. |
1234 - 1245 |
Edmund Rich of Abingdon |
|
1245 - 1270 |
Boniface of Savoy |
Son of Count Thomas of
Savoy. |
1245 |
Henry III
Plantagenet begins to rebuild Westminster Abbey. The original structure,
built by Edward the Confessor, is almost entirely replaced, aside from large
portions of the undercroft and Pyx Chamber in the cloisters. The bones of
many burials around the edges of the abbey - probably senior clergy, mostly
of the eleventh and twelfth centuries - are stacked up into dense piles like
firewood to be found under Victorian drainage pipes by archaeologists in
2015. Some skulls have square holes left by the pickaxes of Henry's workmen.
The abbey costs Henry the staggering sum of £45,000.
 |
Most of the remains that were stacked up around the outside
edges of Henry's new abbey are thought to have been senior
clergy - their bones were rediscovered by archaeologists in 2015
|
|
|
1270 |
Robert Burnell |
The king's choice. Superseded by the monks' choice,
Chiilenden. |
1270 - 1272 |
William Chillenden / Adam of Chillenden |
Elected, but denied by Edward I and the
Pope. |
1273 - 1278 |
Robert Kilwardby |
Appointed to the vacant post by the
Pope. |
1278 - 1279 |
Robert Burnell |
The king's choice for a second time, but refused
by the Pope. |
1279 - 1294 |
John Peckham / Pecham |
|
1294 - 1313 |
Robert Winchelsey |
Fiftieth official archbishop. |
1313 |
Thomas Cobham |
Elected, but denied by Edward II and the
Pope. |
1314 - 1327 |
Walter Reynolds |
Former
First Lord High
Treasurer (1307-1310). |
1324 - 1327 |
Reynolds defies Edward II
Plantagenet and sides with Queen Isabella in her rebellion against him.
After having to flee to Kent, in 1327 he declares for Edward III and is
appointed a member of the regency council. |
1328 - 1333 |
Simon Meopham / Mepeham |
Excommunicated by the
Pope. |
1333 - 1348 |
John de Stratford |
Former
First Lord High
Treasurer (1326-1327). |
1349 |
John de Ufford |
Elected, but killed by the Black Plague before being
consecrated. |
1349 |
Thomas Bradwardine |
Killed by the Black Plague. |
1349 - 1366 |
Simon Islip |
|
1353 |
Canterbury is acknowledged as the senior of the two provinces (the other
being York) with the title of 'Primate of All
England'.
|
1366 |
William Edington |
Former
First Lord High
Treasurer (1344-1356). |
1366 |
Edington is elected archbishop by Edward III
Plantagenet, but he declines due to ill health.
|
1366 - 1368 |
Simon Langham |
Former
First Lord High
Treasurer (1360-1363). |
1368 - 1374 |
William Whittlesey |
|
1375 - 1381 |
Simon Sudbury |
Beheaded on Tower Hill. |
1381 |
Responsible for the much-hated poll tax,
First Lord High
Treasurer, Sir Robert Hales, is beheaded on 14 June on Tower Hill
during the Peasants Revolt, along with Archbishop Simon Sudbury.
 |
Responsible for collecting the much-loathed (First) Poll Tax,
Sir Robert Hales (on the left here) was executed on Tower Hill
during the Peasants Revolt, with Archbishop Simon Sudbury of
Canterbury (right) joining him
|
|
|
1381 - 1396 |
William Courtenay |
|
1396 - 1398 |
Thomas Arundel |
Banished from the realm. |
1398 - 1399 |
Roger
Walden, First Lord High Treasurer of
Parliament, becomes
archbishop when Arundel is banished. However, his period in that office is
short as the new king, Henry IV of
Lancaster almost immediately removes and imprisons him, restoring
Arundel. Once released from prison, Walden retires from public life.
|
1398 - 1399 |
Roger Walden |
Former
First Lord High
Treasurer (1395-1398). |
1399 - 1414 |
Thomas Arundel |
Restored. |
1400 |
Henry
IV of
Lancaster and Archbishop Arundel conspire to kill Richard II. Henry's
reign witnesses a heavy level of censorship, and people who cross Arundel
could find themselves burnt as a heretic. Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the
Canterbury Tales, is outspoken in his mockery of powerful prelates who
coveted worldly possessions (including Arundel), and might well be a victim
of this oppressive new order.
|
1414 - 1443 |
Henry Chichele |
|
1443 - 1452 |
John Stafford |
|
1452 - 1454 |
John Kempe |
|
1454 - 1486 |
Thomas Bourchier |
|
1455 - 1485 |
The
Wars of the Roses
begin with Richard, Duke of York's victory at the Battle of St Albans.
Lancastrians
are pitched against
Yorkists in England for the next thirty years.
Archbishop Bourchier does not immediately take sides, and tries to negotiate
a reconciliation between the warring houses. Following the return to
hostilities in 1459, he appears to take the Yorkist side. |
1486 - 1501 |
John Morton |
|
1501 |
Thomas Langton |
Elected, but died before he could take office. |
1501 - 1503 |
Henry Deane |
The last monastic cleric to be elected to office. |
1503 - 1532 |
William Warham |
|
1533 - 1555 |
Thomas Cranmer |
A leader in the English Reformation. |
1534 |
Cranmer supports the principle of Royal Supremacy in which Henry VIII
Tudor is considered sovereign over the church within his realm. |
1536 - 1541 |
Roman Catholic
control of the church in England is ended by the English Reformation. Not
exactly a movement towards Protestantism at first, the process is notably
accelerated under the reigns of Edward and Elizabeth
Tudor. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Archbishops of Canterbury
(Anglican Church)
AD 1534 - Present Day
The Acts of Supremacy of 1534 signalled a dramatic change in the control of
the church in England. At a sweep, Henry VIII
Tudor became its
head, removing control from
Rome.
Between 1536-1541 he went even further. The Dissolution of the Monasteries was
the legal process by which he disbanded the monasteries, nunneries and friaries
throughout England, disposing of all their assets (including massive tracts of land),
mostly by selling them off and making a vast profit, and appropriating their
income. Many monasteries, some of them already many centuries old, were destroyed,
most notably at Glastonbury and Canterbury, as well as at many other major
Christian locations.
On the plus side, dispossessed former members were
provided for as long as they acknowledged Henry's position as Supreme Head of
the Church in England. The First Suppression Act was passed in 1536, with the
Second Suppression Act following in 1539. This signalled the end of Catholic
power in the country, although the process would not be finalised until the
reign of Elizabeth I.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from External
Links:
Congregationalism Today, and
Methodist Origins.) |
1556 |
Archbishop Cranmer has already been tried for treason for his part in
placing Jane Grey on the throne. In an act of revenge for his declaring the
marriage of Henry VIII to her mother to be invalid, Mary
Tudor has Archbishop Cranmer tried for heresy as well. When he recants,
an act that should be met with mercy, Mary announces that he shall be burned
anyway. The act on a wet 21 March is a propaganda disaster for her, as
public sympathy is clearly with the Protestant archbishop.
 |
The burning of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, a woodcut by John Foxe
from the Book of Martyrs, published in 1563
|
|
|
1556 - 1559 |
Reginald Pole |
Great-grandnephew of Edward IV of
York. |
1554 - 1559 |
When he arrives in London, English Papal legate Reginald Pole is seen to be standing
in the ferry boat holding a large cross before him. Sent to rid the country
of Protestant heretics under the reign of Mary
Tudor he finds his job harder than he thinks, despite addressing
Parliament to that end. He
dies of influenza on the same day as his cousin Mary, his legatine powers
withdrawn and a charge of heresy levelled against him by the
Pope. |
1559 - 1575 |
Matthew Parker |
|
1563 |
Archbishop Parker is one of the the primary architects of the Thirty-Nine
Articles, the defining principles of the Anglican Church, as
England seeks to establish the path of its own form of Protestantism. |
1576 - 1583 |
Edmund Grindal |
|
1583 - 1604 |
John Whitgift |
|
1604 - 1610 |
Richard Bancroft |
Oversaw production of the King James Bible. |
1611 - 1633 |
George Abbot |
Also First Lord Commissioner of the
Treasury
(1612-1613). |
1633 - 1645 |
William Laud |
Executed. |
1641 - 1645 |
William Laud is imprisoned in the Tower of London after being accused of
treason by Parliament.
In 1645, the Royalists of Charles
Stuart are routed
at the Battle of Philiphaugh during the English Civil War, defeating
the king's cause in
Scotland.
In the same year, Laud is beheaded at Tower Hill for his High Church stance
against the radical Puritanism which is starting to take hold in the country.
The office remains vacant for the duration of the
Commonwealth. |
1660 - 1663 |
William Juxon |
Appointed by the restored
Stuart monarchy. |
1663 - 1677 |
Gilbert Sheldon |
|
1677 - 1690 |
William Sancroft |
|
1690 |
Sancroft is suspended from and deprived of office thanks to his refusal to
take the oath with the new king and queen, William of
Orange
and Mary
Stuart. |
1691 - 1694 |
John Tillotson |
|
1695 - 1715 |
Thomas Tenison |
|
1716 - 1737 |
William Wake |
|
1737 - 1747 |
John Potter |
Formerly chaplain to Archbishop Tenison. |
1747 - 1757 |
Thomas Herring |
|
1757 - 1758 |
Matthew Hutton |
Formerly archbishop of York (1747-1757). Died suddenly. |
1758 - 1768 |
Thomas Secker |
|
1768 - 1783 |
Frederick
Cornwallis |
Uncle to later governor-general of
India, Charles
Cornwallis. |
1783 - 1805 |
John Moore |
|
1797 |
The first secession from the general stream of Wesleyan Methodism in
Great Britain
occurs when, under the leadership of Alexander Kilham, a Wesleyan minister,
the Methodist New Connexion is formed.
|
1805 - 1828 |
Charles
Manners-Sutton |
|
1806 |
A division of Wesleyan Methodism opens up when various secessions from the
main body form. These become known as Independent Methodist Churches, and
many of them continue to this day.
|
1807 |
The birth of Primitive Methodism is generally attributed to an event known
as the 'All Day of Prayer' (which is sometimes mislabelled as a 'Camp
Meeting'). This is held at Mow Cop, in The Potteries in Staffordshire on 31
May 1807. This movement, which is more zealous than general Wesleyan
Methodism, and results in it splitting away from the Main Methodist church.
|
1815 |
A further split in Wesleyan Methodism occurs when a group known as The Bible
Christians (the only group not to include the word 'Methodist' in their
title) is formed in the West Country, but they are an off-shoot of the
parent body rather than a fully independent grouping.
|
1827 |
A small group that becomes known as the Protestant Methodists is formed in
Leeds as another, minor, division of Wesleyan Methodism.
|
1828 - 1848 |
William Howley |
|
1836 |
Yet another, minor, split in Wesleyan Methodism takes place when a group
known as the Wesleyan Methodist Association is formed.
|
1837 |
Archbishop Howley is one of the two men who proceed to Kensington Palace at
5:00am on 20 June to inform Princess Victoria that she is now queen of
Great Britain and
Ireland. In 1851, the Church
of St Gregory the Great is built in Canterbury as a memorial to him.
|
1844 |
As a response to the High Church Anglo-Catholism of Henry Phillpotts, bishop
of Exeter, the Low Church Free Church of England is formed, initially with
support from Edward Adolphus St Maur, the eleventh duke of Somerset, who
builds the first church in Bridgetown in Devon.
 |
Christ Church Free Church of England in Broadstairs, Kent, is a
surviving example of the Low Church movement that sprang up in
1844 in response to the activities of Henry Phillpotts
|
|
|
1848 - 1862 |
John Bird Sumner |
|
1849 |
The final disruption to Wesleyan Methodism takes place under certain
individuals who are determined to reform it. These people became known as
Wesleyan Reformers. Unsuccessful in their reforming zeal, they eventually
join forces with the Protestant Methodists and the Wesleyan Methodist
Association to constitute what becomes known as the United Methodist Free
Churches (in 1857). Not all of the reformers join this united church,
instead forming their own under the title the Wesleyan Reform Union, which
continues to the present day.
|
1862 - 1868 |
Charles Thomas
Longley |
|
1863 |
The Free Church of England (otherwise called the Reformed Episcopal Church)
is enrolled as a definite legal entity in the High Court of Chancery.
|
1867 |
The first Pan-Anglican conference of
British, colonial and foreign bishops takes place at Lambeth Palace
under Archbishop Longley.
|
1868 - 1882 |
Archibald
Campbell Tait |
|
1883 - 1896 |
Edward White
Benson |
|
1896 - 1902 |
Frederick Temple |
|
1903 - 1928 |
Randall Thomas
Davidson |
First archbishop to retire from office instead of dying
there. |
1907 |
Three of the divided groups in Methodism come together to strengthen
mainstream Methodism. These are the United Methodist Free Churches, the
Methodist New Connexion, and the Bible Christians. Together they form the
United Methodist Church.
|
1912 |
By this time, William Booth's Salvation Army is at work in a total of
fifty-eight countries around the world. While this is not an off-shoot or
division of Methodism, William Booth had been a Methodist minister in his
early years.
|
1920 |
The Province of Canterbury, and by definition the Church of
England, no longer includes the bishops and dioceses in
Wales.
|
1928 - 1942 |
William Cosmo
Gordon Lang |
Resigned. |
1932 |
A final union is effected between three main surviving branches of Methodism.
These are the United Methodist Church, the Primitive Methodist Church, and
the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Today they form the mainstream Methodist
Church, although some of the minor branches survive.
|
1942 - 1944 |
William Temple |
Son of Archbishop Frederick Temple (1896-1902). |
1945 - 1961 |
Geoffrey Francis
Fisher |
Retired. |
1960 |
Archbishop Fisher is the first incumbent of his office to visit the
Pope since the
Reformation.
|
1961 - 1974 |
Arthur Michael
Ramsey |
One hundredth official archbishop. Retired. |
1972 |
The Congregational Church merges with the Presbyterians to form the United
Reformed Church. Some churches which had left the Congregational Union when
it became the Congregational Church in England and Wales, had formed an
Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches. This body continues
alongside the Congregational Federation after 1972. Many Congregational
churches do not associate with either of the continuing Congregational
associations and are known as Unaffiliated Congregational churches. Sadly,
due to falling attendances after the Second World War and to the
merger, a sizable majority of Congregational church buildings are closed
down and often demolished, far more than with most other denominations of
nonconformist church buildings.
 |
South Chingford Congregational Church in the London Borough of
Waltham Forest remained a Congregational church in 2009, long
after the formation of the United Reformed Church
|
|
|
1974 - 1980 |
Donald Coggan |
Formerly archbishop of York (1965-1974). Retired. |
1980 - 1991 |
Robert Alexander
Kennedy Runcie |
Retired. |
1991 - 2002 |
George Leonard
Carey |
Retired. |
2003 - 2012 |
Rowan Douglas
Williams |
Retired in December
2012. |
2013 - Present |
Justin Welby |
Formerly archbishop of Durham (2012). |
2014 |
In July the Church of England's General Synod in York votes to allow women
to wield real power in the church, two years after the Synod had previously
voted 'no'. On 17 November, the Church of England breaks with centuries of
tradition (but perhaps follows a more authentic early church organisation)
after its general synod amends church law to allow the appointment of female
bishops. The first female bishop is expected to be installed in the new
year. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|