The Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 (26 Hen. 8. c. 14) is an act of the Parliament of England that authorised the appointment of suffragan (i.e., assistant) bishops in England and Wales. The tradition of appointing suffragans named after a town in the diocese other than the town the diocesan bishop is named after can be dated from this act.
The act named Thetford, Ipswich, Colchester, Dover, Guildford, Southampton, Taunton, Shaftesbury, Molton, Marlborough, Bedford, Leicester, Gloucester, Shrewsbury, Bristol, Penrydd,Parish of Penrhudd in Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire: VII – County of Pembroke (Google Books) Bridgwater, Nottingham, Grantham, Hull, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Penrith, Berwick-upon-Tweed, St Germans and the Isle of WightBray, Gerald, 2004. Documents of the English Reformation. . p.115.The Suffragan Bishops Act 1534, as amended, from Legislation.gov.uk. as specific suitable suffragan sees.
This act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.The Chronological Table of the Statutes, 1235 - 2010. The Stationery Office. 2011. . Part I. p. 44, read with pages viii and x.
The repeal by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969 of section 2 of the Act of Supremacy (1 Eliz. 1. c. 1) (1558) does not affect the continued operation, so far as unrepealed, of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534.The Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969, section 4(2)
Since 1898, notwithstanding anything contained in the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 it has been lawful to nominate, present and appoint as suffragan bishop persons already consecrated as a bishop and, in that case, the letters patent presenting them do not require their consecration.The Suffragan Bishops Act 1898, section 1 The Dioceses Measure 1978 concerns petitions to make appointments under this act.[of the .http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/1978/1/section/18 section 18(1) legislation.gov.uk] Until 1898, men already in episcopal orders were sometimes made assistant bishops instead.
Provisions Section 2 In section 2 of the act, the words from "and have such capacitie" to the end were repealed by section 15(2)(a) of the Dioceses Measure 1978. This repeal does not invalidate any commission given to a suffragan bishop which was in force immediately before the commencement of that Measure (s. 15(3)). Section 15(4) provides for such commissions to continue in force until the date on which the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given ceases to hold that office, or the date on which the commission is revoked by the bishop of the diocese, whichever first occurs. So long as any such commission remains in force so much of section 2 of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 as is repealed by 15(2)(a) of that Measure continues, notwithstanding the repeal, to apply to the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given (s. 15(5)).
Section 4 In section 4 of the act, the words from "nor use" to the end were repealed by section 15(2)(b) of the Dioceses Measure 1978. This repeal does not invalidate any commission given to a suffragan bishop which was in force immediately before the commencement of that Measure (s. 15(3)). Section 15(4) provides for such commissions to continue in force until the date on which the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given ceases to hold that office, or the date on which the commission is revoked by the bishop of the diocese, whichever first occurs. So long as any such commission remains in force so much of section 2 of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 as is repealed by 15(2)(b) of that Measure continues, notwithstanding the repeal, to apply to the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given (s. 15(5)).
Section 6 In section 6 of the act, the words "of the bishop to whom he shall be suffragan" were substituted for the words "where he shall have comyssyon" by section 15(6) of the Dioceses Measure 1978.
1534 titles Those titles mandated by the 1534 act currently in use as suffragan sees today are indicated in bold type: See Diocese Years See Diocese YearsBishop of BedfordDiocese of London1537–1560, 1879–1898Bishop of the Isle of WightNo evidence of use (now in Portsmouth)There is an application to revive underway as of November 2024.Diocese of St Albans1935–presentBishop of LeicesterDiocese of Peterborough1888–1927Bishop of BerwickDiocese of Durham1537–1571Diocesan title1927–presentDiocese of Newcastle2016–presentBishop of MarlboroughDiocese of Salisbury1537–1568Bishop of BridgwaterNo evidence of use (now in Bath & Wells)Diocese of London1888–1918Bishop of BristolDiocese of Worcester1538–1542Bishop of MoltonNo evidence of use (now in Exeter)Diocesan title1542–presentBishop of NottinghamDiocese of York1567–1570Bishop of CambridgeNo evidence of use (now in Ely)Diocese of Lincoln1870–1884Bishop of ColchesterDiocese of Ely1536–1541, 1592–1608Diocese of Southwell1884–1893Diocese of St Albans1882–1914Diocesan title2005–presentDiocese of Chelmsford1914–presentBishop of PenryddDiocese of Llandaff1537–1539Bishop of DoverDiocese of Canterbury1536–1597, 1870–presentBishop of PenrithDiocese of Ripon1888–1889also "Bishop in Canterbury" since c. 1999Diocese of Carlisle1939–presentBishop of GloucesterNo evidence of use as suffragan seeBishop of St GermansDiocese of Truro1905–1918, 1974–presentDiocesan title1541–presentBishop of ShaftesburyDiocese of Salisbury1539Bishop of GranthamDiocese of Lincoln1905–presentBishop of ShrewsburyDiocese of Llandaff (probably)1537–1561Bishop of GuildfordDiocese of Winchester1874–1927Diocese of Lichfield1888–1905, 1940–presentDiocesan title1927–presentBishop of SouthamptonDiocese of Winchester1895–presentBishop of HullDiocese of York1538–1579, 1891–presentBishop of TauntonDiocese of Bath and Wells1538–1559, 1911–presentBishop of HuntingdonDiocese of Ely1966–presentBishop of ThetfordDiocese of Norwich1536–1570, 1894–1926, 1945–presentBishop of IpswichDiocese unclear1536–1538Diocese of Norwich1899–1909Diocesan title1914–present
Other suffragan titles
Since the passage of the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888, it has been lawful to create suffragan sees named for other towns. These have so far included (those titles currently in use as suffragan sees today are indicated in bold type):
Bishop of Aston (Birmingham, 15 July 1954) Bishop of Barking (Chelmsford; initially St Albans) Bishop of Barrow-in-Furness (Carlisle, 6 April 1889) Bishop of Basingstoke (Winchester) Bishop of Beverley (York) Bishop of Birkenhead (Chester) Bishop of Bolton (Manchester, 8 February 1984) Bishop of Bradford (Leeds, 20 April 2014) Bishop of Bradwell (Chelmsford, 20 December 1967) Bishop of Brixworth (Peterborough, 26 July 1988) Bishop of Buckingham (Oxford, 22 November 1913) Bishop of Burnley (Blackburn; initially Manchester) Bishop of Coventry (Worcester; now a diocese) Bishop of Crediton (Exeter) Bishop of Croydon (Southwark; initially Canterbury) Bishop of Derby (Southwell; now a diocese) Bishop of Doncaster (Sheffield, 4 February 1972) Bishop of Dorchester (Oxford, 2 February 1939) Bishop of Dorking (Guildford; initially Winchester) Bishop of Dudley (Worcester, 24 October 1973) Bishop of Dunwich (St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, 14 August 1934) Bishop of Ebbsfleet (Canterbury, 8 February 1994) Bishop of Edmonton (London, 29 May 1970) Suffragan Bishop in Europe (Europe) Bishop of Fulham (London, 1 February 1926) Bishop of Grimsby (Lincoln, 15 July 1935) Bishop of Hertford (St Albans) Bishop of Horsham (Chichester) Bishop of Huddersfield (Leeds, 20 April 2014) Bishop of Hulme (Manchester, 11 October 1923) Bishop of Islington (London) Bishop of Jarrow (Durham) Bishop of Kensington (London) Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames (Southwark)
Bishop of Kirkstall (Leeds; formerly Bishop of Richmond, in Ripon diocese) Bishop of Lancaster (Blackburn, 24 July 1936) Bishop of Lewes (Chichester) Bishop of Loughborough (Leicester, 12 April 2017)Privy Council Office — Orders, 12 April 2017 (Accessed 27 April 2017) Bishop of Ludlow (Hereford, 23 September 1981) Bishop of Lynn (Norwich, 26 June 1963) Bishop of Maidstone (Canterbury) Bishop of Middleton (Manchester, 10 August 1926) Bishop of Plymouth (Exeter, 21 November 1922) Bishop of Ramsbury (Salisbury, 24 October 1973) Bishop of Reading (Oxford) Bishop of Repton (Derby, 18 May 1965) Bishop of Richborough (Canterbury, 8 February 1994) Bishop of Ripon (Leeds; formerly Bishop of Knaresborough, in Ripon diocese) Bishop of Selby (York, 20 December 1938) Bishop of Sheffield (York; now a diocese) Bishop of Sherborne (Salisbury, 6 February 1925) Bishop of Sherwood (Southwell, 18 May 1965) Bishop of Southwark (Rochester; now a diocese) Bishop of Stafford (Lichfield) Bishop of Stepney (London) Bishop of Stockport (Chester) Bishop of Swindon (Bristol; formerly Bishop of Malmesbury, 25 July 1927) Bishop of Tewkesbury (Gloucester) Bishop of Tonbridge (Rochester, 11 September 1958) Bishop of Wakefield (Leeds; formerly Bishop of Pontefract, in Wakefield diocese, 27 October 1930) Bishop of Warrington (Liverpool) Bishop of Warwick (Coventry, 19 December 1979) Bishop of Whalley (Blackburn; initially Manchester, 28 June 1909) Bishop of Whitby (York, 30 July 1923) Bishop of Willesden (London, 8 August 1911) Bishop of Wolverhampton (Lichfield, 6 February 1979) Bishop of Woolwich (Southwark)
In 2015, research by the Church's Legal Office on behalf of the Dioceses Commission uncovered fourteen "forgotten" suffragan Sees which had been erected by Orders-in-Council in 1889 but never filled.Church of England — Dormant Suffragan Sees (Archived 30 May 2016, which accessed 4 March 2020) The Dioceses Commission has advised that these may be revived and filled just as any other dormant See might.Church of England Dioceses Commission — Annual Report 2015 (Accessed 28 April 2016) The see of Oswestry was filled by the consecration of Paul Thomas on 2 February 2023, and the see of Wigan was filled by the translation of Ruth Worsley from Taunton on 4 April 2025; but the others remain unfilled.
By Order-in-Council dated 6 April 1889: Bishop of Alnwick (Newcastle) Bishop of Bishopwearmouth (Durham) Bishop of Halifax (Leeds; formerly Wakefield) Bishop of Hexham (Newcastle) Bishop of Kendal (Carlisle) Bishop of Rochdale (Manchester) Bishop of Wigan (Liverpool)
By Order-in-Council dated 5 July 1889: Bishop of Aylesbury (Oxford) Bishop of Boston (Lincoln) Bishop of Chelsea (London) Bishop of Cirencester (Gloucester) Bishop of Leominster (Hereford) Bishop of Northampton (Peterborough) Bishop of Oswestry (Lichfield)
Further — besides that of Penrydd (now in St David's diocese), erected by the 1534 Act — six further Welsh Sees were erected following the 1888 Act: at Cardiff (in Llandaff diocese), Carnarvon (Bangor), Holyhead (Bangor), Monmouth (then in Llandaff, now a diocesan See), Wrexham (St Asaph) and Swansea (then in St Davids, now a diocesan See as Swansea and Brecon)."Death of Bishop Lloyd" in Carmarthen Journal, 18 June 1916, p. 5 (Archive accessed 7 October 2017)
Subsequent developments Section 7 of the act was repealed by section 1(1) of, and part V of schedule 1 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977, which came into force on 16 June 1977.
Section 5 of the act was repealed by section 1 of, and part 1 of the schedule to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Measure 2018, which came into force on 1 July 2018.
Notes
References Halsbury's Statutes
External links