The Archdeacon of Bedford is an ecclesiastical post in the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. Historically the post was in the Diocese of Lincoln, then from 1837 in the Diocese of Ely, England. On 13 April 1914, the archdeaconry became a part of the Diocese of St Albans. The present holder of the office is Dave Middlebrook, collated Archdeacon on 30 March 2019.

Seal The 12/13th c. brass seal-matrix of the Archdeacon of Bedford was found in South Lincolnshire in 2003 by a metal detectorist, in almost perfect condition. It displays a legend in Latin: SIGILLUM ARCHIDIACONI BEDEFORDI(A)E ("Seal of the Archdeacon of Bedford"). Of two heraldic shields, that shown at dexter displays the arms of Cantilupe (modern): Gules, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lys or, as used by Saint Thomas de Cantilupe (d.1282), Bishop of Hereford, and later adopted as the arms of the See of Hereford. The reason for the use of the Cantilupe arms on the seal is unclear, the surviving (but incomplete) list of Archdeacons of Bedford does not include a member of the Cantilupe family. The office of Archdeacon of Bedford had no connection with the See of Hereford and is known to have been under the control of the See of Lincoln, hence a possible reason for the location the object was found in. The Cantilupe family were feudal barons of Eaton (Bray) in Bedfordshire and were seated (amongst many other places) at Eaton Castle, near Dunstable, not too far from the town of Bedford. A junior branch (see Baron Cantilupe) was seated at Greasley Castle in Nottingham and at Withcall in Lincolnshire, in which county they were prominent. Nicholas de Cantilupe, 3rd Baron Cantilupe (c.1301–1355) of Greasley founded the Cantilupe Chantry in Lincoln Cathedral and was buried in the Cathedral where survives his mutilated recumbent effigy. However the armorials of the Greasley branch include a fess vair, not shown on the seal.For a discussion on the seal of the Archdeacon of Bedford and its possible relation to the Cantilupe family see: M Julian-Jones, Thesis on de Cantilupe and Corbet families, 2015, Online Research @Cardiff (ORCA), Cardiff University The style of the seal with the gothic architectural elements date it to the 13/14th. centuries. Measurements: 32 mm x 51 mm; weight 2.5 g.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval bef. May 1092?: OsbertThe History and Antiquities of the Hundred of Willey in the county of Bedford, Volume 1, British Library 1105: Ralph bef. 1129aft. 1141: Hugh bef. 1145aft. 1175 (d.): Nicholas 1180: Laurence aft. 1198: Alan bef. 1199aft. 1203: Richard aft. 1203: Geoffrey bef. 12061218 (d.): Alexander of Elstow 1218: John Octon 12181231 (res.): John de Houton (afterwards Archdeacon of Northampton) 1231 (d?): Amaury of Buckden 1246 (res.): John de Dyham bef. 12541260 (d.): John of Crakehall 1260–1268: Peter de Audeham 1268January 1273: John de Maidenstan (afterwards Archdeacon of Oxford) bef. 1275: Nicholas de Hegham (afterwards Archdeacon of Oxford) bef. 1280October 1282 (d.): Richard de Bradewell 1282–1291: John Hook ?: Stephen Gardiner? 30 December 129110 September 1319: Roger Rothwell/Rowell (deprived)

Late Medieval 10 September 131926 January 1230: Thomas Neville (set aside) 26 January 13201333 (d.): Edmund London 1333–?: John Daubeny 133330 August 1351 (exch.): Philip Daubeny 30 August 1351bef. 1372: Thomas Cumpton bef. 1372bef. 1375: John Irtlingburgh bef. 13751405 (d.): Thomas Stowe 19 November 14051423 (d.): William AghtonPlea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP 40/629; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H5/CP40no629/aCP40no629fronts/IMG_0825.htm; fifth entry, end of line 3, as plaintiff 17 April 14231431 (res.): Richard Caudray (afterwards Archdeacon of Lincoln) 14311439 (d.): William Derby 14 February 14391450 (d.): Robert Thornton 21 May 14501460 (d.): Thomas Salisbury 15 December 14601468 (res.): John Rudying (afterwards Archdeacon of Northampton) 4 December 14681471 (res.): John Collinson (afterwards Archdeacon of Northampton) 6 Auguster 1471bef. April 1489 (res.): Henry Sharp April 14891494 (res.): Thomas Hutton (afterwards Archdeacon of Huntingdon) 17 February 14941525 (d.): William Cosyn 11 January 15251549 (d.): John Chambre

Early modern 7 July 15491554 (res.): Gilbert Bourne 1 May 155411 November 1558 (d.): John Pope 15 November 1558February 1559 (d.): Michael Dunning (deprived) 14 March 15591560 (res.): Richard Barber (afterwards Archdeacon of Leicester) 24 December 15601574 (d.): William Todd 31 May 15741598 (d.): John Robinson 14 March 15986 December 1599 (res.): Roger Parker 4 February 16001631 (d.): George Eland 4 October 16311661 (res.): John Hacket (afterwards Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, 1661) May 166216 July 1667 (d.): Francis Wilford August 166722 November 1678 (d.): Theophilus Dillingham 15 February 16793 April 1704 (d.): John Skelton April 17042 March 1731 (d.): Thomas Frank 22 May 17311745 (d.): John Dudley 15 March 17451756 (res.): John Taylor (afterwards Archdeacon of Leicester) 16 July 17561757 (res.): Charles Jenner (afterwards Archdeacon of Huntingdon) 28 April 175728 February 1771 (d.): Richard Grey 20 March 17711782 (d.): Hadley Cox 18 May 17821 June 1783 (d.): William Done 19 June 17833 January 1809 (d.): Richard Shepherd 12 January 18091821 (d.): Samuel Vince 10 December 18211845 (res.): Henry Bonney The archdeaconry was transferred from the diocese of Lincoln to the diocese of Ely by Order-in-Council on 30 May 1837 12 March 184529 June 1866 (res.): Henry Tattam

Late modern 186631 January 1873 (d.): Henry Rose 187323 September 1910 (d.): Frederick Bathurst 19101914 (res.): Noel Hodges (also assistant bishop) Since the diocese's erection on 13 April 1914, the Archdeaconry of Bedford has been part of the Diocese of St Albans 19241933 (res.): Arthur Parnell 193314 November 1934 (d.): Gerard Lander (also Assistant Bishop of St Albans; former Bishop of Victoria) 19351945 (ret.): William Robins 19461955 (res.): Donald Harris 19561958 (res.): Basil Guy (also Bishop suffragan of Bedford from 1957) 19581962 (res.): Basil Snell 19621973 (res.): John Hare (also Bishop suffragan of Bedford from 1968) 19741979 (ret.): Robert Brown 19791985 (res.): Christopher Mayfield 19861993 (res.): Michael Bourke 19932003 (ret.): Malcolm Lesiter (archdeacon emeritus since retirement) September 200331 December 2018 (ret.): Paul Hughes (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 30 March 2019present: Dave Middlebrook

References

Sources

Bedfordshire County Council page