Key Active archdeacon Male archdeacon Inactive archdeacon Female archdeacon Position vacant The archdeacons in the Church of England are senior Anglican clergy who serve under their dioceses' bishops, usually with responsibility for the area's church buildings and pastoral care for clergy. , there are 131 archdeacons (including vacancies): four archdeacons hold two archdeaconries each, while six hold no territorial archdeaconry.

History of the office

Medieval The medieval English/Welsh church had roughly sixty archdeaconries - roughly one per county, with two or three for the larger counties (Devon, Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Sussex, Wiltshire, Yorkshire), and none for Westmorland, Lancashire, Rutland or the smaller Welsh counties.

Bangor: Anglesey, Bangor, Merioneth Bath and Wells: Bath, Taunton, Wells Carlisle: Carlisle Canterbury: Canterbury Chichester: Chichester, Lewes Durham: Durham, Northumberland Ely: Ely (renamed Cambridge in 2006) Exeter: Barnstaple, Cornwall, Exeter, Totnes Hereford: Hereford, Shropshire (renamed Ludlow in 1876) Llandaff: Llandaff Lichfield: Chester, Coventry, Derby, Salop, Stafford (renamed Lichfield in 1980) Lincoln: Bedford, Buckingham, Huntingdon, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton, Oxford, Stow London: Colchester, Essex, London, Middlesex Norwich: Norfolk, Norwich, Sudbury, Suffolk Rochester: Rochester St Asaph: St Asaph St Davids: Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, St Davids Salisbury: Berkshire, Dorset, Sarum, Wiltshire Winchester: Surrey, Winchester Worcester: Gloucester, Worcester York: Cleveland, East Riding, Nottingham, Richmond, York

Reformation Six new dioceses were created in the Henrician reformation, but with one exception (somewhat of a special case), no new archdeaconries. The Diocese of Westminster (1540-50) temporarily took the archdeaconry of Middlesex from London diocese. The Diocese of Gloucester (1541) took Gloucester archdeaconry from Worcester diocese. The Diocese of Peterborough (1541) took Northampton archdeaconry from Lincoln diocese. The Diocese of Chester (1541) took Chester archdeaconry from Lichfield diocese and Richmond archdeaconry from York diocese. The Diocese of Bristol (1542) took Dorset archdeaconry from Salisbury diocese. The Diocese of Oxford (1546) received Oxford archdeaconry from Lincoln diocese. The Archdeaconry of St Albans was created within London diocese in 1550: before the Reformation the Abbey of St Albans had oversight of so many parishes that it appointed a kind of archdeacon of its own.

Bangor: Anglesey, Bangor, Merioneth Bath and Wells: Bath, Taunton, Wells Bristol: Dorset Carlisle: Carlisle Canterbury: Canterbury Chester: Chester, Richmond Chichester: Chichester, Lewes Durham: Durham, Northumberland Ely: Ely Exeter: Barnstaple, Cornwall, Exeter, Totnes Gloucester: Gloucester Hereford: Hereford, Shropshire Lichfield: Coventry, Derby, Salop, Stafford Lincoln: Bedford, Buckingham, Huntingdon, Leicester, Lincoln, Stow Llandaff: Llandaff London: Colchester, Essex, London, Middlesex, St Albans Norwich: Norfolk, Norwich, Sudbury, Suffolk Oxford: Oxford Peterborough: Northampton Rochester: Rochester St Asaph: St Asaph St Davids: Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, St Davids Salisbury: Berkshire, Sarum, Wiltshire Winchester: Surrey, Winchester Worcester: Worcester York: Cleveland, East Riding, Nottingham, York

1830s-1850s No further changes were made until the 19th century, when there was a 'reshuffle' at the hands of the Church Commissioners in the 1830s, to equalise the size of the English dioceses. In 1836 Dorset was transferred back to Salisbury, which in turn lost Berkshire to Oxford. The dioceses of Bristol and Gloucester were merged and the Archdeaconry of Bristol was created within the merged diocese. In the north, Richmond archdeaconry was transferred to the new Diocese of Ripon (renamed Ripon & Leeds in 1999), and the Archdeaconry of Craven was created within the new diocese (from territory taken from York). This was the first example of a principle that new dioceses should in general have two or more archdeaconries. In 1837 Bedford, Huntingdon and Sudbury were all transferred to Ely, and Buckingham to Oxford. Lincoln was compensated with the acquisition of Nottingham archdeaconry from York. Meanwhile, Coventry archdeaconry was transferred from Lichfield to Worcester diocese. In 1839 Leicester archdeaconry was transferred to Peterborough diocese.

In 1842, Lindisfarne archdeaconry was created in Durham diocese. In 1841, Maidstone archdeaconry was created out of part of Canterbury, and in 1844, Monmouth archdeaconry was created in Llandaff diocese and Montgomery created in St Asaph diocese (the archdeaconry of Anglesey was discontinued at the same time, and Bangor renamed Bangor & Anglesey). These additions ensured that when, in 1846, St Albans, Colchester and Essex archdeaconries were transferred from London to Rochester diocese, every diocese had at least two archdeacons. In 1847, the diocese of Manchester was created, taking the archdeaconry of Manchester (created 1843) from Chester diocese. Later that year Liverpool archdeaconry was created in Chester diocese. In 1856 territory was transferred from Chester to Carlisle diocese, and the Westmorland archdeaconry created within that territory.

Bangor: Bangor & Anglesey, Merioneth Bath and Wells: Bath, Taunton, Wells Bristol & Gloucester: Bristol, Gloucester Carlisle: Carlisle, Westmorland Canterbury: Canterbury, Maidstone Chester: Chester, Liverpool Chichester: Chichester, Lewes Durham: Durham, Lindisfarne, Northumberland Ely: Bedford, Ely, Huntingdon, Sudbury Exeter: Barnstaple, Cornwall, Exeter, Totnes Hereford: Hereford, Shropshire Lichfield: Derby, Salop, Stafford Lincoln: Lincoln, Nottingham, Stow Llandaff: Llandaff, Monmouth London: London, Middlesex Manchester: Manchester Norwich: Norfolk, Norwich, Suffolk Oxford: Berkshire, Buckingham, Oxford Peterborough: Leicester, Northampton Ripon: Craven, Richmond Rochester: Colchester, Essex, Rochester, St Albans St Asaph: Montgomery, St Asaph St Davids: Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, St Davids Salisbury: Dorset, Sarum, Wiltshire Winchester: Surrey, Winchester Worcester: Coventry, Worcester York: Cleveland, East Riding, York

1870s-1890s In 1870, the Archdeaconry of Lancaster was filled in Manchester diocese (having been technically created in 1847). In 1871, the Archdeaconry of the Isle of Wight was created in Winchester diocese; in 1875, Oakham in Peterborough diocese; and in 1877, Stoke-upon-Trent in Lichfield diocese and Blackburn in Manchester diocese. In 1877, the new Diocese of St Albans took St Albans, Colchester and Essex archdeaconries from Rochester. In 1878, two years after the transfer of the Archdeaconry of Cornwall from the Diocese of Exeter to the new Diocese of Truro, the archdeaconry was split to create the Archdeaconry of Bodmin. That same year the Archdeaconry of Southwark was created in Rochester diocese, covering areas that had previously been in Winchester and London dioceses. The following year it was split to create Kingston archdeaconry (renamed Reigate in 1986).

In 1880, the Archdeaconry of Liverpool was transferred from Chester to the new diocese of Liverpool. Both Liverpool and Chester dioceses acquired second archdeaconries later that year: Warrington and Macclesfield respectively. In 1882, Gloucester and Bristol diocese acquired a third archdeaconry when the Archdeaconry of Cirencester (renamed Cheltenham 1919) was created. Also in 1882, the diocese of Newcastle was created out of the archdeaconries of Northumberland and Lindisfarne in Durham diocese; Durham was 'compensated' by the creation of Auckland archdeaconry. In 1884, the new diocese of Southwell (renamed Southwell & Nottingham in 2005) was created, taking Derby archdeaconry from Lichfield diocese and Nottingham archdeaconry from Lincoln diocese. Also in 1884, Furness archdeaconry was created in Carlisle diocese, and Sheffield archdeaconry (renamed Sheffield & Rotherham in 1999) in York diocese. In 1888, a new diocese of Wakefield was created out of part of Ripon diocese, and two archdeaconries of Halifax and Huddersfield were at once created within it.

In 1890, the Archdeaconry of Wrexham was created in St Asaph diocese. In 1892, the Archdeaconry of Birmingham was created within Worcester diocese. In 1894, the Archdeaconry of Lynn was created in Norwich diocese, and the Archdeaconry of Ripon (renamed Leeds in 1921) in Ripon diocese. In 1897, Gloucester and Bristol diocese was split back into its constituent parts, with Gloucester and Cirencester archdeaconries falling to Gloucester diocese and Bristol archdeaconry falling to Bristol diocese: in 1904, a second archdeaconry, that of North Wilts (renamed Swindon in 1919 and then Malmesbury in 1999), was created in Bristol diocese.

Bangor: Bangor & Anglesey, Merioneth Bath and Wells: Bath, Taunton, Wells Bristol & Gloucester: Bristol, North Wilts Carlisle: Carlisle, Furness, Westmorland Canterbury: Canterbury, Maidstone Chester: Chester, Macclesfield Chichester: Chichester, Lewes Durham: Auckland, Durham Ely: Bedford, Ely, Huntingdon, Sudbury Exeter: Barnstaple, Exeter, Totnes Gloucester: Cirencester, Gloucester Hereford: Hereford, Ludlow Lichfield: Salop, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent Lincoln: Lincoln, Stow Liverpool: Liverpool, Warrington Llandaff: Llandaff, Monmouth London: London, Middlesex Manchester: Blackburn, Lancaster, Manchester Newcastle: Lindisfarne, Northumberland Norwich: Lynn, Norfolk, Norwich, Suffolk Oxford: Berkshire, Buckingham, Oxford Peterborough: Leicester, Northampton, Oakham Ripon: Craven, Richmond, Ripon Rochester: Kingston, Rochester, Southwark St Asaph: Montgomery, St Asaph, Wrexham St Albans: Colchester, Essex, St Albans St Davids: Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, St Davids Salisbury: Dorset, Sarum, Wiltshire Southwell: Derby, Nottingham Truro: Bodmin, Cornwall Wakefield: Halifax, Huddersfield Winchester: Isle of Wight, Surrey, Winchester Worcester: Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester York: Cleveland, East Riding, Sheffield, York

1900s-1920s In 1905, the area of the Archdeaconry of Birmingham was created a new diocese of Birmingham; the following year, the Archdeaconry of Aston was created within the new diocese. Also in 1905, Southwark and Kingston archdeaconries were transferred from Rochester to the new Diocese of Southwark. The following year, the archdeaconries of Tonbridge (in Rochester diocese) and Lewisham (in Southwark diocese) were created.