The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers the modern ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire (excluding the Soke of Peterborough) and western Norfolk. The diocese was created in 1109 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.
The diocese is ancient, and the area of Ely was part of the patrimony of Saint Etheldreda. A religious house was founded in the city in 673. After her death in 679 she was buried outside the church, and her remains were later reburied inside, the foundress being commemorated as a great Anglian saint.
The diocese has had its boundaries altered various times. From an original diocese covering the historic county of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire were added in 1837 from the Diocese of Lincoln, as was the Sudbury archdeaconry in Suffolk from the Diocese of Norwich. In 1914 Bedfordshire became part of the Diocese of St Albans, and western Suffolk became part of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, whilst Ely took a western part of the Diocese of Norwich. Peterborough remains the seat of the Diocese of Peterborough.
Today the diocese covers an area of . It has a population of 705,000 and comprises 209 benefices, 303 parishes and 335 churches with 145 stipendiary parochial clergy.
Bishops The diocesan Bishop of Ely (vacant; bishop-designate: Sarah Clark, currently Bishop suffragan of Jarrow and acting Bishop of Durham) is assisted by a Bishop suffragan of Huntingdon (Dagmar Winter).
There are also four retired bishops living in the diocese who are licensed as honorary assistant bishops: 2011–present: Lindsay Urwin. Former Area Bishop of Horsham. At present, he is a parish priest in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. 2012–present: Retired Dean of St Paul's and former Bishop of Sodor and Man Graeme Knowles lives in Bury St Edmunds (in neighbouring Eds & Ips diocese.) 2013–present: John Flack, retired Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome & Archbishop's Representative to the Holy See and former Bishop of Huntingdon, lives in Whittlesey. 2020–present: Graham Kings, former Bishop of Sherborne.
Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese which reject the ministry of women priests and bishops) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor, Norman Banks, Bishop suffragan of Richborough, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese to facilitate his work there.
The Bishop of Peterborough has also been commissioned as assistant bishop in the diocese so that he can exercise pastoral care in several old Huntingdonshire parishes now within the Peterborough unitary authority: including Stanground, Orton, Woodston, Yaxley and Fletton.Bridging the city divide. Ely Ensign. September 2004. Issue no. 178. p.4"Bishops bridge boundaries aboard boat" Peterborough Telegraph 2 August 2004"Bishop Donald becomes Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Ely" on the Peterborough Diocese website
Archdeaconries and deaneries The archdeaconries have been as follows:
1109-1837: Ely only. 1837-1914/15: Bedford, Ely, Huntingdon, Sudbury. 1914/15-2005/06: Ely, Huntingdon, Wisbech. 2005/06-: Cambridge, Huntingdon-Wisbech.
The archdeaconry of Wisbech (comprising the deaneries of Ely, March, Wisbech, Fincham and Lynn Marshland, which before 1915 were not in any archdeaconry) was active from 1915 to 2005. The following changes to deaneries have taken place:
in 1884 the two deaneries of Ely and Wisbech (which were not under any archdeaconry, but were commonly known as the Archdeaconry of the Isle of Ely) were reorganised into the three of Ely, March and Wisbech. In 1914 the deaneries of Fincham and Lynn Marshland were transferred from the Archdeaconry of Lynn in the Diocese of Norwich to the Diocese of Ely. in 1976 the deanery of Shelford was established among others. In 2002 the deaneries of Fordham and Quy merged in 2002 to form the deanery of Fordham and Quy, and the deaneries of Wisbech and Lynn Marshland merged to form the deanery of Wisbech Lynn Marshland in 2004, the deaneries of Fincham and Feltwell were merged to form the deanery of Fincham and Feltwell, and the deanery of Leightonstone was merged into the deanery of Huntingdon. in 2006, the deanery of Cambridge was split in 2006 into the deaneries of Cambridge North and Cambridge South. In 2009 the deaneries of Shelford and Linton were merged to form the deanery of Granta.
Deaneries in 1851 In 1851 the diocese had the following rural deaneries:
Barton (Cambs) Bedford (Beds) Blackbourn (Suffolk) Bourn (Cambs) Cambridge (Cambs) Camps (Cambs) Chesterton (Cambs) Clapham (Beds) Clare (Suffolk) Dunstable (Beds) Eaton (Beds) Ely (Cambs) Fleete (Beds) Fordham (Cambs/Suffolk) Leightonstone (Hunts) St Ives (Hunts) St Neots (Hunts) Shefford (Beds) Shingay (Cambs) Sudbury (Suffolk) Thedwastre (Suffolk) Thingoe (Suffolk) Wisbech (Cambs) Yaxley (Hunts)
DioceseArchdeaconriesRural DeaneriesPopulationDiocese of ElyArchdeaconry of CambridgeDeanery of Bourn27,913Deanery of Cambridge North69,975Deanery of Cambridge South62,428Deanery of Fordham and Quy29,433Deanery of Granta33,096Deanery of North Stowe47,138Deanery of Shingay21,269Archdeaconry of Huntingdon & WisbechDeanery of Ely58,230Deanery of Fincham and Feltwell36,708Deanery of Huntingdon57,830Deanery of March58,032Deanery of St Ives44,362Deanery of St Neots37,630Deanery of Wisbech Lynn Marshland65,902Deanery of Yaxley77,384 Churches
Extra-parochial places
Central Wingland (population 39) Grunty Fen (population 211) Ely College (population 44): Cathedral of the Holy & Undivided Trinity, Ely (medieval) Welches Dam (population 5): St Eanswyth's Church (1909, closed C20th) West Fen (population 0) Wolveyhills and Wolveyholes (population 0)
Archdeaconry of Cambridge
Deanery of Bourn
Benefice and Parish of Cambourne (population 12,088): Cambourne Church Local Ecumenical Partnership (1999) Benefice of Lordsbridge Parish of Barton (population 851): St Peter's Church (medieval) Parish of Caldecote (population 2,034) St Michael and All Angels' Church (medieval) St Mary's Church, Childerley (medieval, closed C16th) Parish of Comberton (population 2,266): St Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Coton (population 944): St Peter's Church (medieval) Parish of Dry Drayton (population 700): SS Peter & Paul's Church (medieval) Parish of Great Eversden (population 235): St Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Hardwick (population 2,678): St Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Harlton (population 311): Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Haslingfield (population 1,546) All Saints' Church (medieval) St Mary's Chapel, White Hill, Haslingfield (medieval, closed C16th) Parish of Little Eversden (population 567): St Helen's Church (medieval) Parish of Toft (population 563): St Andrew's Church (medieval) Benefice of Papworth: Parish of Bourn (population 988): SS Helena & Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Boxworth (population 215): St Peter's Church (medieval) Parish of Caxton (population 600): St Andrew's Church (medieval) Parish of Conington (population 138): St Mary's Church (medieval) Parish of Croxton (population 160): St James's Church (medieval) Parish of Elsworth (population 689): Holy Trinity Church (medieval) Parish of Eltisley (population 386): SS Pandionia & John the Baptist's Church (medieval) Parish of Graveley (population 276) St Botolph's Church (medieval) St John the Baptist's Church, Papworth St Agnes (medieval, closed 1976) Parish of Kingston (population 236): All Saints & St Andrew's Church (medieval) Parish of Knapwell (population 88): All Saints' Church (medieval) Parish of Lolworth (population 161): All Saints' Church (medieval) Parish of Longstowe (population 207): St Mary the Virgin's Church (medieval) Parish of Papworth Everard (population 3,840): St Peter's Church (medieval) Parish of Toseland (population 89): St Michael's Church (medieval) Parish of Yelling (population 323): Holy Cross Church (medieval)
Deanery of Cambridge North
Benefice and Parish of Cambridge Holy Cross (population 4,452): Christ the Redeemer Church (C20th) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Andrew the Great (population 3,193) St Andrew the Great (medieval, rebuilt 1843) Holy Sepulchre Church (The Round Church) (medieval, out of regular use c. 1994) All Saints' Old Church (medieval, demolished 1863) All Saints' New Church (1863, redundant 1973) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Clement (population 469): St Clement's Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Mary the Great with St Michael (population 730) St Mary the Great (medieval) St Michael's Church (medieval, closed for worship C20th) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Matthew (population 3,930): St Matthew's Church (1866) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge Ascension (population 18,783) St Giles' Church (medieval) St Augustine of Canterbury's Church (1898) St Luke the Evangelist's Local Ecumenical Partnership (1863, rebuilt 1874) St Peter's Church (by the Castle) (medieval, redundant C20th) All Saints by the Castle (medieval, closed 1365) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge Christ Church with St Andrew the Less (population 5,758) Christ Church (1839) St Andrew the Less (medieval, closed 1839) Leper Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, Barnwell (medieval, closed C16th) St John's Mission Chapel, Wellington Street (1874, closed c. 1940) Benefice and Parish of Chesterton Good Shepherd (population 15,578) Good Shepherd Church, Chesterton, Cambridge (1958) St John's Church, Orchard Park, Cambridge (2013, in primary school) Benefice and Parish of Chesterton St Andrew (population 9,535): St Andrew's Church, Chesterton, Cambridge (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Chesterton St George (population 9,214): St George's Church, Chesterton, Cambridge (1938) Benefice and Parish of Fen Ditton (population 3,763): St Mary the Virgin's Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Horningsea (population 328): St Peter's Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Teversham (population 1,097): All Saints' Church (medieval)
Deanery of Cambridge South Benefice and Parish of Cambridge Holy Trinity (population 1,883): Holy Trinity Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Barnabas (population 3,287): St Barnabas' Church (1869) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Benedict (population 988): St Bene't's Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Botolph (population 2,082): St Botolph's Church (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Edward (Proprietary Chapel) (population 1,339) St Edward King and Martyr's Church (medieval) St John the Baptist's Church (St John Zachary) (medieval, closed C15th) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St James (population 6,630): St James's Church (1955) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St John the Evangelist (population 11,385): St John the Evangelist's Church (1896) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Martin (population 6,891) St Martin's Church (1932, rebuilt 1961) St Thomas's Church (1980) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Mary the Less (population 1,366) St Mary the Less (medieval, rededicated and rebuilt 1352; previously St Peter's-outside-Trumpington-Gates) St Anne's Chapel (medieval, closed 1546) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Paul (population 5,665): St Paul's Church (1841) Benefice and Parish of Cambridge St Philip (population 9,835) St Philip's Church (1891) St Stephen's Church (1940s, rebuilt 1962, sold 2010) Benefice and Parish of Cherry Hinton (population 10,099): St Andrew's Church, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge (medieval) Benefice and Parish of Grantchester (population 534): SS Andrew & Mary's Church (medieval)