Diocese of Chelmsford

Dioecesis Chelmsfordiensis
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Chelmsford
Coat of arms
Flag of the Diocese of Chelmsford
Flag
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceCanterbury
ArchdeaconriesBarking, Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Southend, Stansted, West Ham
Statistics
Parishes463[1]
Churches588 (As of August 2014)[2]
Schools140[3]
Information
Formation23 January 1914
DenominationChurch of England
CathedralChelmsford Cathedral
LanguageEnglish
Current leadership
BishopGuli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford
SuffragansRoger Morris, area Bishop of Colchester[4]
Lynne Cullens, area Bishop of Barking
Adam Atkinson, area Bishop of Bradwell
ArchdeaconsElwin Cockett, Archdeacon of West Ham
Chris Burke, Archdeacon of Barking
Ruth Patten, Archdeacon of Colchester
Mike Power, Archdeacon of Southend
Kate Peacock, Archdeacon of Stansted
Jonathan Croucher, Archdeacon of Chelmsford
Archdeacon of Harlow (vacant)
Website
chelmsford.anglican.org

The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. It was created on 23 January 1914 from part of the Diocese of St Albans. It covers Essex and part of East London. Since 1984 it is divided into three episcopal areas, each with its own area bishop. The diocese covers around 1,500 square miles (3,900 km2) with a population of more than 3 million. It has 463 parishes and 588 churches.

History

The diocese was created on 23 January 1914, as part of the provisions of the Bishoprics of Sheffield, Chelmsford and the County of Suffolk Act 1913. It covered the entire county of Essex and that part of Kent north of the River Thames (North Woolwich).[5] The area had since 4 May 1877 been part of the Diocese of St Albans.[6] Before 1 January 1846 the area was part of the Diocese of London and then the Diocese of Rochester.

Geographic area

The diocese covers a region of around 1,500 square miles (3,900 km2)[3] and has a population of more than 3 million.[2] It covers Essex and five East London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest. The diocese has seen one of the strongest regenerations in Europe, which continues. The Thames Gateway, the M11 corridor, Stansted and Southend airports, Harwich, Tilbury, London Gateway, Purfleet ports and most of the housing built in connection with the London 2012 Olympics are in the diocese. It is co-terminous with the boundaries of the Catholic Diocese of Brentwood.

Organisation

The diocese of Chelmsford is overseen by the Bishop of Chelmsford. Since the area scheme was created in 1983[7] and inaugurated in January 1984,[8] the diocese has been divided into three episcopal areas which are overseen by an area bishop. The diocese is divided further into archdeaconries, each divided into a number of deaneries.[9]

The suffragan See of Colchester was created in 1882, for the Diocese of St Albans until 1914. Barking in 1901 also for St Albans, and Bradwell in 1968.

Episcopal areas Archdeaconries Deaneries
Barking Episcopal Area
(overseen by the area Bishop of Barking)
Archdeaconry of Harlow Deanery of Epping Forest and Ongar
Deanery of Harlow
Archdeaconry of West Ham Deanery of Newham
Deanery of Redbridge
Deanery of Waltham Forest
Archdeaconry of Barking Deanery of Barking and Dagenham
Deanery of Havering
Bradwell Episcopal Area
(overseen by the area Bishop of Bradwell)
Archdeaconry of Chelmsford Deanery of Brentwood
Deanery of Chelmsford North
Deanery of Chelmsford South
Deanery of Maldon and Dengie
Archdeaconry of Southend Deanery of Basildon
Deanery of Hadleigh
Deanery of Rochford
Deanery of Southend on Sea
Deanery of Thurrock
Colchester Episcopal Area
(overseen by the area Bishop of Colchester)
Archdeaconry of Colchester Deanery of Colchester
Deanery of Harwich
Deanery of St Osyth
Deanery of Witham
Archdeaconry of Stansted Deanery of Braintree
Deanery of Dunmow and Stansted
Deanery of Hinckford
Deanery of Saffron Walden

Bishops

Left to right: Peter Hill, Bishop of Barking; Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford; Roger Morris, Bishop of Colchester

Alongside the diocesan Bishop of Chelmsford (Guli Francis-Dehqani), the Diocese has three area (suffragan) bishops: Roger Morris, area Bishop of Colchester; Lynne Cullens, area Bishop of Barking; and Adam Atkinson, area Bishop of Bradwell.

Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese which reject the ministry of priests who are women) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor, Norman Banks, Bishop suffragan of Richborough, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.

Churches

The diocese has 463 parishes[1] and a total of 588 churches.[2]

Deanery Clergy Church Founded (building)
Epping Forest & Ongar S. Brazier-Gibbs St Laurence, Blackmore Medieval
SS Peter & Paul, Stondon Massey
I. Farley St John the Baptist, Buckhurst Hill 1837
H. Aucken St Martin, Chipping Ongar Medieval
St Peter, Shelley Medieval (1888)
St Andrew, Greensted-juxta-Ongar Anglo-Saxon
St Margaret of Antioch, Stanford Rivers Medieval
L. Batson

O. Maxfield-Coote A. Summers

St John the Baptist, Epping Medieval (1889)
All Saints, Epping Upland Medieval
St Alban the Martyr, Coopersale 1852
St Andrew, North Weald Bassett Medieval
C. Hawkins St Germain, Bobbingworth Medieval
St Mary the Virgin, Moreton Medieval
St Nicholas, Fyfield Medieval
St Christopher, Willingale Medieval
J. Pickles All Saints, High Laver Medieval
St Mary the Virgin, Little Laver Medieval
St Mary Magdalen, Magdalen Laver Medieval
St Mary, Matching Medieval
C. Davies St John the Baptist, Loughton 1846
St Nicholas, Loughton Medieval (early C20th)
M. Macdonald

M. White

St Mary the Virgin, Loughton 1871
L. Petitt St Michael & All Angels, Loughton 1937
S. Gibbs St Mary the Virgin, High Ongar
St James, Marden Ash
All Saints, Norton Mandeville
J. Fry St Mary the Virgin, Stapleford Tawney
St Mary the Virgin, Theydon Bois
All Saints, Theydon Garnon
St Michael, Theydon Mount
C. Kosla

P. Preston

St Mary, Chigwell
All Saints, Chigwell Row
St Winifred, Chigwell
St Mary & All Saints, Lambourne
St Mary the Virgin, Stapleford Abbotts
P. Smith

V. Yeadon

Holy Cross & St Lawrence, Waltham
Holy Innocents, High Beach
St Lawrence, Ninefields
St Thomas, Upshire

References

  1. 1 2 Diocese of Chelmsford – Parishes Archived 2015-09-29 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 12 February 2015)
  2. 1 2 3 Diocese of Chelmsford – Media Facts, August 2014 (Accessed 12 February 2015)
  3. 1 2 Diocese of Chelmsford – Children's Ministry (Accessed 12 February 2015)
  4. Diocese of Worcester – Archdeacon of Worcester to become Bishop of Colchester (Accessed 2 May 2014)
  5. "No. 28795". The London Gazette. 23 January 1914. p. 588.
  6. London Gazette. 23 January 1914.
  7. "4: The Dioceses Commission, 1978–2002" (PDF). Church of England. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  8. "(picture caption)". Church Times. No. 6309. 13 January 1984. p. 4. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 June 2017 via UK Press Online archives.
  9. Diocese of Chelmsford – Episcopal areas map (Accessed 12 February 2015)

Sources

51°44′07″N 0°28′20″E / 51.7352°N 0.4723°E / 51.7352; 0.4723

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