The Archbishop of Canterbury is the "Primate of All England", effectively serving as the head of the established Church of England and, symbolically, of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Before the Reformation, the archbishop served as a prelate of the Catholic Church.
History
From the 6th century to the 16th century, the archbishops of Canterbury were in full communion with the Bishops of Rome, the Popes. Eighteen such pre-Reformation archbishops have been canonised by the Catholic Church. During the English Reformation, the English Church broke away from the authority of the pope, at first temporarily, later permanently, recognising only the English monarch as a source of superior temporal authority.
In the Middle Ages there was considerable variation in the nomination procedure of the archbishop and other bishops. At various times the nomination was made by the Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, the English monarch, or the Pope. Since the Reformation, the church is explicitly a state church and nomination is legally that of the British crown; today it is made in the name of the monarch by the prime minister of the United Kingdom, from a shortlist of two selected by the Crown Nominations Commission, an ad hoc committee.
Today the archbishop has four main roles:
- To be diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, which covers the east of the County of Kent and the extreme north-east of Surrey. Founded by Augustine of Canterbury in 597, it is the oldest bishopric in the English church. The main duties of this role are delegated to the suffragan Bishop of Dover (who in this capacity is called the "Bishop in Canterbury").
- To be metropolitan bishop of the Province of Canterbury, encompassing 30 dioceses in the southern two-thirds of England. The remaining 14 dioceses in the north of England fall within the Province of York, under the authority of the archbishop of York. Four dioceses in Wales were under the Province of Canterbury until they were transferred to the dis-established Church in Wales in 1920.
- As "Primate of All England", to be the chief "religious" figure in the Church of England (senior to the archbishop of York, who is styled the "Primate of England"). The British sovereign is the supreme governor of the Church of England.
- As symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop is recognised as primus inter pares ("first among equals") of all Anglican primates.
Heraldry
Much heraldry relating to archbishops of Canterbury is displayed in the church of St Mary-at-Lambeth in London, near to Lambeth Palace the London seat of the archbishops.
List of archbishops
Old English period
After the Norman conquest
After the Elizabethan Settlement
Assistant bishops
Those who have assisted the diocesan archbishop have included:
Two coadjutors – called Bishop of St Martin's — to Saxon archbishops:
- 1035–1038: Eadsige, who succeeded as Archbishop
- c. 1052 – c. 1061 (d.): Godwin
Lanfranc declared that appointments to that See would cease, and the Bishop of Rochester would deputise instead.
- 1044–1048 (res.): Siward, coadjutor-archbishop/suffragan bishop, probably titular Bishop of Uppsala
- 15 July 1469 – ?: Henry, consecrated to the titular see of Ioppe
- 1469: Thomas Scrope, absentee Bishop of Dromore and assistant Bishop of Norwich (1450–1477)
- 1480: William Westkarre, Prior of Mottisfont, titular bishop of Zeitun and assistant Bishop of Winchester (1457–1486)
- 1526–?: Thomas Chetham was consecrated titular bishop of Sidon on 19 January 1526 to serve as an assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury and became an assistant to the Bishop of London in 1553
Modern assistant bishops have included:
- 1928–1939 (d.): Arthur Knight, Rector of Lyminge and former Bishop of Rangoon
- 1935–1941 (ret.): Edward Bidwell, Vicar of Sellindge and former Bishop of Ontario
- 1942–1955 (ret.): Basil Roberts, Warden of St Augustine's College and former Bishop of Singapore
- 1960–1961 (res.): Denis Hall, Vicar of Thornton Heath and former Assistant Bishop on the Niger
- 1994–1997 (res.): David Evans, Gen. Sec. of SAMS and former Bishop in Peru
Notes
- A All start dates are consecration dates, unless otherwise noted.
- B All end dates are death dates, unless otherwise noted.
- C He was not consecrated until 15 January 1245.
References
Specific
General
- Delaney, John P. (1980). Dictionary of Saints (Second ed.). Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-13594-7.
- Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third Edition, revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
- Greenway, Diana E. (1971). "Archbishops of Canterbury". Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300. Vol. 2: Monastic cathedrals (northern and southern provinces). Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
- Horn, Joyce M. (1974). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: volume 3: Canterbury, Rochester and Winchester dioceses: Archbishops of Canterbury. Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- Jones, B. (1963). Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541: volume 4: Monastic cathedrals (southern province): Archbishops of Canterbury. Institute of Historical Research. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
- Walsh, Michael J. (2007). A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West. London: Burns & Oates. ISBN 978-0-86012-438-2.
External links
- Archbishop of Canterbury website
- List of Archbishops of Canterbury
