The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford, and three archdeacons.
The diocese covers the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and parts of the London Borough of Barnet. The see is in the City of St Albans in Hertfordshire, where the cathedra (bishop's seat) is located at St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral building itself was an abbey church (part of St Albans Abbey) prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Following its purchase by the town in 1553 it was then a parish church until its elevation to cathedral status in 1877 when the diocese was created from the diocese of Rochester under Queen Victoria by the Bishopric of St. Albans Act 1875.
The Bishop's residence is Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Incumbent
The (10th) Bishop of St Albans is Right Reverend Alan Smith, whose appointment was announced by Downing Street on 13 January 2009[1] following the retirement of Christopher Herbert.[2]
The election of the bishop by the College of Canons of the Cathedral took place on 13 February, and the Confirmation of Election with the Archbishop of Canterbury followed on 31 March. Smith was inaugurated on 19 September 2009.[3]
He signs himself Alan St Albans.
List of the Bishops of the Diocese of St Albans, England
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1877 to 1890 | Thomas Legh Claughton, DD | |
| 1890 to 1903 | John Wogan Festing | |
| 1903 to 1920 | Edgar Jacob | |
| 1920 to 1944 | Michael Bolton Furse | |
| 1944 to 1950 | Philip Henry Loyd | |
| 1950 to 1970 | Edward Michael Gresford Jones, DD | |
| 1970 to 1980 | Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, MC, MA | Translated to Canterbury |
| 1980 to 1995 | John Bernard Taylor | |
| 1995 to 2009 | Christopher William Herbert | |
| 2009 to present | Alan Gregory Clayton Smith |
References
- ^ Prime Minister's Office - St Albans Diocese
- ^ Watford Observer - Bishop of St Albans to retire
- ^ Kataria, Arun (2009-04-20). "New Bishop a step closer". Diocese of St Albans. http://www.stalbans.anglican.org/News/Local-News/New-Bishop-a-step-closer. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- Whitaker's Almanack 1883 to 2004, Joseph Whitaker and Sons Ltd/A&C Black, London
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