Diocese of Salisbury

Coordinates: 51°03′54″N 1°47′53″W / 51.065°N 1.798°W / 51.065; -1.798

Map of the dioceses of the Church of England showing Salisbury Diocese in red.

The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England. It covers Dorset and most of Wiltshire (excepting Swindon and a part of north Wiltshire), and is a constituent of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Salisbury, currently the Right Reverend David Stancliffe, and the diocesan synod. Salisbury Cathedral is the liturgical heart of the diocese.

In 705, the Diocese of Sherborne was created, when it was carved out of the growing bishopric of the West Saxons. The first Bishop of Sherborne was Saint Aldhelm. However, the old Diocese of Sherborne covered quite a different area from that covered by the modern diocese. In 909, the Diocese of Ramsbury was carved out of the north-western portion of the Diocese of Winchester. In 1058, Herman, Bishop of Ramsbury, was elected as Bishop of Sherborne, and the two sees were combined under his personal oversight. This combination was more like the shape of the modern diocese, but with the addition of most of Berkshire. After the Norman Conquest, in 1078, Saint Osmund was appointed to the combined dioceses of Sherborne and Ramsbury, and moved the see to the castle at Salisbury. The original, Norman foundation was built on what is now known as Old Sarum, a hill to the north of the modern city. In 1227, Bishop Richard Poore began the construction of the grand cathedral on what has now become the centre of Salisbury.

Dorset was added in 1836 with the abolition of the Diocese of Bristol, whilst Berkshire was removed the same year and added to the Diocese of Oxford.

In 1925, a suffragan bishop was appointed to assist the Bishop of Salisbury. Owing to its historical importance, this bishop was titled Bishop of Sherborne. In 1974, an additional suffragan was appointed, and titled Bishop of Ramsbury. In many matters, the Bishop of Sherborne ministers in the part of the diocese that lies in Dorset, and the Bishop of Ramsbury to that in Wiltshire. Currently, the Bishop of Sherborne is the Right Reverend Dr Graham Kings, and the Bishop of Ramsbury is the Right Reverend Stephen Conway. The diocese is also divided into four archdeaconries: two for each county. These are further subdivided into deaneries and parishes.

Episcopal areas, archdeaconries and deaneries

• Diocese of Salisbury
  • Ramsbury Episcopal Area (most of Wiltshire, excepting Swindon and part of north Wiltshire)
    • Archdeaconry of Wilts
      • Deanery of Bradford
      • Deanery of Calne
      • Deanery of Devizes
      • Deanery of Heytesbury
      • Deanery of Marlborough
      • Deanery of Pewsey
    • Archdeaconry of Sarum
      • Deanery of Alderbury
      • Deanery of Chalke
      • Deanery of Salisbury
      • Deanery of Stonehenge
  • Sherborne Episcopal Area (Dorset, except Bournemouth and Christchurch)
    • Archdeaconry of Dorset
      • Deanery of Blackmore Vale
      • Deanery of Milton and Blandford
      • Deanery of Poole
      • Deanery of Purbeck
      • Deanery of Wimborne
    • Archdeaconry of Sherborne
      • Deanery of Dorchester
      • Deanery of Lyme Bay
      • Deanery of Sherborne
      • Deanery of Weymouth

References

• Church of England Statistics 2002

See also

• Bishop of Salisbury
• Salisbury Cathedral

External links

• Diocesan website

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