# Bishop of Truro

The bishop of Truro is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Truro in the Province of Canterbury.

## History

There had been between the 9th and 11th centuries a Bishopric of Cornwall until it was merged with Crediton and the sees were transferred to Exeter in 1050.
The Diocese of Truro was established by Act of Parliament in 1876 under Queen Victoria. It was created by the division of the Diocese of Exeter in 1876 approximately along the Devon-Cornwall border (a few parishes of Devon west of the River Tamar were included in the new diocese). The bishop's seat is located at Truro Cathedral and his official residence at Lis Escop, Feock, south of Truro. The Bishop of Truro is assisted by the suffragan Bishop of St Germans in overseeing the diocese.
Until they moved to Feock the bishops resided at Kenwyn. Lis Escop (the Kenwyn Vicarage of 1780) became after the establishment of the Diocese of Truro the bishop's palace. After the bishops moved out for some years it housed part of Truro Cathedral School (closed 1981) then the Community of the Epiphany (Anglican nuns) and is now, as Epiphany House, a Christian retreat and conference centre. Lis Escop is Cornish for "bishop's palace".

## List of bishops

Bishops of Truro :
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1877 | 1883 | Edward White Benson | Translated to Canterbury |
| 1883 | 1891 | George Wilkinson | Translated to St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane; later became Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church |
| 1891 | 1906 | John Gott | Confirmed 28 September 1891. |
| 1906 | 1912 | Charles Stubbs | |
| 1912 | 1919 | Winfrid Burrows | Translated to Chichester |
| 1919 | 1923 | Guy Warman | Translated to Chelmsford; later to Manchester |
| 1923 | 1935 | Walter Frere CR | |
| 1935 | 1951 | Joseph Hunkin | |
| 1951 | 1960 | Edmund Morgan | Translated from Southampton |
| 1960 | 1973 | Maurice Key | Translated from Sherborne |
| 1973 | 1981 | Graham Leonard | Translated from Willesden; later to London. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1994. |
| 1981 | 1989 | Peter Mumford | Translated from Hertford |
| 1990 | 1997 | Michael Ball CGA | Translated from Jarrow. Founder of the Community of the Glorious Ascension with his twin brother. |
| 1997 | 2008 | Bill Ind | Translated from Grantham |
| 2009 | 2017 | Tim Thornton | Translated from Sherborne; resigned c. August 2017. |
| 2017 | 2018 | Chris Goldsmith, Bishop of St Germans | Acting diocesan bishop, August 2017 – 30 November 2018 |
| 2018 | 2023 | Philip Mounstephen | |
| 2023 | present | Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans | Acting diocesan bishop since 17 September 2023 |
| 2025 | onwards | David Williams, bishop-designate | Announced 11 December 2024 |
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## Assistant bishops

Among those who have served as assistant bishops in the diocese were:
* 1930–1935: Rupert Mounsey CR, previously assisted the Bishop of Truro less formally, since 1925; former Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak (1909–1916)
* 1938 – 1949 (d.): John Holden, Vicar of St Budock (until 1944), Canon Residentiary of Truro Cathedral (1944–1947), Archdeacon of Cornwall (from 1947) and former Bishop of Kwangsi-Hunan, of Szechwan, and of Western Szechwan
* 1951 – 1960 (ret.): John Wellington, Vicar of St Germans, Archdeacon of Bodmin (1953–1956) and former Bishop of Shantung
* 1962 – 1973 (ret.): Bill Lash, Vicar of St Clement (from 1963) and former Bishop in Bombay
Honorary assistant bishops — retired bishops taking on occasional duties voluntarily — have included:
* 1949 – 1954 (d.): John Willis, former Bishop of Uganda and Assistant Bishop of Leicester