# Diocese of York

The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The diocese is headed by the archbishop of York and its cathedral is York Minster. The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries of Cleveland in the north (with a Bishop of Whitby), the East Riding (with a Bishop of Hull), and in the south-west the Archdeaconry of York (with a bishop of Selby).
The diocese was once much larger, covering Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and parts of Northumberland, Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland.

## Bishops

The diocesan archbishop of York (currently Stephen Cottrell) is primarily supported by three suffragan bishops: the bishop of Hull (founded 1891; currently Eleanor Sanderson), the bishop of Whitby (founded 1923; currently Barry Hill) and the bishop of Selby (founded 1939; currently Flora Winfield). While not operating a formal area scheme, each suffragan takes informal responsibility for one archdeaconry (East Riding, Cleveland and York respectively). Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese who reject the ministry of priests who are women) is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor (PEV) the bishop suffragan of Beverley (currently Stephen Race); unlike in most dioceses, Beverley does not need to be licensed as an honorary assistant bishop since he is a suffragan in the diocese.
David James, retired bishop of Bradford and Martin Wallace, retired bishop suffragan of Selby, live in Beverley and Bridlington respectively, but there is no evidence that either has been licensed as an honorary assistant bishop.

## History

In 1541, the archdeanery of Richmond, North Yorkshire, which included part of the Yorkshire Dales, North Lancashire (including Furness), the southern part of Westmorland and the ward of Allerdale above Derwent in Cumberland, became part of the new Diocese of Chester. (These areas later became parts of other dioceses.)
From the reign of Henry I to 1572 the liberty or county palatine of Hexhamshire was part of the diocese and also the archbishop was the lord palatine of the county. In 1572 the county palatine was abolished and transferred to Northumberland and the Diocese of Durham.
In 1836 the western part (corresponding broadly to the West Riding) was split into the Ripon diocese, which was later subdivided into the dioceses of Ripon and Leeds, Bradford, and Wakefield and now constitutes most of the Diocese of Leeds. In 1884 Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire became part of the new Diocese of Southwell, from which Derbyshire was split off again in 1927 to form the Diocese of Derby. In 1914 the Diocese of Sheffield (covering South Yorkshire) was split off as an independent diocese.

## Archdeacon for Generous Giving and Stewardship

David Butterfield resigned as archdeacon of the East Riding on 26 May 2014 in order to be collated as "Archdeacon for Generous Giving and Stewardship" that 23 June, a position he held until he retired on 1 July 2017.

## Archdeaconries and deaneries

| Diocese | Archdeaconries | Rural Deaneries |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of New Ainsty |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of Derwent |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of Easingwold |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of Selby |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of South Wold |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of Southern Ryedale |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of York | Deanery of City of York |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Guisborough |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Middlesbrough |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Mowbray |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Northern Ryedale |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Stokesley |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of Cleveland | Deanery of Whitby |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Beverley |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Bridlington |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Hull |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Harthill |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of North Holderness |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of South Holderness |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Howden |
| Diocese of York | Archdeaconry of the East Riding | Deanery of Scarborough |
From 1972 to 2017 the Deanery of Hull was, unusually, sub-divided into three Area Deaneries of Central and North Hull, East Hull, and West Hull.