# List of Church of England dioceses

There are 42 dioceses of the Church of England. These cover England, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and a small part of Wales. The Diocese in Europe is also a part of the Church of England, and covers the whole of continental Europe, Morocco and the post-Soviet states. The structure of dioceses within the Church of England was initially inherited from the Catholic Church as part of the Protestant Reformation. During the Reformation a number of new dioceses were founded, but no more were then created until the middle of the 19th century, when dioceses were founded mainly in response to the growing population, especially in the northern industrial cities. The most recent diocese to be established was the Diocese of Leeds, which came into being on 20 April 2014. Prior to that, no new dioceses had been created since 1927. Leeds was created by combining three previous dioceses: the Diocese of Bradford, the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, and the Diocese of Wakefield.
The 42 current dioceses are divided into two provinces. The Province of Canterbury in the south comprises 30 dioceses and the Province of York in the north comprises 12. The archbishops of Canterbury and York have pastoral oversight over the bishops within their province, along with certain other rights and responsibilities. All of the dioceses have one cathedral each except the Diocese of Leeds, which has three that are considered co-equal. Of all the dioceses, Derby has the smallest cathedral; Derby Cathedral takes up only 10,950 square feet (1,000 m$^2$). One diocese dates back to the 6th century, eight date back to the 7th century, two to the 10th century, five to the 11th century, two to the 12th century, five to the 16th century, seven to the 19th century, and ten to the 20th century. The territories administered by the various dioceses generally accord with the counties as they existed before the Local Government Act 1972.

## Dioceses

| Diocese (bishop) | Province | Territory | Cathedral | Founded |
| Bath and Wells (Bishop) | Canterbury | Somerset; North Somerset; Bath and North East Somerset; the parish of Thorncombe in Dorset | Wells Cathedral | 909 (Diocese of Wells) |
| Birmingham (Bishop) | Canterbury | Birmingham; Sandwell except part of the north; Solihull except part of the east; part of Warwickshire; some parishes in Worcestershire | St Philip's Cathedral | 1905 |
| Blackburn (Bishop) | York | Lancashire except part of the east and south, Liverpool, and Manchester; some parishes in Wigan | Blackburn Cathedral | 12 November 1926 (from Manchester) |
| Bristol (Bishop) | Canterbury | Bristol; southern two-thirds of South Gloucestershire; northern quarter of Wiltshire except part of the north; Swindon except part of the north and south; some parishes in Gloucestershire | Bristol Cathedral | 1542 |
| Canterbury (Archbishop) | Canterbury | Kent east of Medway | Canterbury Cathedral | 597 |
| Carlisle (Bishop) | York | Cumbria except Alston Moor (part of the Diocese of Newcastle), and the former Sedbergh Rural District (part of the Diocese of Leeds) | Carlisle Cathedral | 1133 |
| Chelmsford (Bishop) | Canterbury | Essex except part of the north; part of East London north of the River Thames; part of South Cambridgeshire | Chelmsford Cathedral | 1914 |
| Chester (Bishop) | York | Cheshire; the Wirral Peninsula; Halton south of the River Mersey; Warrington south of the River Mersey; Trafford except part of the north; Stockport except part of the north and east; the eastern half of Tameside; part of Derbyshire; part of Manchester; part of Flintshire | Chester Cathedral | 1541 |
| Chichester (Bishop) | Canterbury | West Sussex except part of the north; East Sussex except part of the north; part of Kent | Chichester Cathedral | 1075 |
| Coventry (Bishop) | Canterbury | Coventry; Warwickshire except part of the north, southwest, and south; part of Solihull | Coventry Cathedral | 1918 |
| Derby (Bishop) | Canterbury | Derbyshire except part of the north; part of Stockport; part of Staffordshire | Derby Cathedral | 1927 |
| Durham (Bishop) | York | Durham except part of the southwest and north; Gateshead; South Tyneside; Sunderland; Hartlepool; Darlington; Stockton-on-Tees north of the River Tees | Durham Cathedral | 990 |
| Ely (Bishop) | Canterbury | Cambridgeshire except part of the northwest and south; the western quarter of Norfolk; part of Bedfordshire | Ely Cathedral | 1109 |
| Europe (Bishop) | Canterbury | Europe except Great Britain and Ireland; Morocco; Turkey; the post-Soviet states in Asia | Gibraltar Cathedral | 21 August 1842 (Diocese of Gibraltar) 1980 (Diocese in Europe) |
| Exeter (Bishop) | Canterbury | Devon except part of the southeast and west; Plymouth; Torbay | Exeter Cathedral | 1050 |
| Gloucester (Bishop) | Canterbury | Gloucestershire except part of the north, south, and east; the northern third of South Gloucestershire; part of Wiltshire; part of southwest Warwickshire; part of southern Worcestershire | Gloucester Cathedral | 1541 |
| Guildford (Bishop) | Canterbury | The western two-thirds of Surrey south of the River Thames except part of the northeast; part of northeastern Hampshire; part of Greater London; part of West Sussex | Guildford Cathedral | 1927 |
| Hereford (Bishop) | Canterbury | Herefordshire; the southern half of Shropshire; part of Powys and Monmouthshire | Hereford Cathedral | 676 |
| Leeds (Bishop) | York | Ripon; Bradford; Leeds; Huddersfield; Wakefield | Co-equally: Ripon Cathedral, Wakefield Cathedral, Bradford Cathedral | 20 April 2014 (thereby dissolving the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield) |
| Leicester (Bishop) | Canterbury | Leicestershire; part of Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, and Warwickshire | Leicester Cathedral | 1926 |
| Lichfield (Bishop) | Canterbury | Staffordshire except part of the southeast and southwest; the northern half of Shropshire; Wolverhampton; Walsall; the northern half of Sandwell | Lichfield Cathedral | 664 |
| Lincoln (Bishop) | Canterbury | Lincolnshire; North East Lincolnshire; North Lincolnshire except part of the west | Lincoln Cathedral | 1074 |
| Liverpool (Bishop) | York | Liverpool; Sefton; Knowsley; St Helens; Wigan except part of the north and east; Halton north of the River Mersey; most of West Lancashire | Liverpool Cathedral | 1880 |
| London (Bishop) | Canterbury | The City of London; Greater London north of the River Thames except part of the east and north; Surrey north of the Thames; part of Hertfordshire | St Paul's Cathedral | 601 |
| Manchester (Bishop) | York | Manchester except part of the south; Salford; Bolton; Bury; Rochdale; Oldham; the western half of Tameside; part of Wigan, Trafford, Stockport, and southern Lancashire | Manchester Cathedral | 1848 |
| Newcastle (Bishop) | York | Northumberland; Newcastle upon Tyne; North Tyneside; part of eastern Cumbria; part of County Durham | Newcastle Cathedral | 1882 |
| Norwich (Bishop) | Canterbury | Norfolk except part of the west; part of northeastern Suffolk | Norwich Cathedral | 1096 |
| Oxford (Bishop) | Canterbury | Oxfordshire; Berkshire; Buckinghamshire; part of Hampshire and Hertfordshire | Christ Church Cathedral | 1542 |
| Peterborough (Bishop) | Canterbury | Northamptonshire except part of the west; Rutland; Peterborough except part of the southeast; part of Lincolnshire | Peterborough Cathedral | 1541 |
| Portsmouth (Bishop) | Canterbury | The southeastern third of Hampshire; the Isle of Wight | Portsmouth Cathedral | 1927 |
| Rochester (Bishop) | Canterbury | Kent west of the River Medway except part of the southwest; Medway; most of Bromley Bexley; part of East Sussex | Rochester Cathedral | 604 |
| St Albans (Bishop) | Canterbury | Hertfordshire except part of the south and west; Bedfordshire except part of the north and west; part of Greater London | St Albans Cathedral | 1877 |
| St Edmundsbury and Ipswich (Bishop) | Canterbury | Suffolk except part of the northeast; part of Essex | St Edmundsbury Cathedral | 1914 |
| Salisbury (Bishop) | Canterbury | The southern three quarters of Wiltshire; Dorset except part of the east; part of Hampshire and Devon | Salisbury Cathedral | 1078 |
| Sheffield (Bishop) | York | Sheffield; Rotherham; Doncaster except part of the southeast; part of North Lincolnshire; part of northeastern Barnsley; part of the East Riding of Yorkshire | Sheffield Cathedral | 1914 |
| Sodor and Man (Bishop) | York | The Isle of Man | Peel Cathedral | 1400c. 1400 (English jurisdiction) 447 (first founded) |
| Southwark (Bishop) | Canterbury | Greater London south of the River Thames except most of Bromley and Bexley and part of the southwest; the eastern third of Surrey | Southwark Cathedral | 1905 |
| Southwell and Nottingham (Bishop) | York | Nottinghamshire; part of South Yorkshire | Southwell Minster | 1884 |
| Truro (Bishop) | Canterbury | Cornwall; the Isles of Scilly; part of Devon | Truro Cathedral | 1877 |
| Winchester (Bishop) | Canterbury | Hampshire except the southeastern quarter and part of the northeast, west, and north; part of eastern Dorset; the Channel Islands | Winchester Cathedral | 662 |
| Worcester (Bishop) | Canterbury | Worcestershire except part of the south and north; part of Wolverhampton, Sandwell, and northern Gloucestershire | Worcester Cathedral | 680 |
| York (Archbishop) | York | York; East Riding of Yorkshire except part of the southwest; Kingston upon Hull; Redcar and Cleveland; Middlesbrough; the eastern half of North Yorkshire; Stockton-on-Tees south of the River Tees; part of Leeds | York Minster | 625 |

### Former dioceses

| Diocese (bishop) | Province | Territory | Cathedral | Founded | Dissolved |
| Bradford (Bishop) | York | Bradford; Craven District; the former Sedbergh Rural District | Bradford Cathedral | 25 November 1919 | 20 April 2014 |
| Gloucester and Bristol (Bishop) | Canterbury | Gloucestershire except part of the north and east; South Gloucestershire; part of northern Wiltshire; part of southwest Warwickshire; part of southern Worcestershire; Bristol; Swindon except part of the north and south | Co-equally: Gloucester Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral | 6 October 1836 | 7 July 1897 |
| Ripon and Leeds (Bishop) | York | Part of western and northern Yorkshire; the south Teesdale area | Ripon Cathedral | 5 October 1836 | 20 April 2014 |
| Wakefield (Bishop) | York | Wakefield; Barnsley; Kirklees; Calderdale | Wakefield Cathedral | 18 May 1888 | 20 April 2014 |
| Westminster (Bishop) | Canterbury | Westminster; Middlesex except Fulham | Westminster Abbey | 17 December 1540 | 30 March 1550 |

## Statistics

Source: Diocese of Europe excluded.
| Diocese | Population | Area (sq. m.) | Pop. density$^1$ | Benefices | Parishes | Churches | People per church |
| Bath & Wells | 980,000 | 1610 | 600 | 175 | 460 | 557 | 1,759 |
| Birmingham | 1,599,000 | 290 | 5420 | 138 | 149 | 180 | 8,883 |
| Blackburn | 1,384,000 | 930 | 1480 | 170 | 230 | 276 | 5,014 |
| Bristol | 1,065,000 | 470 | 2230 | 100 | 167 | 202 | 5,272 |
| Canterbury | 981,000 | 970 | 1020 | 99 | 201 | 313 | 3,134 |
| Carlisle | 498,000 | 2570 | 190 | 104 | 227 | 323 | 1,542 |
| Chelmsford | 3,279,000 | 1530 | 2130 | 303 | 469 | 575 | 5,703 |
| Chester | 1,677,000 | 1030 | 1600 | 214 | 264 | 337 | 4,976 |
| Chichester | 1,704,000 | 1450 | 1180 | 274 | 348 | 474 | 3,595 |
| Coventry | 896,000 | 700 | 1320 | 125 | 204 | 240 | 3,733 |
| Derby | 1,064,000 | 990 | 1080 | 139 | 253 | 312 | 3,410 |
| Durham | 1,475,000 | 980 | 1530 | 169 | 207 | 258 | 5,717 |
| Ely | 803,000 | 1530 | 500 | 141 | 303 | 327 | 2,456 |
| Exeter | 1,214,000 | 2570 | 470 | 149 | 484 | 594 | 2,044 |
| Gloucester | 690,000 | 1130 | 610 | 90 | 296 | 377 | 1,830 |
| Guildford | 1,077,000 | 530 | 2020 | 142 | 160 | 211 | 5,104 |
| Hereford | 322,000 | 1650 | 200 | 77 | 338 | 399 | 807 |
| Leeds | 2,777,000 | 2630 | 1060 | 264 | 442 | 580 | 4,788 |
| Leicester | 1,086,000 | 830 | 1290 | 103 | 245 | 311 | 3,492 |
| Lichfield | 2,202,000 | 1730 | 1270 | 234 | 422 | 542 | 4,063 |
| Lincoln | 1,093,000 | 2670 | 410 | 180 | 476 | 622 | 1,757 |
| Liverpool | 1,621,000 | 390 | 4130 | 125 | 168 | 233 | 6,957 |
| London | 4,246,000 | 280 | 16010 | 408 | 402 | 471 | 9,015 |
| Manchester | 2,233,000 | 420 | 5330 | 175 | 256 | 320 | 6,978 |
| Newcastle | 832,000 | 2100 | 400 | 123 | 170 | 235 | 3,540 |
| Norwich | 928,000 | 1800 | 520 | 158 | 554 | 640 | 1,450 |
| Oxford | 2,511,000 | 2210 | 1100 | 285 | 609 | 811 | 3,096 |
| Peterborough | 971,000 | 1140 | 830 | 127 | 347 | 379 | 2,562 |
| Portsmouth | 784,000 | 420 | 1900 | 105 | 132 | 165 | 4,752 |
| Rochester | 1,375,000 | 540 | 2570 | 171 | 210 | 258 | 5,329 |
| Salisbury | 1,148,000 | 2130 | 539 | 164 | 463 | 609 | 1,885 |
| Sheffield | 1,278,000 | 610 | 2140 | 141 | 169 | 208 | 6,144 |
| Sodor & Man | 86,000 | 220 | 390 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 2,263 |
| Southwark | 2,880,000 | 320 | 9030 | 263 | 295 | 355 | 8,113 |
| Southwell & Nottingham | 1,152,000 | 840 | 1390 | 151 | 226 | 296 | 3,892 |
| St Albans | 1,978,000 | 1120 | 1750 | 187 | 338 | 403 | 4,908 |
| St Eds & Ipswich | 684,000 | 1430 | 480 | 111 | 444 | 481 | 1,422 |
| Truro | 573,000 | 1390 | 420 | 96 | 214 | 298 | 1,923 |
| Winchester | 1,255,000 | 1130 | 1100 | 132 | 240 | 352 | 3,565 |
| Worcester | 908,000 | 670 | 1350 | 84 | 166 | 273 | 3,326 |
| York | 1,457,000 | 2670 | 550 | 231 | 441 | 574 | 2,538 |
$^1$persons per square mile