# Suffragan Bishops Act 1534

The Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 (26 Hen. 8. c. 14) is an Act of the Parliament of England that authorised the appointment of suffragan (i.e., assistant) bishops in England and Wales. The tradition of appointing suffragans named after a town in the diocese other than the town the diocesan bishop is named after can be dated from this act.
The act named Thetford, Ipswich, Colchester, Dover, Guildford, Southampton, Taunton, Shaftesbury, Molton, Marlborough, Bedford, Leicester, Gloucester, Shrewsbury, Bristol, Penrydd, Bridgwater, Nottingham, Grantham, Hull, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Penrith, Berwick-upon-Tweed, St Germans and the Isle of Wight as specific suitable suffragan sees.
This act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.
The repeal by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969 of section 2 of the Act of Supremacy (1 Eliz. 1. c. 1) (1558) does not affect the continued operation, so far as unrepealed, of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534.
Since 1898, notwithstanding anything contained in the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 it has been lawful to nominate, present and appoint as suffragan bishop persons already consecrated as a bishop and, in that case, the letters patent presenting them do not require their consecration. The Dioceses Measure 1978 concerns petitions to make appointments under this act. Until 1898, men already in episcopal orders were sometimes made assistant bishops instead.

## Provisions
### Section 2

In this section, the words from "and have such capacitie" to the end were repealed by section 15(2)(a) of the Dioceses Measure 1978. This repeal does not invalidate any commission given to a suffragan bishop which was in force immediately before the commencement of that Measure (s. 15(3)). Section 15(4) provides for such commissions to continue in force until the date on which the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given ceases to hold that office, or the date on which the commission is revoked by the bishop of the diocese, whichever first occurs. So long as any such commission remains in force so much of section 2 of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 as is repealed by 15(2)(a) of that Measure continues, notwithstanding the repeal, to apply to the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given (s. 15(5)).

### Section 4

In this section, the words from "nor use" to the end were repealed by section 15(2)(b) of the Dioceses Measure 1978. This repeal does not invalidate any commission given to a suffragan bishop which was in force immediately before the commencement of that Measure (s. 15(3)). Section 15(4) provides for such commissions to continue in force until the date on which the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given ceases to hold that office, or the date on which the commission is revoked by the bishop of the diocese, whichever first occurs. So long as any such commission remains in force so much of section 2 of the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 as is repealed by 15(2)(b) of that Measure continues, notwithstanding the repeal, to apply to the suffragan bishop to whom the commission was given (s. 15(5)).

### Section 6

In this section, the words "of the bishop to whom he shall be suffragan" were substituted for the words "where he shall have comyssyon" by section 15(6) of the Dioceses Measure 1978.

### Section 7

This section was repealed by Part V of Schedule 1 to the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977.

## 1534 titles

Those titles mandated by the 1534 Act currently in use as suffragan sees today are indicated in bold type:
| See | Diocese | Years | See | Diocese | Years |
| Bishop of Bedford | Diocese of London | 1537–1560, 1879–1898 | Bishop of the Isle of Wight | No evidence of use (now in Portsmouth) There is an application to revive underway as of November 2024. | No evidence of use (now in Portsmouth) There is an application to revive underway as of November 2024. |
| Bishop of Bedford | Diocese of St Albans | 1935–present | Bishop of Leicester | Diocese of Peterborough | 1888–1927 |
| Bishop of Berwick | Diocese of Durham | 1537–1571 | Bishop of Leicester | Diocesan title | 1927–present |
| Bishop of Berwick | Diocese of Newcastle | 2016–present | Bishop of Marlborough | Diocese of Salisbury | 1537–1568 |
| Bishop of Bridgwater | No evidence of use (now in Bath & Wells) | No evidence of use (now in Bath & Wells) | Bishop of Marlborough | Diocese of London | 1888–1918 |
| Bishop of Bristol | Diocese of Worcester | 1538–1542 | Bishop of Molton | No evidence of use (now in Exeter) | No evidence of use (now in Exeter) |
| Bishop of Bristol | Diocesan title | 1542–present | Bishop of Nottingham | Diocese of York | 1567–1570 |
| Bishop of Cambridge | No evidence of use (now in Ely) | No evidence of use (now in Ely) | Bishop of Nottingham | Diocese of Lincoln | 1870–1884 |
| Bishop of Colchester | Diocese of Ely | 1536–1541, 1592–1608 | Bishop of Nottingham | Diocese of Southwell | 1884–1893 |
| Bishop of Colchester | Diocese of St Albans | 1882–1914 | Bishop of Nottingham | Diocesan title | 2005–present |
| Bishop of Colchester | Diocese of Chelmsford | 1914–present | Bishop of Penrydd | Diocese of Llandaff | 1537–1539 |
| Bishop of Dover | Diocese of Canterbury | 1536–1597, 1870–present | Bishop of Penrith | Diocese of Ripon | 1888–1889 |
| Bishop of Dover | also "Bishop in Canterbury" since c. 1999 | also "Bishop in Canterbury" since c. 1999 | Bishop of Penrith | Diocese of Carlisle | 1939–present |
| Bishop of Gloucester | No evidence of use as suffragan see | No evidence of use as suffragan see | Bishop of St Germans | Diocese of Truro | 1905–1918, 1974–present |
| Bishop of Gloucester | Diocesan title | 1541–present | Bishop of Shaftesbury | Diocese of Salisbury | 1539 |
| Bishop of Grantham | Diocese of Lincoln | 1905–present | Bishop of Shrewsbury | Diocese of Llandaff (probably) | 1537–1561 |
| Bishop of Guildford | Diocese of Winchester | 1874–1927 | Bishop of Shrewsbury | Diocese of Lichfield | 1888–1905, 1940–present |
| Bishop of Guildford | Diocesan title | 1927–present | Bishop of Southampton | Diocese of Winchester | 1895–present |
| Bishop of Hull | Diocese of York | 1538–1579, 1891–present | Bishop of Taunton | Diocese of Bath and Wells | 1538–1559, 1911–present |
| Bishop of Huntingdon | Diocese of Ely | 1966–present | Bishop of Thetford | Diocese of Norwich | 1536–1570, 1894–1926, 1945–present |
| Bishop of Ipswich | Diocese unclear | 1536–1538 |
| Bishop of Ipswich | Diocese of Norwich | 1899–1909 | |
| Bishop of Ipswich | Diocesan title | 1914–present |

## Other suffragan titles

Since the passage of the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888, it has been lawful to create suffragan sees named for other towns. These have so far included (those titles currently in use as suffragan sees today are indicated in bold type):
In 2015, research by the Church's Legal Office on behalf of the Dioceses Commission uncovered fourteen "forgotten" suffragan Sees which had been erected by Orders-in-Council in 1889 but never filled. The Dioceses Commission has advised that these may be revived and filled just as any other dormant See might. The see of Oswestry was filled by the consecration of Paul Thomas on 2 February 2023, and the see of Wigan will be filled when Ruth Worsley is translated from Taunton to become Interim Bishop of Liverpool later in 2025, but the others remain unfilled.
Further — besides that of Penrydd (now in St David's diocese), erected by the 1534 Act — six further Welsh Sees were erected following the 1888 Act: at Cardiff (in Llandaff diocese), Carnarvon (Bangor), Holyhead (Bangor), Monmouth (then in Llandaff, now a diocesan See), Wrexham (St Asaph) and Swansea (then in St Davids, now a diocesan See as Swansea and Brecon).