# Dean of Christ Church, Oxford

The Dean of Christ Church is the dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and head of the governing body of Christ Church, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford and seat of the Bishop of Oxford. The chapter of canons of the cathedral formed the governing body of the college from its foundation until the Christ Church, Oxford Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 76), by which the governing body was expanded to include the students (academics) in addition to the dean and chapter. The dean was ex officio head of the chapter and ipso facto head of the college. From 26 April 2022 until July 2023, the position was vacant. As of 8 July 2023, Sarah Foot is the first female dean of Christ Church.

## List of deans

From the diocese's foundation in 1542 until 1545, the cathedral was at Osney. There, the cathedral deans were:
* John London (1542–1543)
* Richard Cox (1543–1545, reappointed dean at Christ Church)
The academic deans of Christ Church's predecessor Oxford colleges were:
* John Hygdon (Dean of Cardinal College, 1525–1531; Dean of King Henry VIII's College, 1532–1533)
* John Oliver (Dean of King Henry VIII's College, 1533–1545)
Both the college and the see at Osney surrendered to the Crown on 20 May 1545. Christ Church, the double establishment of cathedral and college, was founded by letters patent on 4 November 1546.
| Name | Term of office | Term of office |
| Richard Cox | 1546 | 1553 |
| Richard Marshall | 1553 | 1559 |
| George Carew | 1559 | 1561 |
| Thomas Sampson | 1561 | 1565 |
| Thomas Godwin | 1565 | 1567 |
| Thomas Cooper | 1567 | 1571 |
| John Piers | 1571 | 1576 |
| Tobias Matthew | 1577 | 1583 |
| William James | 1584 | 1596 |
| Thomas Ravis (in commendam as Bishop of Gloucester from 1604) | 1596 | 1605 |
| John King | 1605 | 1611 |
| William Goodwin | 1611 | 1620 |
| Richard Corbet | 1620 | 1628 |
| Brian Duppa | 1628 | 1638 |
| Samuel Fell | 1638 | 1648 |
| Edward Reynolds | 1648 | 1651 |
| John Owen | 1651 | 1660 |
| Edward Reynolds | March–July 1660 | March–July 1660 |
| George Morley | July–October 1660 | July–October 1660 |
| John Fell (in commendam as Bishop of Oxford from 1676) | 1660 | 1686 |
| John Massey | 1686 | 1688 |
| Henry Aldrich | 1689 | 1710 |
| Francis Atterbury | 1711 | 1713 |
| George Smalridge (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1714) | 1713 | 1719 |
| Hugh Boulter (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol) | 1719 | 1724 |
| William Bradshaw (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol) | 1724 | 1732 |
| John Conybeare (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1750) | 1733 | 1755 |
| David Gregory | 1756 | 1767 |
| William Markham (in commendam as Bishop of Chester from 1771) | 1767 | 1777 |
| Lewis Bagot (in commendam as Bishop of Bristol from 1782) | 1777 | 1783 |
| Cyril Jackson | 1783 | 1809 |
| Charles Henry Hall | 1809 | 1824 |
| Samuel Smith | 1824 | 1831 |
| Thomas Gaisford | 1831 | 1855 |
| Henry Liddell | 1855 | 1891 |
| Francis Paget | 1892 | 1901 |
| Thomas Strong | 1901 | 1920 |
| Henry Julian White | 1920 | 1934 |
| Alwyn Williams | 1934 | 1939 |
| John Lowe | 1939 | 1959 |
| Cuthbert Simpson | 1959 | 1969 |
| Henry Chadwick | 1969 | 1979 |
| Eric Heaton | 1979 | 1991 |
| John Drury | 1991 | 2003 |
| Christopher Lewis | 2003 | 2014 |
| Martyn Percy | 2014 | 2022 |
| Sarah Foot | 2023 | |
$^†$ Died in office