Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (cathedra) is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. 
The Bishop of Winchester has always held ex officio the office of Prelate of the Most Noble Order of the Garter since its foundation in 1348. except during the period of the Commonwealth until the Restoration of the Monarchy.Charles Dodd (1844) Manual of Dignities, from the Revolution to the Present Day p.45 Bishops of Winchester also often held the positions of Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor ex officio. 
During the Middle Ages, the Diocese of Winchester was one of the wealthiest English sees, and its bishops have included a number of politically prominent Englishmen, notably the 9th century Saint Swithun and medieval magnates including William of Wykeham and Henry of Blois.
The Bishop of Winchester is appointed by the Crown, and is one of five Church of England bishops who sit ex officio among the 26 Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords, regardless of their length of service. Philip Mounstephen has been the Bishop of Winchester since 10 October 2023.
The Diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. Originally it was the episcopal see of the kingdom of Wessex or the West Saxons, with its cathedra at Dorchester Cathedral near Oxford under Saints Birinus and Agilbert. The cathedral at Dorchester was founded in AD 634 by Birinius, a Roman missionary. The see was transferred to Winchester in AD 660.
Winchester was divided in AD 909, with Wiltshire and Berkshire transferring to the new See of Ramsbury. Nevertheless, the domains of the Bishop of Winchester ran from the south coast to the south bank of the River Thames at Southwark, where the bishop had one of his palaces, making it one of the largest as well as one of the richest sees in the land. In more modern times, the former extent of the Diocese of Winchester was reduced by the formation of a new diocese of Southwark in south London, a new diocese of Guildford in Surrey and a new diocese of Portsmouth in Hampshire. The most recent loss of territory was in 2022 when the Channel Islands were removed from the diocese of Winchester after a dispute with Bishop Tim Dakin led to a breakdown in relations. The Channel Islands were transferred to the Diocese of Salisbury by an Order in Council made under the Channel Islands Measure 2020. 
Traditionally, in the general order of precedence before 1533, the Bishop of Winchester was given precedence over all other diocesan bishops - that is, the first English bishop in rank behind the archbishops of Canterbury and York. But in 1533, Henry VIII of England raised the rank of the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Durham, relegating Winchester to third (but still above other remaining diocesan bishops). The order of precedence was implicitly recognised by the Bishoprics Act 1878.
The Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) found the Winchester see was the third wealthiest in England, after Canterbury and London, with an annual net income of £11,151.The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge Vol.III, London, Charles Knight, 1847, p.362
The official residence of the Bishop of Winchester is Wolvesey Palace in Winchester. Historic homes of the bishops included Wolvesey Castle, Farnham Castle, Bishop's Waltham Palace and Winchester Palace in Southwark. The bishop is the visitor to five Oxford colleges, namely Magdalen College, New College, St John's College, Trinity College, and Corpus Christi College.
==Recent history==
The former bishop of Winchester, Tim Dakin, was enthroned on 21 April 2012, having been elected on 14 October 2011. He was consecrated as a bishop at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on 25 January 2012. On 20 May 2021, it was reported that Dakin had "stepped back" as diocesan bishop for six weeks, in light of the threat of a diocesan synod motion of no confidence in his leadership. David Williams, Bishop of Basingstoke, also "stepped back" and Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton, served as acting diocesan bishop. Dakin's leave was later extended to the end of August 2021. He retired on 6 February 2022. 
Debbie Sellin continued as acting diocesan bishop during the vacancy, with retired bishop Richard Frith serving as the Archbishop's Episcopal Commissary in the diocese. In July 2023, it was announced that Philip Mounstephen would be the next Bishop of Winchester and that he was to leave his post at Truro in autumn 2023. Debbie Sellin remained acting diocesan bishop pending Mounstephen's election (which took place on 11 September) and confirmation on 10 October.
==List of bishops==
===Saxon to Norman===
Bishops of Dorchester 	Bishops of Dorchester 	Bishops of Dorchester 	Bishops of Dorchester
From 	Until 	Incumbent 	Notes
634 	650 	Birinus 	Sent from Rome by the pope, founded missionary diocese; Saint Birinius
650 	660 	Agilbert 	Resigned.
Bishops of Winchester 	Bishops of Winchester 	Bishops of Winchester 	Bishops of Winchester
From 	Until 	Incumbent 	Notes
660 	663 	Wine 	also had his See at Dorchester
670 	before 676 	Leuthere 	
676 	?705 	Hædde 	Canonized
 	744 	Daniel 	
744 	betw. 749–756 	Hunfrith 	
756 	betw. 759–778 	Cyneheard 	
betw. 759–778 	betw. 759–778 	Æthelheard 	
betw. 759–778 	betw. 781–785 	Ecgbald 	
betw. 781–785 	betw. 781–785 	Dudd 	
betw. 781–785 	betw. 801–803 	Cyneberht 	
betw. 801–803 	betw. 805–814 	Ealhmund 	
betw. 805–814 	836 	Wigthegn 	
before 825 	836 	Herefrith 	Never attests without Wigthegn.
betw. 833–838 	838 	Eadhun 	
838 or 839 	betw. 844–853 	Helmstan 	
852 or 853 	betw. 862–865 	Swithun 	Canonized. Patron saint of Winchester.
betw. 862–867 	betw. 871–877 	Ealhferth 	
betw. 871–877 	878 or 879 	Tunbeorht 	
878 or 879 	908 	Denewulf 	
909 	932 or 933 	Frithestan 	Canonized
931 	934 	Beornstan 	Canonized
934 or 935 	951 	Ælfheah (I) 	
951 	959 	Ælfsige (I) 	Translated to Canterbury
960 	963 	Beorhthelm 	Possibly translated from Selsey
963 	984 	Æthelwold (I) 	Canonized
984 	1006 	Ælfheah (II) 	Translated to Canterbury. Canonized.
1006 	1006 	Cenwulf 	
1006 	1012 	Æthelwold (II) 	
1012 	1032 	Ælfsige (II) 	
1032 	1047 	Ælfwine 	
1047 	1070 	Stigand 	Translated from Elmham. Held Winchester with Canterbury 1052–1070.
Footnote(s): and Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 223.	Footnote(s): and Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 223.	Footnote(s): and Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 223.	Footnote(s): and Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 223.
===Norman to Reformation===
From 	Until 	Incumbent 	Notes
1070 	1098 	Walkelin 	
1100 	1129 	William Giffard 	
1129 	1171 	Henry of Blois 	
1173 	1188 	Richard of Ilchester 	
1189 	1204 	Godfrey de Luci 	
1205 	1205 	(Richard Poore) 	Election quashed
1205 	1238 	Peter des Roches 	
1238 	1239 	(Ralph Neville) 	Election quashed
1240 	1250 	William de Raley 	Translated from Norwich
1250 	1260 	Aymer de Valence 	
1261 	1262 	(Andrew of London) 	Election quashed
1261 	1262 	(William de Taunton) 	Election quashed
1262 	1268 	John Gervais 	
1268 	1280 	Nicholas of Ely 	
1280 	1280 	(Robert Burnell) 	Election quashed June 1280.
1280 	1282 	(Richard de la More) 	Never consecrated, resigned June 1282.
1282 	1304 	John of Pontoise 	
1305 	1316 	Henry Woodlock 	
1316 	1319 	John Sandale 	
1319 	1323 	Rigaud of Assier 	
1323 	1333 	John de Stratford 	Translated to Canterbury
1333 	1345 	Adam Orleton 	Translated from Worcester
1345 	1366 	William Edington 	
1366 	1404 	William of Wykeham 	Chancellor of England; founder of Winchester College and of New College, Oxford
1404 	1447 	Cardinal Henry Beaufort 	Translated from Lincoln; Appointed Cardinal by Pope Martin V; The Bishop of Winchester in Shakespeare's First Part of Henry the Sixth
1447 	1486 	William Waynflete 	
1487 	1492 	Peter Courtenay 	Translated from Exeter
1493 	1501 	Thomas Langton 	Translated from Salisbury
1501 	1528 	Richard Foxe 	Translated from Durham
1529 	1530 	Cardinal Thomas Wolsey 	Archbishop of York. Held in commendam the see of Winchester.
Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 276–277., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2, pp. 85–87., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541: Volume 4, pp. 45–47.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 276–277., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2, pp. 85–87., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541: Volume 4, pp. 45–47.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 276–277., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2, pp. 85–87., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541: Volume 4, pp. 45–47.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 276–277., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2, pp. 85–87., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1300–1541: Volume 4, pp. 45–47.
===During the Reformation===
From 	Until 	Incumbent 	Notes
1531 	1551 	Stephen Gardiner (1st tenure) 	
1551 	1553 	John Ponet 	Translated from Rochester
1553 	1555 	Stephen Gardiner (2nd tenure) 	
1556 	1559 	John White 	Translated from Lincoln
Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 277.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 277.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 277.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, p. 277.
===Post-Reformation===
From 	Until 	Incumbent 	Notes
1560 	1580 	Robert Horne 	
1580 	1584 	John Watson 	
1584 	1594 	Thomas Cooper 	Translated from Lincoln
1594 	1595 	William Wickham 	Translated from Lincoln
1595 	1596 	William Day 	
1597 	1616 	Thomas Bilson 	Translated from Worcester
1616 	1618 	James Montague 	Translated from Bath and Wells
1618 	1626 	Lancelot Andrewes 	Translated from Ely
1627 	1632 	Richard Neile 	Translated from Durham, later translated to York
1632 	1646 	Walter Curle 	Translated from Bath and Wells. Deprived 1646, and died 1647.
1646 	1660 	The see was abolished during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate. 	The see was abolished during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate.
1660 	1662 	Brian Duppa 	Translated from Salisbury
1662 	1684 	George Morley 	Translated from Worcester
1684 	1706 	Peter Mews 	Translated from Bath and Wells
1707 	1721 	Sir Jonathan Trelawny 	Translated from Exeter
1721 	1723 	Charles Trimnell 	Translated from Norwich
1723 	1734 	Richard Willis 	Translated from Salisbury
1734 	1761 	Benjamin Hoadly 	Translated from Salisbury
1761 	1781 	John Thomas 	Translated from Salisbury
1781 	1820 	Brownlow North 	Translated from Worcester
1820 	1827 	Sir George Pretyman Tomline, Bt. 	Translated from Lincoln
1827 	1869 	Charles Sumner 	Translated from Llandaff
1869 	1873 	Samuel Wilberforce 	Translated from Oxford
1873 	1891 	Harold Browne 	Translated from Ely
1891 	1895 	Anthony Thorold 	Translated from Rochester
1895 	1903 	Randall Davidson 	Translated from Rochester, later translated to Canterbury
1903 	1911 	Herbert Edward Ryle 	Translated from Exeter
1911 	1923 	Edward Talbot 	Translated from Southwark
1923 	1932 	Theodore Woods 	Translated from Peterborough
1932 	1942 	Cyril Garbett 	Translated from Southwark, later translated to York
1942 	1952 	Mervyn Haigh 	Translated from Coventry
1952 	1961 	Alwyn Williams 	Translated from Durham
1961 	1975 	Falkner Allison 	Translated from Chelmsford
1975 	1985 	John Taylor 	
1985 	1995 	Colin James 	Translated from Wakefield
1995 	2011 	60px Michael Scott-Joynt 	Translated from Stafford
2012 	2022 	Tim Dakin 	
2022 	2023 	Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton and acting diocesan bishop 	
2022 	2023 	Richard Frith, Archbishop's Episcopal Commissary 	former Bishop of Hereford
2023 	present 	Philip Mounstephen 	Translated from Truro; confirmed 10 October 2023.
Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 277–278., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: Volume 3, pp. 80–83.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 277–278., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: Volume 3, pp. 80–83.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 277–278., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: Volume 3, pp. 80–83.	Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd Edition, pp. 277–278., Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: Volume 3, pp. 80–83.
==Assistant bishops==
Among those who have served as assistant bishops of the diocese are:
*1457–1486 (d.): William Westkarre, Prior of Mottisfont Abbey (1451–d.), titular Bishop of Sidon/Zeitun and Assistant Bishop of Canterbury (1480);Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi: II p. 238Les Ordinations Épiscopales, Year 1457, Number 21 sometime head of St Mary's College, Oxford (); elected Prior of Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate, 1445, but put aside; later a canon of Burscough Priory.
*18851887 (res.): Francis Cramer-Roberts, Vicar of Milford-on-Sea and former Bishop of Nassau
*1921–1922 (d.): James Macarthur, Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight (since 1906) and Assistant Bishop for the island; former Bishop of Southampton
*19471962 (ret.): Leslie Lang, Archdeacon of Winchester and Canon Residentiary of Winchester Cathedral, and former Bishop of Woolwich
*19631973 (ret.): Nigel Cornwall, Canon Residentiary of Winchester Cathedral and former Bishop of Borneo
*19821990 (ret.): Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, former Bishop in Iran and President Bishop, Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East
*19962020 (d.) John Dennis (bishop) Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Winchester and formerly Bishop of Knaresborough and Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
==See also==
*Deans of Winchester
*The Bishop of Winchester Academy
==Footnotes==
==Sources==
===References===
===Bibliography===
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Winchester
Bishops of Winchester