The Archdeacon of Colchester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Diocese of ChelmsfordChelmsford Cathedral – she or he has responsibilities within her archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of Colchester) including oversight of church buildings and some supervision, discipline and pastoral care of the clergy.
History The title first appears in sources before 1144, as one of four archdeacons in the (then much larger) Diocese of London, but there had been four archdeacons prior to this point, some of whom may be regarded as essentially predecessors in the line of the Colchester archdeacons. The territorial archdeaconry remained part of the London diocese for about 700 years, until, on 1 January 1846, it was transferred by Order in Council to the Diocese of Rochester. The archdeaconry was afterwards in the newly created Diocese of St Albans from 4 May 1877 until her transfer to the Diocese of Chelmsford upon her creation on 23 January 1914. On 1 February 2013, by Pastoral Order of the Bishop of Chelmsford, the new Archdeaconry of Stansted was created from the Colchester archdeaconry; initially, the Archdeacon of Colchester was also Acting Archdeacon of Stansted.Diocese of Chelmsford – Archdeaconries in the Diocese of Chelmsford (Accessed 30 October 2015)
List of archdeacons
High Medieval bef. 1102–aft. 1115: QuintilianThese archdeacons never occur with the title Archdeacon of Colchester, but occur with fellow archdeacons or other colleagues such that their territorial role can be deduced. bef. 1115–aft. 1132: Cyprian son of Quintilian bef. 1138–aft. 1138: Geoffrey bef. 1142–aft. 1152: Ailward ?– (ren.): Henry of London (renounced claim) bef. 1155–aft. 1166: William bef. 1168–aft. 1178: Richard Foliot I aft. 1180–aft. 1190: Ralph de Alta Ripa bef. 1192–bef. 1217 (d.): Richard of Ely bef. 1218–1228 (res.): Roger Niger bef. 1231–1238 (d.): Hugh of London II bef. 1248–aft. 1252: Robert de Insula bef. 1249–aft. 1249: Ralph de Insula (very probably vice-archdeacon) aft. 1253–aft. 1260: Hugh de Sancto Edmundo aft. 1263–21 November 1285 (d.): Fulke Lovell bef. 1287–aft. 1299: Giles Filliol
Late Medieval bef. 1302–aft. 1302: Richard Newport bef. 1304–aft. 1310: John de Chishull bef. 1311–bef. 1336 (d.): William de Meleford 3 March 1337–bef. 1348: William de Stowe bef. 1348–bef. 1362 (d.): Richard de Plessis 10 April 1363 – 26 September 1373 (exch.): Michael Northburgh (son) 26 September 1373 – 1387 (d.): Richard de Piriton bef. 1393–bef. 1398 (res.): John de Carleton 3 November 1398 – 1406 (res.): Thomas More (afterwards Dean of St Paul's) 17 January 1406 – 24 November 1411 (exch.): Richard de Kingston 24 November 1411–bef. 1425 (d.): William Spygurnell 7 February 1425 (installed): Henry Wodechurche (evidently ineffective) 14 February 1425 (installed): Peter Hynewyk (evidently ineffective) 23 March 1425–bef. 1433 (res.): William Duffield 19 May 1433–bef. 1440 (res.): John Stopyngton 3 April 1440–bef. 1449 (d.): Robert Aiscough 15 February 1449 – 1450 (res.): Nicholas Close bef. 1450–aft. 1450: John Thurston bef. 1451–1465 (res.): Robert Stillington 10 February 1466–bef. 1483 (d.): Benedict Burgh 18 July 1483–bef. 1499 (d.): Thomas Barow 9 July 1499–bef. 1509: John Maynwaring bef. 1509–bef. 1519 (d.): John Perott 16 February–October 1519 (res.): Richard Pace 22 October 1519 – 1523 (res.): John Clerk 19 November 1523 – 1531 (res.): Edward Lee 30 December 1531 – 1537 (res.): Robert Aldrich 1 October 1537–bef. 1543 (d.): Richard Curwen
Early modern 23 March 1543 – 1552 (d.): Anthony Belasyse 10 January 1553 – 22 January 1554 (rem.): John Standish 22 January 1554–bef. 1557: Hugh Weston (deprived of office for immorality) 15 October 1558 – 23 October 1559 (deprived): John Standish (again; deprived) 4 December 1559–bef. 1565 (d.): John Pullain 16 July 1565 – 1570: James Calfhill 11 October 1570–aft. 1593: George Withers 8 January 1596–bef. 1617 (d.): Thomas Withers 10 April 1617 – 1641 (res.): Henry King 15 April 1642 – 22 June 1643 (d.): Josias Shute 22 June 1643–bef. 1660: Vacancy (English Interregnum) bef. 1660–1667 (d.): John Hansley 2 February 1667–bef. 1675 (d.): William Wells 25 August 1675–bef. 1678 (d.): Charles Smith 24 September 1678–September 1681 (res.): William Sill 3 November 1681 – 1704 (res.): William Beveridge 9 August 1704 – 9 August 1722 (d.): Jonas Warley 14 August 1722 – 4 August 1737 (d.): John King 24 August 1737 – 8 November 1749 (d.): Thomas Cartwright 29 November 1749 – 1766 (res.): Charles Moss 12 December 1766 – 19 January 1775 (d.): William Powell 6 February 1775 – 4 October 1812 (d.): Anthony Hamilton 16 November 1812 – 28 December 1821 (d.): Joseph Jefferson 15 January 1822 – 1824 (res.): Charles James Blomfield 4 June 1824–bef. 1841 (res.): William Lyall 7 July 1841 – 27 March 1845 (d.): Herbert Oakeley 28 August 1845 – 1 November 1864 (d.): Charles Burney The archdeaconry was transferred to the Rochester diocese on 1 January 1846.
Late modern 1864–1882: William Ady The archdeaconry was transferred to the new St Albans diocese on 4 May 1877. 1882–1894 (d.): Alfred Blomfield, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1894–7 December 1908 (d.): Henry Johnson, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1909–19 March 1922 (d.): Robert Whitcombe, Bishop suffragan of Colchester The archdeaconry was transferred to the new Chelmsford diocese on 23 January 1914. 1922–1933 (ret.): Thomas Chapman, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1933–1946 (ret.): Charles Ridsdale, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1946–1959 (res.): Dudley Narborough, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1959–1969 (ret.): Aubrey Cleall (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 1969–1972 (res.): Roderic Coote, Bishop suffragan of Colchester 1972–1976 (res.): Derek Bond 1977–1983 (res.): James Roxburgh 1983–1997 (ret.): Ernest Stroud (afterwards archdeacon emeritus) 1997–2003 (res.): Martin Wallace 2004November 2018 (ret.):Diocese of Chelmsford — Cooper will retire in November (Accessed 11 May 2018) Annette Cooper 12 May 2019present: Ruth Patten
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