The Archdeacon of Berkshire (also rendered Archdeacon of Berks) is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Oxford. The archdeacon is the head of the archdeaconry of Berkshire, a post historically found within the diocese of Salisbury, and then, from 7 October 1836, within Oxford diocese.
List of archdeacons Some archdeacons without territorial titles are recorded from around the time of the Norman Conquest; see Archdeacon of Salisbury.
High Medieval –aft. 1156: Roger bef. 1173–bef. 1205: Geoffrey de Vernun bef. 1206–aft. 1215: Alberic aft. 1204–aft. 1222: Geoffrey bef. 1224–aft. 1236: William of Merton : Clement : William de Raley bef. 1237–aft. 1255: Giles of Bridport : William bef. 1266–aft. 1268: Walter Scammel bef. 1275–bef. May 1284: Stephen of Newbury aft. June 1284–bef. 1313: William de Berges
Late Medieval 10 March 1313–bef. December 1313: Richard de Bello bef. December 1313–bef. August 1331 (d.): Tydo de Varesio 14 September 1317: Gilbert de Stapleton (ineffective royal grant) 21 August 1331–aft. 1333: Robert de Ayleston (previously Archdeacon of Wiltshire) bef. 1334–aft. 1359: Edmund de la Beche (collated 12 September 1339) aft. 1359–bef. 1365 (res.): Thomas Paxton 10 December 1365 – 1366 (res.): John Harewell bef. 1371–aft. 1384: Guillaume Cardinal d'Aigrefeuille(Cardinal-priest of St Stephen al Monte Celio) 26 October 1389–aft. 1392: Thomas Yokflete papal grants: ?–1390: Andrea Cardinal Bontempi Martini(Cardinal-priest of SS Marcellinus and Peter) 1390–22 April 1395 (exch.): Christopher Cardinal Marini(Cardinal-priest of San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane) 22 April 1395 – 25 November 1397 (res.): Walter Cook royal grants: 22 September 1395: John Southam 28 September 1395: Walter Cook 20 October 1395: Ralph Repyngton : John Wynwyk 9 February 1397 – 30 January 1404 (exch.): John Southam (afterwards Archdeacon of Oxford) 30 January–15 March 1404 (d.): Thomas Southam bef. 10 June 1404–?: John Fraunceys aft. 10 June–26 December 1404 (exch.): Simon Sydenham 26 December 1404– (exch.): Walter Medford –bef. 31 May 1427: Peter de Alcobasso 25 June 1427 – 1431 (res.): Thomas Brunce 15 September 1431–bef. 1432: John Castell (possibly the Master of Univ) 24 September 1432 – 1433 (d.): Alexander Sparrow 18 October 1433 – 1462 (d.): John Norton (probably the Chancellor of Oxford) 15 February 1462 – 1464 (d.): Richard Ewen 9 March 1464 – 1465 (res.): Robert Stillington
28 February 1466 – 1476 (res.): John Russell 6 November 1476 – 1478 (res.): John Morton 31 December 1478 – 1482 (res.): Richard Martyn (also Archdeacon of London and Archdeacon of Hereford; became Bishop of St David's) bef. 1 December 1488 – 1492 (res.): Oliver King 15 January 1493 – 1507 (res.): Stephen Bereworth 5 February 1507 – 1509 (d.): Christopher Twineho 20 December 1509 – 24 December 1510 (res.): Stephen Bereworth (again) 24 December 1510 – 1522 (d.): William Grey 14 February 1522 – 1545 (d.): Robert Audley
Early modern 18 July 1545 – 1547 (d.): John Crayford (also Master of University College, Oxford, 1546-7) 24 September 1547 – 3 September 1557 (d.): William Pye (afterwards Dean of Chichester) 24 September 1557 – 12 June 1588 (d.): Thomas Whyte 16 June 1588 – 1605 (d.): Martin Culpepper, Dean of Chichester 9 November 1605–bef. 1631 (d.): Leonel Sharp (imprisoned for sedition) 26 January 1631 – 1634 (res.): Edward Davenant 20 November 1634 – 19 August 1665 (d.): John Ryves 29 August 1665 – 1673 (res.): Peter Mews 26 April 1673 – 1689 (res.): John Sharp (also Dean of Norwich from 1681) 6 December 1689 – 1698 (res.): William Richards 12 May 1698–bef. 1710 (d.): Jonas Proast 25 April 1710 – 2 December 1716 (d.): Richard West 13 May 1717 – 9 December 1720 (d.): Edward Talbot 10 January 1721 – 1735 (res.): Martin Benson 8 March 1735 – 9 December 1746 (d.): Samuel Knight 2 January 1747 – 21 October 1763 (d.): John Spry 25 October 1763 – 23 October 1785 (d.): William Dodwell 12 November 1785 – 15 October 1817 (d.): Arthur Onslow (also Dean of Worcester from 1795) 5 December 1817 – 25 August 1832 (d.): John Fisher 7 September 1832–1836: Edward Berens Archdeaconry transferred to Diocese of Oxford, 7 October 1836 1836–1855 (res.): Edward Berens 21 March 1855 – 3 September 1869 (res.): James Randall
Late modern 1870–1903 (res.): Alfred Pott 1903–17 March 1922 (d.): William Ducat 1922–1942 (res.): Richard Wickham Legg 1942–1954 (res.): Arthur Parham, Bishop suffragan of Reading 1955–1967 (res.): Eric Knell, Bishop suffragan of Reading 1968–1973 (res.): Eric Wild (also Bishop suffragan of Reading from 1972) 1973–1976 (res.): Raymond Birt 1978–1986 (res.): John Brown 1987–1992 (res.): David Griffiths 1992–1998 (res.): Mike Hill 1998–31 May 2013 (ret.): Norman Russell 11 October 201319 November 2019: Olivia GrahamChurch of the Good Shepherd, Cox Green – Newsletter, October 2013 p. 5 – Diary (Accessed 30 October 2013) (became Bishop of Reading)Diocese of Oxford — Olivia Graham named Bishop of Reading (Accessed 15 July 2019) 29 February 2020present: Stephen Pullin
References
Sources
Account of Purley on Thames – Archdeacons (PDF) (accessed 4 December 2012)