Bishop ofDurham
Bishopric
Anglican
Coat of arms
Incumbent: vacant acting: theBishop of Jarrow
Location
Ecclesiastical province	York
Information
First holder	Aidan Aldhun (first bishop of Durham)
Established	635 (at Lindisfarne) 995 (translation to Durham)
Diocese	Durham
Cathedral	Durham Cathedral (since 995) St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street (882–995) Lindisfarne (635–875)

Thebishop of Durham is head of thediocese of Durham in theprovince of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of theHouse of Lords.Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham until his retirement in February 2024.

The bishop is officially styledThe Right Reverend (First Name), by Divine Providence Lord Bishop of Durham, but this full title is rarely used. In signatures, the bishop'sfamily name is replaced byDunelm, from the Latin name for Durham (the Latinised form ofOld EnglishDunholm). In the past, bishops of Durham varied their signatures betweenDunelm and theFrenchDuresm. Prior to 1836 the bishop had significanttemporal powers over theliberty of Durham and later thecounty palatine of Durham. The bishop, with thebishop of Bath and Wells, escorts the sovereign at thecoronation.

Durham Castle was a residence of the bishops from its construction in the 11th century until 1832, when it was given to theUniversity of Durham to use as a college.Auckland Castle then became the bishops' main residence until July 2012, when it was sold to the Auckland Castle Trust. The bishop continues to have offices there.^[1][2]

Thebishop of Lindisfarne is anepiscopal title which takes its name after thetidal island ofLindisfarne, which lies just off the northeast coast ofNorthumberland, England. The title was first used by theAnglo-Saxons between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the reign of Æthelstan (924–939) Wigred, thought by Simon Keynes to have been Bishop ofChester-le-Street, attested royal charters.^[3] According to George Molyneaux, the church ofSt Cuthbert "was in all probability the greatest landholder between the Tees and the Tyne".^[4] Traditionally, following the chronology of the twelfth-century writerSymeon of Durham, historians have believed that the body of St Cuthbert and centre of the diocese lay at Chester-le-Street from the ninth century until 995, but recent research has suggested that the bishops may have been based atNorham on theRiver Tweed until after 1013.^[5][6] The title of "bishop of Lindisfarne" is now used by theRoman Catholic Church for atitular see (there is also a Catholic titular see ofCuncacestre, the latin form of Chester-le-Street).

The Anglo-Saxon bishops of Lindisfarne wereordinaries of severalearly medievalepiscopal sees (anddioceses) inNorthumbria and pre-ConquestEngland. The first such see was founded atLindisfarne in 635 bySaint Aidan.^[7]

From the 7th century onwards, in addition to his spiritual authority, the bishops of Lindisfarne, and then Durham, also acted as the civil ruler of the region as the lord of theliberty of Durham, with local authority equal to that of the king. The bishop appointed all local officials and maintained his own court. After theNorman Conquest, this power was retained by the bishop and was eventually recognised with the designation of the region as theCounty Palatine of Durham. As holder of this office, the bishop was both theearl of the county and bishop of the diocese. Though the term 'prince-bishop' has become a common way of describing the role of the bishop prior to 1836, the term was unknown in medieval England.^[8]

A UNESCO site describes the role of the bishops as a "buffer state between England and Scotland":^[9]

From 1075, the bishop of Durham became a prince-bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England's northern frontier.

A 1788 report adds that the bishops had the authority to appoint judges and barons and to offer pardons.^[10]

Except for a brief period of suppression during theEnglish Civil War, the bishopric retained this temporal power until it was abolished by theDurham (County Palatine) Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 19) with the powers returned to the Crown.^[11] A shadow of the former temporal power can be seen in the bishop's coat of arms, which contains a coronet as well as a mitre and crossed crozier and sword. The bishop of Durham also continued to hold a seat in the House of Lords; that has continued to this day by virtue of the ecclesiastical office.^[12][13]

Bishops of Durham
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1071	1080	Walcher
1081	1096	William de St-Calais
1099	1128	Ranulf Flambard
1133	1140	Geoffrey Rufus
1141	1143	William Cumin
1143	1153	William of St. Barbara
1153	1195	Hugh de Puiset
1197	1208	Philip of Poitou
1209	1213	Richard Poore	Election quashed byPope Innocent III (who was quarrelling withKing John); later elected and consecrated.
1214	1214	John de Gray	Died before consecration.
1215	1215	Morgan	Election quashed.
1217	1226	Richard Marsh
1226	1227	William Scot	Election quashed.
1229	1237	Richard Poore	Translated fromSalisbury.
1237	1240	Thomas de Melsonby	Resigned before consecration.
1241	1249	Nicholas Farnham
1249	1260	Walter of Kirkham
1260	1274	Robert Stitchill
1274	1283	Robert of Holy Island
1284	1310	Antony Bek	AlsoTitular Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1306 to 1311 (the only English person ever to hold this post).
1311	1316	Richard Kellaw	In the ensuing vacancy,Thomas de Charlton,John Walwayn andJohn de Kynardesley were nominated byEdward II,Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford andThomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster respectively, but the chapter elected Henry de Stamford OSB on 6 November 1316. That election was never confirmed, but quashed byPope John XXII on 10 December.
1317	1333	Lewis de Beaumont
1333	1345	Richard de Bury
1345	1381	Thomas Hatfield
1382	1388	John Fordham	Translated toEly.
1388	1406	Walter Skirlaw	Translated fromBath & Wells.
1406	1437	Thomas Langley
1437	1457	Robert Neville	Translated fromSalisbury
1457	1476	Lawrence Booth	Translated toYork.
1476	1483	William Dudley
1484	1494	John Sherwood
1494	1501	Richard Foxe	Translated fromBath & Wells, later translated toWinchester.
1502	1505	William Senhouse	Translated fromCarlisle.
1507	1508	Christopher Bainbridge	Translated toYork.
1509	1523	Thomas Ruthall
1523	1529	Thomas Wolsey	Archbishop of York. Held Durhamin commendam.
1530	1552	Cuthbert Tunstall	Translated fromLondon.
Source(s):[15]

Bishops of Durham
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1530	1552	Cuthbert Tunstall
1552	1554	The diocese was abolished underEdward VI and restored afterMary I became queen.[16]
1554	1559	Cuthbert Tunstall	Deprived in 1559, when he refused to take theOath of Supremacy after the accession ofElizabeth I. Died on 18 November that year.[17]
1561	1576	James Pilkington
1577	1587	Richard Barnes	Translated fromCarlisle.
1589	1595	Matthew Hutton	Translated toYork.
1595	1606	Tobias Matthew	Translated toYork.
1606	1617	William James
1617	1627	Richard Neile	Translated fromLincoln, later translated toWinchester.
1627	1628	George Montaigne	Translated fromLondon, later translated toYork.
1628	1632	John Howson	Translated fromOxford
1632	1646	Thomas Morton	Translated fromLichfield; deprived of the see when the English episcopacy was abolished by Parliament on 9 October 1646; died 1659.
1646	1660	The diocese was abolished during theCommonwealth and theProtectorate.[18][19]
1660	1672	John Cosin
1674	1722	Nathaniel Crew	Translated fromOxford.
1722	1730	William Talbot	Translated fromSalisbury.
1730	1750	Edward Chandler	Translated fromLichfield.
1750	1752	Joseph Butler	Translated fromBristol.
1752	1771	Richard Trevor	Translated fromSt David's.
1771	1787	John Egerton	Translated fromLichfield.
1787	1791	Thomas Thurlow	Translated fromLincoln.
1791	1826	Shute Barrington	Translated fromSalisbury.
1826	1836	William Van Mildert	Translated fromLlandaff.
Source(s):[15]

Bishops of Durham
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1836	1856	Edward Maltby	Translated fromChichester.
1856	1860	Charles Longley	Translated fromRipon, later translated toYork, then toCanterbury.
1860	1861	Henry Montagu Villiers	Translated fromCarlisle.
1861	1879	Charles Baring	Translated fromGloucester and Bristol.
1879	1889	J. B. Lightfoot	PreviouslyLady Margaret's Professor of Divinity atCambridge.
1890	1901	Brooke Foss Westcott	PreviouslyRegius Professor of Divinity atCambridge.
1901	1920	Handley Moule	PreviouslyNorrisian Professor of Divinity atCambridge.
1920	1939	Hensley Henson	Translated fromHereford.
1939	1952	Alwyn Williams	Translated toWinchester.
1952	1956	Michael Ramsey	Translated toYork, then toCanterbury.
1956	1966	Maurice Harland	Translated fromLincoln.
1966	1972	Ian Ramsey	PreviouslyNolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion atOxford.
1973	1983	John Habgood	Translated toYork.
1984	1994	David Jenkins	Previously Professor of TheologyUniversity of Leeds
1994	2003	Michael Turnbull	Translated fromRochester
2003	2010	N. T. Wright	PreviouslyDean of Lichfield; returned to academia.
2011	2013	Justin Welby	Translated toCanterbury.[20]
2014	2024	Paul Butler	PreviouslyBishop of Southwell and Nottingham;[21] confirmed 20 January 2014;[22] retired 29 February 2024.[23]
Source(s):[15]

Among those who have served as assistant bishops of the diocese have been:

• 1889–1902 (ret.):Daniel Sandford, Rector ofBoldon andcoadjutor bishop; formerBishop of Tasmania^[24]
• 1904–1906:Noel Hodges, formerBishop of Travancore and Cochin (later Assistant Bishopof Ely andof St Albans)^[25]
• 1970–1975:Kenneth Skelton, Rector ofBishopwearmouth and formerBishop of Matabeleland (becameBishop of Lichfield)^[26]

• Catholic Encyclopedia

• Bishops of Durham
• Lists of Church of England bishops and archbishops
• Durham, England-related lists
• Bishops of Lindisfarne
• History of Northumberland
• History of Durham, England

• Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference
• Articles incorporating text from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference
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• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference
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• Use British English from June 2016
• Use dmy dates from June 2016