TheBishop ofWakefield is anepiscopal title which takes its name after thecity ofWakefield inWest Yorkshire,England. The title was first created for adiocesanbishop in 1888, but it was dissolved in 2014. The Bishop of Wakefield is now anarea bishop who has oversight of an episcopal area in theDiocese of Leeds.
The area Bishop of Wakefield is one of thearea bishops of theDiocese of Leeds in theProvince of York. The Bishop of Wakefield has oversight of thearchdeaconry of Pontefract, which consists of thedeaneries of Barnsley, Pontefract, and Wakefield.[1] As well as being the area bishop for the Wakefield Episcopal Area, Robinson also providesalternative episcopal oversight for the Diocese of Leeds as a whole, administering to those parishes in the diocese which reject the ministry ofpriests who are women.
The area bishop's residence is Pontefract House, Wakefield.[2] The current area Bishop of Wakefield isTony Robinson, who has previously been thesuffragan Bishop of Pontefract until that see was translated (renamed) to Wakefield in 2015.[3]
TheBishop of Pontefract was anepiscopal title used by asuffragan bishop of theChurch of England Diocesesof Wakefield and thenof Leeds, in theProvince of York,England.[4] The title took its name after the town ofPontefract inWest Yorkshire; the See was erected under theSuffragans Nomination Act 1888 byOrder in Council dated 27 October 1930.[5] In the Wakefield diocese, the Bishop of Pontefract was the suffragan bishop for the diocese as a whole but primarily hadextended episcopal oversight for those parishes which rejected the ministry of priests who were women; Robinson then fulfilled that role for the new diocese.[6]
Following the creation of theDiocese of Leeds[7] on 20 April 2014, the see was eventually renamed to become the suffragan see for the area Bishop of Wakefield.[8] To that end the General Synod approved a petition from theBishop of Leeds in February 2015;[9] that petition was approved by theQueen-in-Council on 19 March 2015[10] and so the see was translated toWakefield.
| Bishops of Pontefract | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1931 | 1938 |  Campbell Hone | Domestic Chaplain to Bishop Eden, Wakefield, 1902-5. Vice Principal of Leeds Clergy School, 1905-9. Vicar of Mount Pellon, Halifax, 1909-16. Vicar of Brighouse, 1916-20. Rector and Rural Dean of Whitby, 1920-7. Canon and Prebendary Wistow in York Minster,1927-31.Archdeacon 1931-38, Subsequently toBishop of Wakefield 1938-46. |
| 1939 | 1949 |  Tom Longworth | Canon and Archdeacon, 1938. SubsequentlyBishop of Hereford, 1949-61. |
| 1949 | 1954 | Arthur Morris | Canon and Archdeacon, 1946. SubsequentlyBishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, 1954–65. |
| 1954 | 1961 | George Clarkson | Canon, 1936. Vicar ofChurch of St. Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent 1948. Archdeacon, 1954. Subsequently Dean of Guildford, 1961–68, Assistant Bishop of Lincoln, 1968-77. |
| 1961 | 1968 |  Eric Treacy | Vicar St Mary's Edge Hill, 1936-41. Chaplain to the Forces, 1940-5. Rector of Keighley, 1945-9. Rural Dean of South Craven, 1947-9. Rural Dean and Vicar of Halifax, 1950-61. Archdeacon of Halifax, 1949-61. Archdeacon 1961-8. SubsequentlyBishop of Wakefield, 1968-77. |
| 1968 | 1971 | Gordon Fallows | Canon 1952. Archdeacon of Lancaster, 1955. SubsequentlyBishop of Sheffield, 1971-79. |
| 1971 | 1992 | Richard Hare | Canon 1959-65.Archdeacon of Westmorland and Furness, 1965–71. |
| 1993 | 1998 | John Finney | Canon 1984-9. Officer for Decade of Evangelism. |
| 1998 | 2002 | David James | SubsequentlyBishop of Bradford, 2002-2010. |
| 2002 | 2015 | .jpg) Tony Robinson | Area bishop for Wakefield and interim area bishop for Huddersfield since 20 April 2014; See translated to Wakefield, 19 March 2015; retirement scheduled for 31 August 2024.[11] |
| Source(s):[4] | |||
| Bishops of Wakefield | |||
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 2015 | 2024 | Tony Robinson | PreviouslyBishop of Pontefract.[12] That see was translated (renamed) to Wakefield on 19 March 2015;[13] retired 31 August 2024.[14] |
| 2025 | present |  Malcolm Chamberlain | Consecrated 11 June 2025.[15] |
| Source(s):[16] | |||
