Diocese of Westminster
Westminster Abbey, which served as St Peter's Cathedral of the Diocese of Westminster
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Canterbury
Archdeaconries	Middlesex
Information
Cathedral	Westminster Abbey

TheDiocese of Westminster was a short-lived diocese of theChurch of England, extant from 1540 to 1550.Westminster Abbey served as its cathedral.

The diocese was one of six founded by Henry VIII in 1539–40, with the churches ofdissolved abbeys serving as their cathedrals. The others wereBristol,Chester,Gloucester,Oxford andPeterborough.^[1]

It was created from part of theDiocese of London, and comprised Westminster (which was raised to the dignity of acity), and the county ofMiddlesex, with the exception ofFulham. Fulham was excluded as it was the site ofFulham Palace, residence of theBishop of London.^[2]

Henry established the new diocese byletters patent of 17 December 1540, which reconstituted the former monastery of St Peter, Westminster (today generally known simply as "Westminster Abbey") as a cathedral, with a bishop, dean and twelve canons.Thomas Thirlby was appointed as the bishop and William Benson or Boston, who had been abbot of Westminster before the Dissolution, became dean; theMiddlesex archdeaconry moved into the jurisdiction of the new diocese and bishop.^[3]

In 1550 the diocese of Westminster was reunited with that of London. Thirlby surrendered the diocese on 30 March and was made Bishop of Norwich, whileNicholas Ridley became Bishop of London and Westminster.^[3] In 1552 an act of parliament of confirmed the status of Westminster as a "cathedral church and episcopal see to thebishop of London". Westminster Abbey finally lost its cathedral status in 1556, during the reign of Queen Mary, when the chapter was abolished and the monastery restored.^[3]

A CatholicDiocese of Westminster was formed in 1850.^[2]

The ordinary of the diocese throughout its existence was theBishop of Westminster; the only incumbent wasThomas Thirlby, whose sole seat was atWestminster Abbey. When the diocese was merged back into London diocese, the Bishop of London Ridley was called "Bishop of London and Westminster."

51°29′56″N0°07′41″W / 51.4990°N 0.1281°W /51.4990; -0.1281

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