Diocese of Bath and Wells Dioecesis Bathoniensis et Wellensis | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Flag | |
| Location | |
| Ecclesiastical province | Canterbury |
| Archdeaconries | Bath, Wells, Taunton |
| Statistics | |
| Parishes | 477 |
| Churches | 569 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Established | 909 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew |
| Language | English |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Michael Beasley,Bishop of Bath and Wells |
| Suffragan | Ruth Worsley,Bishop of Taunton[1] and Acting Bishop of Coventry |
| Archdeacons | Simon Hill,Archdeacon of Taunton Anne Gell,Archdeacon of Wells Charlie Peer,Archdeacon of Bath |
| Website | |
| bathandwells.org.uk | |
TheDiocese of Bath and Wells is adiocese in theChurch of EnglandProvince of Canterbury inEngland.
The diocese covers thecounty ofSomerset and a small area ofDorset. TheEpiscopal seat of theBishop of Bath and Wells is located in theCathedral Church of Saint Andrew in the city ofWells in Somerset.
Before 909, Somerset lay within thediocese of Sherborne. At this date,Athelm (laterArchbishop of Canterbury) was appointed the first bishop of theDiocese of Wells, making the secular church there into the diocesan cathedral. The secular canons at Wells vied with the monks of the monasteries atGlastonbury andBath for supremacy in the diocese and it was with difficulty that the cathedral retained its status, so much so that the canons were reduced to begging in order to obtain their bread. It was to this impoverished cathedral church thatGisa was appointed bishop in 1060. Under him, grants of land were obtained successively from the kingsEdward the Confessor,Harold andWilliam the Conqueror and buildings were constructed for the secular community.
Gisa's successor,John de Villula (1088–1122), moved the see to become theDiocese of Bath in 1090, using theAbbey Church of Ss Peter & Paul as his cathedral and in so doing he regressed the position of the cathedral at Wells.Robert of Lewes, appointed bishop in 1136, enhanced on the position of Wells. As well as rebuilding the cathedral he instituted the arrangement by which although Bath retained precedence, the seat was located in both churches and the bishop was elected by both chapters. However the diocesan title remained the same.
Reginald fitz Jocelin (bishop 1174–91) brought SaintHugh of Lincoln to England, and Reginald's successorSavaric FitzGeldewin (1192–1205) forcibly annexedGlastonbury Abbey to the diocese in 1197. He moved his seat there, with the approval ofPope Celestine III, and the see became officially known as theDiocese of Glastonbury. The monks of Glastonbury, however, rejected Savaric's authority, and the titleDiocese of Bath and Glastonbury was therefore used for all practical purposes until his successor,Jocelin of Wells, a native of Wells itself, renounced the claim to Glastonbury in 1219. Thereupon he adopted the styleDiocese of Bath. Although he did not use the name of Wells in his title, his contribution to the city was greater than any other bishop of the diocese: under his authority the cathedral was restored and enlarged, adding the west front, making this the visual signature of the building. Further, he increased the thirty-five canons to fifty and founded a grammar school for the city.
Following his death in 1242 however, the monks at Bath unilaterally elected one of their number,Roger, as successor, in disregard for the chapter of Wells. His appointment received confirmation fromKing Henry III and the new popeInnocent IV. The chapter at Wells appealed the decision, with the result that the Pope declared, on 3 January 1245, that whilst Roger should remain, he would be bishop of a see thenceforth styled theDiocese of Bath and Wells.
The diocese of Bath and Wells proper (Badoniensis et Wellensis) dates therefore from 1245. The diocese contained the three archdeaconries of Bath, Wells, and Taunton.William of Bitton bishop from 1267 to 1274 was renowned for his piety, and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage in Wells. The completion of the buildings was achieved underRalph of Shrewsbury (bishop 1329–63).Thomas Beckington (bishop 1443–65) was another noted liberal benefactor of the city.
Oliver King (1495–1503) rebuilt Bath Abbey in the late Perpendicular style. The work was begun in 1499 and completed in 1530 underJohn Clerk. The abbey was the last complete monastic edifice to be completed before the impending Reformation. He was succeeded byAdriano Castellesi (1504–18) who was an absentee bishop, under whom the see was administered byPolydore Vergil the noted historian. Castellesi's successorThomas Wolsey (1518–23) was also an absentee bishop, held the see concurrently with that of York.
The abbey at Bath was dissolved byKing Henry VIII in 1538 during theEnglish Reformation. Thereafter theChurch of England bishop, though retaining the old style, had his seat at Wells alone.William Barlow, was appointed in 1548. He fled in 1553 on the accession ofQueen Mary I, and his successor was theRoman CatholicGilbert Bourne (1554–59), who was deprived and imprisoned in theTower of London byQueen Elizabeth, becoming, in 1569, one of the eleven Roman Catholic bishops who died in prison.
TheReport of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) found the see had an annual net income of £5,946.[2] This made it one of the wealthiest dioceses in England.
The diocesan offices, the bishops' offices and residences and the cathedral are all located in Wells. The diocese is not referred to asBath diocese orWells diocese, but asThe Diocese of Bath and Wells.[3]
The ordinary of the diocese is the diocesanBishop of Bath and Wells (Michael Beasley); he is assisted throughout the diocese by theBishop suffragan of Taunton (Ruth Worsley, whose See was created in 1911.)Alternative episcopal oversight (for parishes in the diocese who reject the ministry of priests who are women) is provided by theprovincial episcopal visitor (PEV), theBishop suffragan of Oswestry.[4] The bishop is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.
There are four retired honorary assistant bishops licensed in the diocese:
Additionally,Michael Ball (retiredBishop of Truro), a founder of theCommunity of the Glorious Ascension, lives in the diocese (inAller, Somerset.)[9]
The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries:Bath,Taunton andWells. These in turn are divided into 18 deaneries. The deanery of Crewkerne and Ilminster was split in 2012. Sedgemoor was known as Bridgwater until 2000.
| Diocese | Archdeaconries | Rural Deaneries |
|---|---|---|
| Diocese of Bath & Wells | Archdeaconry of Bath | Deanery ofBath |
| Deanery ofChew Magna | ||
| Deanery ofLocking | ||
| Deanery ofMidsomer Norton | ||
| Deanery ofPortishead | ||
| Archdeaconry of Wells | Deanery ofAxbridge | |
| Deanery ofBruton andCary | ||
| Deanery ofFrome | ||
| Glastonbury Jurisdiction | ||
| Deanery ofIvelchester | ||
| Deanery ofShepton Mallet | ||
| Deanery ofYeovil | ||
| Archdeaconry of Taunton | Deanery ofCrewkerne | |
| Deanery ofExmoor | ||
| Deanery ofIlminster | ||
| Deanery ofQuantock | ||
| Deanery ofSedgemoor | ||
| Deanery ofTaunton | ||
| Deanery ofTone |
| International | |
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| National | |
51°12′37″N2°38′34″W / 51.21028°N 2.64278°W /51.21028; -2.64278
