The Archdeacon of Wells has been a senior clergy position in the Church of England
Diocese of Bath and Wells since the
English reformation
The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...
, before which it was part of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The post, having oversight over the archdeaconry of
Wells in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
has existed since the twelfth century. The archdeaconry includes
seven deaneries.
List of archdeacons
High Medieval
:Archdeacons without territorial titles:
*bef. 1086–aft. 1088:
Benselin, Archdeacon of Exon
*bef. 1106–aft. 1106:
Walkerius[Walkerius and Robert both occur with Gerbert Archdeacon of Bath, so they were each probably either Archdeacon of Wells or of Taunton.]
*bef. 1106–aft. 1106:
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
*bef. 1120–aft. 1136:
Arald[Arald occurs with Gerbert Archdeacon of Bath, so he was probably either Archdeacon of Wells or of Taunton.]
*bef. 1122–bef. 1136:
John de Bada (
son of Hildebert)
[John occurs with Arald, so he was either Archdeacon of Bath, or of either Taunton or Wells (whichever Arald wasn't).]
:Archdeacons of Wells:
*bef. 1142–aft. 1151:
Eustace
Eustace ( ) is the rendition in English of two phonetically similar Greek given names:
*Εὔσταχυς (''Eústachys'') meaning "fruitful", "fecund"; literally "abundant in grain"; its Latin equivalents are ''Fæcundus/Fecundus''
*Εὐστά ...
*bef. 1159–aft. 1166:
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
*bef. 1168–aft. 1194:
Thomas of Earley (
Erlegh) ''alias''
Agnellus
*bef. 1198–aft. 1199:
Simon of Wells (later
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East Sussex, East and West Sussex. The Episcopal see, see is based in t ...
)
*bef. 1204–1209 (res.):
Hugh of Wells (became
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
)
*bef. 1215–aft. 1231:
William of Bardney
*bef. 1238–1248 (res.):
William of Bitton (uncle; became
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.
The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...
)
*aft. 1248–bef. 1249 (res.):
John of Bitton
*bef. 1249–aft. 1254:
Peter Chaceporc
*bef. 1263–1267 (res.):
William of Bitton (nephew) (became Bishop of Bath and Wells)
*1267–1268 (res.):
Godfrey Giffard (also
Archdeacon of Barnstaple until May 1267; also
Archdeacon of York from 1267; became
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...
)
*bef. 1269–aft. 1269:
S. (''i.e. either''
Simon de Micham ''or''
Stephen of Chichester)
*bef. 1270–1284 (res.):
Thomas Bytton (became
Dean of Wells)
*bef. 1286–aft. 1295:
Walter Haselshaw (later Dean of Wells)
*bef. 1295–24 January 1303 (d.):
Peter de Insula (previously
Archdeacon of Exeter)
Late Medieval
*aft. 1303–24 May 1326 (res.):
Thomas de Charlton
*24 May–13 June 1326 (exch.):
Wibert de Lutleton
*13 June 1326–bef. 1334:
Robert de Wamberg (bishop's candidate; admitted but disputed by king's candidates)
*29 June 1329 – 1330:
Simon de Montacute (royal grant; never admitted)
*15 October 1330 – 1332:
Thomas Upton (royal grant; never admitted)
*bef. 1334–aft. 1336:
Robert Mortimer
*bef. 1344–aft. 1344:
Hugh
*bef. 1346–1352 (res.):
Thomas Fastolf (became
Bishop of St David's)
*3 January 1353 – 12 June 1361 (d.):
William de Court
*27 October 1361–bef. 1369 (res.):
Étienne Cardinal Aubert (Cardinal-deacon of
Santa Maria in Aquiro
Santa Maria in Aquiro is a church in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated in honor of Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located on Piazza Capranica.
The church is ancient—it was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century, and thus must have existed ...
)
*21 February 1369 – 22 July 1376 (d.):
Simon Cardinal Langham (former
archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
; cardinal-priest of
San Sisto Vecchio
The Basilica of San Sisto Vecchio (in Via Appia) is a Catholic minor basilica and Dominican conventual church in Rome, Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western ...
until 1373, then Cardinal-
Bishop of Palestrina; also
Archdeacon of York from 1374)
*bef. 1385–aft. 1388:
Andrew Baret
*1386–aft. 1391:
John de Rypon (royal grant)
*13 September 1388:
John Beer (unsuccessful royal grant)
*6 June 1391:
Thomas Tuttebury (unsuccessful royal grant; became
Dean of Wells)
*28 August 1391 – 4 May 1398 (exch.):
Nicholas Slake
*4 May 1398–bef. 1419 (d.):
John Ikelyngton
*13 April 1419–bef. 1449 (d.):
Thomas Bubwith
*15 April 1450 – 1 April 1470 (d.):
Andrew Holes
*bef. 1471–bef. 1473 (d.):
Thomas Bridlington
*12 April 1473–bef. 1494 (res.):
William Nykke
*10 July 1494 – 1500 (res.):
Richard Nykke (became
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...
)
*30 December 1500–bef. 1502 (res.):
François de Busleyden,
Archbishop of Besançon
*19 November 1502 – 1507 (d.):
Thomas Beaumont (previously
Archdeacon of Bath)
*1 January 1508 – 26 December 1546 (res.):
Polydore Vergil (also called Castellensis)
Early modern
:''Archdeaconry resigned to the crown and abolished, 1547.''
*bef. 1547–aft. 1554: ''Vergil still called Archdeacon of Wells''
*bef. 1554–?: ''Cotterell already called Archdeacon of Wells''
:''Archdeaconry re-erected, 1556.''
*bef. 1559–1572 (d.):
John Cotterell
*bef. 1572–bef. 1582 (d.):
John Rugge
*March 1582–?:
Bartholomew Clerke (a layman)
*4 February 1589–aft. 1605:
John Langworth
*1611–aft. 1645:
Gerard Wood
*1645–bef. 1649: ''
William Watts (never took possession)''
*1660–27 April 1680 (d.):
Grindal Sheafe
*28 April 1680 – 1683 (d.):
Charles Thirlby
*10 November 1683 – 8 October 1705 (d.):
Edwin Sandys
*11 October 1705 – 7 March 1716 (d.):
Samuel Hill
*4 May 1716 – 24 November 1726 (d.):
Henry Layng
*7 December 1726 – 1 October 1739 (d.):
Edmund Archer (previously
Archdeacon of Taunton
The Archdeacon of Taunton has been, since the twelfth century, the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the archdeaconry of Taunton in the Diocese of Bath and Wells (in the Church of England). The archdeaconry includes List of ecclesiastical ...
)
*26 November 1739 – 14 November 1742 (d.):
John Wicksted
*24 November 1742 – 20 April 1749 (d.):
George Shakerley
*19 August 1749 – 7 November 1757 (d.):
Edmund Aubery
*26 April 1758 – 26 February 1760 (d.):
Lionel Seaman (previously Archdeacon of Taunton)
*9 August 1760 – 1 October 1767 (d.):
Francis Potter (previously Archdeacon of Taunton)
*20 October 1767 – 12 May 1815 (d.):
William Willes (previously Archdeacon of Taunton)
*7 July 1815 – 5 April 1826 (d.):
Charles Sandiford
*4 October 1826 – 1862 (res.):
Henry Law (became
Dean of Gloucester)
Late modern
*1862–?:
Fitzhardinge Portman (died 1893)
*April 1863–24 December 1897 (d.):
Augustus Otway Fitzgerald, Rector of
Charlton Mackrell (St Mary) until 1876, then Vicar of
Brent Knoll
*March 1898–20 September 1899 (d.):
Edwin Arthur Salmon, Vicar of Brent Knoll
*1899–1 May 1917 (d.):
Frederick Brymer, Rector of Charlton Mackrell (St Mary)
*1917–19 December 1934 (d.):
Walter Farrer, Vicar of
St Cuthbert's, Wells until 1919
*1935–1940 (res.):
George Hollis,
Bishop suffragan of Taunton
*1940–1951 (ret.):
Walter Norman Higgins, Rector of
Mells until 1944
*1951–1962 (ret.):
Harold Bryant Salmon
*1963–1973 (ret.):
John Lance
*1974–1982 (res.):
Peter Haynes (became
Dean of Hereford
The Dean of Hereford is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Hereford Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Blessed Virgin Mary and St Et ...
)
*1983–1993 (ret.):
Ted Thomas
*1993–2003 (ret.):
Richard Acworth
*2003–2006:
Peter Maurice (became Bishop suffragan of Taunton)
*April 200717 September 2016 (res.):
Nicola Sullivan (became
Dean of Southwell)
*5 September 201620 May 2017:
Kevin Roberts (Acting)
*20 May 2017present:
Anne GellDiocese of Bath and Wells — Bishop announces next Archdeacon of Wells
(Accessed 13 January 2017) (took sabbatical to, January–September 2024, to serve as Acting Dean of Wells)[
]
* 6 January 20231 September 2024: Charlie Peer (Acting;
Notes
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Archdeacon of
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