The Dean of Lichfield is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...

. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Chad'' in

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

. The cathedral is the mother church of the

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

and seat of the

Bishop of Lichfield The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...

. The current Dean is Jan McFarlane, since 21 September 2024.

List of deans

Early Mediaeval

*1222–1254 William de Manecestra *1254–? Ralph de Sempringham

Mediaeval

*1280–1319 John de Derby *1319–1324 Stephen Seagrave
(afterwards

Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...

) *1324–1328 Roger de Convenis *1328–1335 John Garssia
(afterwards

Bishop of Marseille The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.Richard FitzRalph *1346–1347 John of Thoresby *1347–1349 Simon de Brisele
(afterwards

Dean of Lincoln Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean S ...

) *1350–1363 John Bokyngham *1364–1369 William de Manton *1369–? Laurence de Ibstock *?–1370 Anthony Rous *1371–1378 Francis de Teobaldeschi *1381–1390 William Pakington *1390–1426 Thomas de Stretton *1426–1432 Robert Wolveden *1432–1447 John Verney (probably Archdeacon of Worcester, 1438–1452), formerly Rector of

Bredon Bredon is a village and civil parish in Wychavon district at the southern edge of Worcestershire in England. It lies on the banks of the River Avon on the lower slopes of Bredon Hill. Location and geography Bredon is located northwest of the ...

in Worcestershire, and supervisor and receiver-general to

Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick (25 or 28 January 138230 April 1439) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander. Early life Beauchamp was born at Salwarpe CourtRichard Gough, ''Description of the Beauchamp chapel, adjoin ...

(1382–1439). He was the younger brother of Sir Richard de Verney (d.1489) of Compton Verney in Warwickshire. *1457–1492

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece ''A Woman Killed with Kindness'', a ...

Early modern

*1493–1512 John Yotton *1512–1521 Ralph Colyngwood *1522–1533

James Denton James Denton (born January 20, 1963) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy drama series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2012) and Dr. Sam Radford on Hallmark Channel's fantasy seri ...

*1533–1536

Richard Sampson Richard Sampson (died 25 September 1554) was an English clergyman and composer of sacred music. He was an Anglican bishop of Chichester, and subsequently of Coventry and Lichfield. Biography He was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, the Paris ...

*1536–1554

Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to: Politicians * Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign * Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), member of parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ...

*1554–1559 John Ramridge (deprived) *1560–1576

Laurence Nowell Laurence (or Lawrence) Nowell (1530 – ) was an English antiquarian, cartographer and pioneering scholar of the Old English language and literature. Life Laurence Nowell was born in 1530 in Whalley, Lancashire, the second son of Alexander N ...

*1576–1603 George Boleyn *July 1603–20 December 1604 (res.) James Montague (became

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Stephen Edwards. The dean lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. List of deans Early modern *1541–1544 Henry Holb ...

) *1605–1622

William Tooker William Tooker (or Tucker) (Exeter, 1557 or 1558 – 19 March 1621) was an English churchman and theological writer, who was archdeacon of Barnstaple and later dean of Lichfield. Life Born at Exeter in 1557 or 1558, he was the third son of ...

*1622–1628 Walter Curle *1628–1632 Augustine Lindsell *1633–1638

John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Republican Party, Republican United Stat ...

*1638–1638 Samuel Fell *1638–1659

Griffin Higgs Griffin or Griffith Higgs (1589–1659) was an English churchman, the dean of Lichfield from 1638. Life Higgs was born at South Stoke, Oxfordshire, the second son of Griffith Higgs by Sarah, daughter of Robert Paine of Caversham in the same co ...

*1661–1663 William Paul *1664–1671 Thomas Wood *1671–1683 Matthew Smallwood *1683–1703

Lancelot Addison Lancelot Addison (1632 – 20 April 1703) was an English writer and Church of England clergyman. He was born at Crosby RavensworthJohn Julian: ''Dictionary of Hymnology'', 2nd edition, p. 19. London: John Murray, 1907. in Westmorland. He was ed ...

*1703–1712

William Binckes William Binckes (bapt. 25 May 1653''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'' – 19 June 1712) was an English preacher and sermon writer, noted for his term as Dean of Lichfield. Biography Binckes was bor ...

*1713–1720 Jonathan Kimberley *1720–1730 William Walmesley *1730–1745

Nicholas Penny Sir Nicholas Beaver Penny (born 21 December 1949) is a British art historian. From 2008 to 2015 he was director of the National Gallery in London. Early life Penny was educated at Shrewsbury School before he studied English at St Catharine ...

*1745–1776 John Addenbrooke *1776–1807 Baptist Proby

Late modern

*1807–1833 John Woodhouse *1833–1868 Henry Howard *1868–1875 William Champneys *1875–1892 Edward Bickersteth *1892–1909 Herbert Luckock *1909–1939 Henry Savage *1939–1952

Frederic Iremonger Frederic Athelwold Iremonger (8 July 1878''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 15 September 1952) was an Anglican priest. Iremonger was born in Longparish, Hampshire,''1911 England Census'' the third son of William Henry (1845–1911) and Mary ...

*1954–1969 William MacPherson *1970–1979 George Holderness *1980–1993 John Lang *1994–1999 Tom Wright *1999–2005 Michael Yorke *2005–2023 Adrian Dorber (retired 31 March 2023) *March–September 2012 Pete Wilcox, ''Acting Dean'' *2024–present Jan McFarlane (''Interim'', 2023–2024; instituted as substantive Dean on 21 September 2024; also an

honorary assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

of the diocese)

Notes

{{Deans of Lichfield Deans of Lichfield

Dean of Lichfield The Dean of Lichfield is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Lichfield Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and ...