The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

ries in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is an administrative division of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Diocese of Exeter The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Provinc ...

and under the oversight of the Bishop suffragan of Plymouth.

History

The first recorded archdeacon of Exeter occurs in 1083, around the time when archdeacons were first appointed in Britain. Around that time, the Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries:

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, Totnes (or Totton) and

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

(or Barum). This configuration of archdeaconries within the diocese remained for almost 800 years, until the creation of the independent

Diocese of Truro The Diocese of Truro (established 1876) is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury which covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and a small part of Devon. The bishop's seat is at Truro Cathedral. Geography and history The d ...

from the Cornwall archdeaconry. On 22 March 1918, the archdeaconries were reconfigured and the Archdeaconry of Plymouth created from Totnes archdeaconry. Presently, the diocese operates an informal 'area scheme' such that responsibility for roughly half the diocese is delegated to each suffragan bishop: special oversight is given to the

Bishop of Crediton The Bishop of Crediton is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Crediton in Devon, England. The title was originally used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 10th and 11th centuries for a diocese covering Devon and Cornwall. It is no ...

for the Barnstaple and Exeter archdeaconries and to the Bishop of Plymouth for the Plymouth and Totnes archdeaconries. The archdeacon oversees the deaneries of

Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...

and

Ipplepen Ipplepen is a village and civil parish located within the Teignbridge district of the county of Devon in south-west England. It is the site of Ipplepen Priory and there is an electoral ward with the same name. The population of Ipplepen villag ...

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 7,313, which was slightly more than the 7,104 recorded at the 2011 census. Th ...

Torbay Torbay is a unitary authority with a borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is governed by Torbay Council, based in the town of Torquay, and also includes the towns of Paignton and Brixham. The borough consists of ...

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

and Woodleigh, in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, southwest England.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

*bef. 1140–?: John de Bradelgehe *bef. 1143–aft. 1143: Hugh de Avigo *bef. –aft. : Ascelinus *bef. 1161–aft. 1184:

Baldwin of Forde Baldwin of Forde or FordSharpe ''Handlist of Latin Writers'' pp. 66–67 ( – 19 November 1190) was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pop ...

(later

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 ...

) *bef. 1161–aft. 1184:

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 ...

*?–3 June 1190 (d.):

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...

*aft. 1190–?: John Fitz-John *bef. 1206–aft. 1206: Gilbert Basset *bef. 1207–aft. 1207:

Walter de Grey Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255) was an English prelate and statesman who was Archbishop of York from 1215 to 1255 and Lord Chancellor from 1205 to 1214. His uncle was John de Gray, who was a bishop and royal servant to King John of England. ...

*bef. 1207–aft. 1207:

John de Bridport John de Bridport was the Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of ...

*1213–aft. 1215:

Thomas de Boues Thomas de Boues was Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter ...

*bef. 1219–aft. 1219:

Richard Cowe Richard Cowe was the Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exete ...

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

*bef. 1225–aft. 1225: Ysaac *bef. 1226–bef. 1228: John de Kent *bef. 1228–1231 (res.):

Roger de Wynkleigh Roger de Wynkleigh was Dean of Exeter The Dean of Exeter is the head of the Chapter of Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, England. The chapter was established by William Briwere, Bishop of Exeter (1224–44) who set up the offices ...

(became

Dean of Exeter The Dean of Exeter is the head of the Chapter of Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, England. The chapter was established by William Briwere, Bishop of Exeter (1224–44) who set up the offices of dean and chancellor of Exeter Cathedr ...

) *bef. 1238–aft. 1254: Thomas Pincerna (''aka'' Thomas Butler) *bef. 1258–20 February 1258 (d.): John *bef. 1262–aft. 1262: Geoffrey *11 January 1264–bef. 1265: William de Pembroke (previously Archdeacon of Barum) *1 November 1265–bef. 1271: Richard Blunt (previously Archdeacon of Barum) *11 January 1271–aft. 1273: Thomas de Hertford (also

Archdeacon of Barnstaple The Archdeaconry of Barnstaple or Barum is one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. History The Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries in No ...

) *25 December 1275 – 8 July 1284 (res.):

Henry de Bolleghe Henry de Bolleghe (also Thomas and de Bolley) was Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Chur ...

(became

Archdeacon of Cornwall The Archdeacon of Cornwall is a senior cleric in the Church of England Diocese of Truro and one of two archdeacons in the diocese. History and composition The archdeaconry of Cornwall was created in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 11th centu ...

) *8 July 1284 – 1296 (d.): Thomas de Bodham (''aka'' William Bodringham) *bef. 1297–aft. 1297: Roger le Rous

Late Medieval

*bef. 1302–aft. 1302: Thomas de Charlton *bef. 1303–1307 (d.): William de Puntyngdon *bef. 1307–1338 (d.): Roger de Charlton *''Period of dispute:'' **''Northwode et al.:'' ***13 June 1338 – 1349 (d.): John de Northwode (disputed with Piers) ***1349–20 June 1359 (exch.): Peter de Gildesburgh (disputed with Swinnerton) ***20 June 1359 – 18 May 1371 (exch.): William Steele (disputed with Drax) ***18 May 1371 – 7 May 1385 (exch.): Hugh de Bridham **''Piers et al.:'' ***1342–1344 (d.):

John Piers John Piers (Peirse) (1522/3 – 1594) was Archbishop of York between 1589 and 1594. Previous to that he had been Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Salisbury. Life He was born at South Hinksey, near Oxford, and was educated at Magdalen Colleg ...

(disputed with Northwode) ***1357–?: Richard de Swinnerton (disputed with Gildesburgh) ***1359–1361 (d.): Richard de Drax (disputed with Steele) ***1372: Richard Desbunton (disputed with Bridham) *1385–1407 (d.): John Lydford *21 January 1408 – 29 May 1415 (exch.): William Hunden *29 May 1415 – 1421 (d.): William Barton *3 November 1421 – 16 July 1433 (exch.): John Typhane *16 July 1433 – 1443 (d.): Alan Kirketon *16 August 1443 – 1453 (res.): John Burneby *4 June 1453–bef. 1469: Thomas Manning *bef. 1469–1478 (d.): Thomas Chippenham *15 February–October 1478 (d.): Owen Lord *bef. 1479–aft. 1482: William Wagott *"late fifteenth c.": Patrick Haliburton *26 March 1491 – 1499 (d.):

Edmund Chaderton Edmund Chaderton was Archdeacon of Salisbury, Archdeacon of Totnes during 1491 and Archdeacon of Chester The Archdeacon of Chester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the diocese of Chester. The area in which she, or he, has statutory duties i ...

Archdeacon of Salisbury The Archdeacon of Sarum is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Salisbury, England. He or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the five area deaneries of the Sarum archdeaconry, which cover the ...

(also

Archdeacon of Chester The Archdeacon of Chester is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the diocese of Chester. The area in which she, or he, has statutory duties is the Archdeaconry of Chester – those duties include some pastoral care and disciplinary supervision of ...

from 1493; possibly the

) *1499–25 November 1499 (d.): Ralph Heathcott *15 March 1500 – 18 April 1515 (res.):

John Fulford John Fulford may refer to: * John Fulford (English priest) John Fulford (died 12 June 1518) was an English archdeacon. He was the son of Sir Baldwin Fulford of Great Fulford, Devon who was Sheriff of Devon in 1460. He was collated Archdeaco ...

(became

) *13 May 1515–bef. 1534 (d.):

Richard Sydnor Richard Sydnor or Sydenor (died 1534) was the Receiver and Steward of Bishop Oldham of Exeter Cathedral from 10 Henry VII (1505) to 5 Henry VIII (1514) - see Exeter Cathedral MS. 3690. He was Archdeacon of Cornwall in 1515 and then Archdeacon o ...

(also Registrar of the Garter) *28 April 1534–bef. 1549 (res.): George Carew (later

Dean of Bristol The Dean of Bristol is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol, England. The Dean is Mandy Ford, since her installation on 3 October 2020. List of deans Early modern *1542–1551 William Sn ...

)

Early modern

*10 August 1549–?: William Collumpton (last prior of

St Nicholas Priory The Benedictine Priory of St Nicholas or just St Nicholas Priory was a Benedictine monastery founded in Exeter, England, in 1087. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries the church and chapter house range were pulled down but the domestic buildin ...

, and called

Bishop of Hippo Hippo Regius (also known as Hippo or Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, Algeria. It served as an important city for the Phoenicians, Berbers, Romans, and Vandals. Hippo was the capital city of the Vandal Kingdom from AD 43 ...

) *?–24 July 1557 (d.): William Fawell (possibly an alias of Collumpton) *2 March 1558–?: John Pollard *?–1561 (d.):

Thomas Kent Thomas Kent (; 29 August 1865 – 9 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist who was court-martialled and executed following a gunfight with the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) on 9 May 1916, in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising. Easter R ...

*21 February 1562–?: Robert Lougher (later MP for Pembroke 1572) *5 June 1568 – 1580 (d.): Oliver Whiddon *24 November 1580– (d.): John Cole *12 February 1584: Lewis Swete *22 September 1613 – 30 October 1616 (res.): William Parker (became

) *30 October 1616 – 20 January 1620 (d.): Jasper Swift (previously Archdeacon of Cornwall) *17 March 1620–? (res.): William Cotton *10 February 1622 – 1647 (d.): Edward Cotton *31 August 1660 – 27 August 1693 (d.): Francis Fullwood *1693–1 May 1694 (res.): Sir Jonathan Trelawney,

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

(''

in commendam In canon law, commenda (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastica ...

'') *18 May 1694 – 14 January 1701 (d.): George Snell *18 January 1701 – 1713 (res.):

Francis Atterbury Francis Atterbury (6 March 1663 – 22 February 1732) was an English man of letters, politician and bishop. A High Church Tory and Jacobite, he gained patronage under Queen Anne, but was mistrusted by the Hanoverian Whig ministries, and ban ...

(became

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...

) *28 July 1713 – 3 March 1740 (d.): Nicholas Kendall *26 March 1740 – 28 January 1772 (d.): George Baker *10 March 1772 – 1775 (res.): Thomas Skynner *16 August 1775 – 20 May 1820 (d.): Ralph Barnes *30 May 1820 – 23 February 1859 (d.):

Robert Froude Robert Hurrell Froude (1771–1859) was Archdeacon of Totnes in Devon, from 1820 to 1859. From 1799 to his death he was rector of Denbury and of Dartington in Devon. Origins Froude was born at Wakeham Farm in the parish of Aveton Gifford n ...

Late modern

*12 March 1859 – 1872:

John Downall John Downall (1803–1872) was the Archdeacon of Totnes from 1859 until 1872. He was the only son of James Downall of Liverpool and studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, graduating BA in 1826 and MA in 1829. He was ordained deacon in 1826 at Eccleshal ...

*3 October 1872 – 1889 (res.):

Alfred Earle Air Chief Marshal Sir Alfred Earle, (11 December 1907 – 27 March 1990) was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War who later served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff (1964–66), and Director General of British ...

(became Bishop suffragan of Marlborough) *20 January 1888 – 14 July 1910 (d.): Charles Wilkinson, Vicar of

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

(until 1901) *1910–13 January 1921 (d.): Arthur Simms, Vicar of St Luke's,

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

(until 1920) :''On 22 March 1918, the Archdeaconry of Plymouth was erected from Totnes archdeaconry.'' *1921–26 October 1933 (d.):

Newton Leeke Thomas Newton Leeke (17 January 1854 – 26 October 1933) was an Anglican priest. He was the Archdeacon of Totnes from 1921 until his death. Leeke was educated at Harrow School, Trinity College, Cambridge and Wells Theological College.Crockford' ...

*1933–1947 (ret.): John Lawrence Cobham, Rector of St Mark's Torwood, Torquay (until 1938; afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1948–1962 (ret.):

Edgar Hall Edgar Francis Hall (14 August 1888 – 9 February 1987) was an Anglican priest: the Archdeacon of Totnes from 1948 until 1962. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, and ordained in 1915. He was a Curate of St James’, Exeter, then Vicar ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1962–23 August 1965 (d.): John Hawkins (father of Richard) *1966–1976 (ret.):

Robert Newhouse Robert Fulton Newhouse (January 9, 1950 – July 22, 2014) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys for twelve seasons. He played college football for the Ho ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1976–1981 (ret.): John Lucas, Vicar of

Chudleigh Knighton Chudleigh Knighton is a small village in Devon, England, near to Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey. Amenities Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School has around 167 pupils, aged 5 to 11. The school has six classrooms on two floors. Th ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *1981–1988 (res.):

Richard Hawkins Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins (or Hawkyns) (c. 1562 – 17 April 1622) was a 17th-century English seaman, explorer and privateer. He was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins. Biography He was from his earlier days familiar with ships and the ...

, Priest-in-charge, Whitestone with Oldridge (until 1987; son of John; became Bishop suffragan of Plymouth) *1988–1994 (res.): Tony Tremlett (became

Archdeacon of Exeter The Archdeacon of Exeter is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. The modern diocese is divided into four archdeaconries: the archdeacon of Exeter supervises clergy and buildings within the area of the ...

) *1996–2005 (ret.):

Richard Gilpin Richard Gilpin (baptised 23 October 1625 – 13 February 1700) was an English nonconformist minister and physician, prominent in the northern region. Life The second son of Isaac Gilpin of Strickland Ketel, in the parish of Kendal, Westmorla ...

(afterwards archdeacon emeritus) *2005–30 September 2014 (ret.): John Rawlings *1 September 2014 – 2015:

Clive Cohen The Ven. Clive Ronald Franklin Cohen (30 January 1946 – 8 April 2019) was an Anglican priest and author. Cohen was employed by the Midland Bank from 1967 to 1969. He trained at Salisbury and Wells Theological College and was ordained deacon i ...

''(Acting)'' *24 March 2015–present: Douglas DettmerDiocese of Exeter �
New archdeacons for Totnes and Barnstaple announced
&
''ad clerum''
(Accessed 2 January 2015)

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Totnes, Archdeacon of Lists of Anglicans Diocese of Exeter

Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter and under the oversight of the Bishop su ...

Christianity in Devon