Archdeacon of Northampton explained

The Archdeacon of Northampton is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Peterborough. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy ^[1] within its six rural deaneries: Brackley, Brixworth, Daventry, Greater Northampton, Towcester and Wellingborough.^[2] The incumbent is Richard Ormston, who took up his position in February 2014.^[3]

History

This is a list of archdeacons of Northampton, historically a post in the Diocese of Lincoln, and then in the Diocese of Peterborough from that diocese's creation on 4 September 1541.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

• bef. 1092–bef. 1123: Nigel (first archdeacon)
• bef. 1123–aft. 1132: Robert
• bef. 1133–9 February 1169 (d.): William
• bef. 1174–1175: Herbert Poore
• 1175–aft. 1187: Savaric FitzGeldewin
• bef. 1194–aft. 1198: Wimar (Winemer)
• bef. 1200–aft. 1203: Richard of Kent
• bef. 1206–aft. 1231: Robert de Manecestre (i.e. of Manchester)
• bef. 1231–1246 (d.): John de Houton
• bef. 1247–20 November 1272 (d.): Giles le Rous (Rufus)
• bef. 1273–1280 (res.): Richard Gravesend
• bef. 1280–bef. 1291 (d.): Stephen of Sutton
• 9 January 1291–bef. 1316 (d.): Thomas of Sutton

Late Medieval

• 8 June 1316–bef. 1331 (d.): Gilbert Middleton
• Opposed (ineffectually) by claimants:
  • 1317 (d.): Thomas Grandison
  • 1317: Gauscelin Cardinal de Jean (Cardinal-priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro)
• 6 January–1 March 1331 (disp.): Richard Bury d'Aungerville (displaced)
• 1 March 1331 – 14 April 1335 (d.): Peter Cardinal de Mortemart (Cardinal-priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio)
• 15 September 1335 – 20 November 1348 (d.): John Raymond Cardinal de Comminges (Cardinal-bishop of Porto)
• 1349–bef. 1351 (res.): Roger Neucroft
• ?–bef. 1351 (res.): John Gynwell
• 27 February 1351 – 1363 (res.): John Bokyngham
• 26 April–23 May 1363 (res.): William of Wykeham
• 14 June 1363 – 1371/2 (d.): William Askeby/Scoter
• 21 December 1371 – 1373 (res.): Henry Wakefield (elected Bishop of Ely, but set aside)
• bef. 1374–April 1379 (d.): Henry Piel
• bef. 1381–aft. 1381: Walter Skirlaw
• 23 February–March 1386 (res.): Henry Bowet
• 23 March 1386–bef. 1402 (d.): Thomas Butiller
• 14 July 1402–bef. 1403 (res.): Thomas Bekingham
• 4 June 1403 – 1413 (res.): Richard Courtenay
• The Bishop of Rome (then Pope Gregory XII) reserved the archdeaconry for John Bremor in 1413, but Bremor evidently did not obtain possession.
• 6 April 1413–?: John Stone
• 10 July 1419 – 1431 (res.): Robert FitzHugh
• 4 August 1431 – 9 April 1434 (d.): Ardicino Cardinal della Porta (seniore) (Cardinal-deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano)
• 16 May 1434 – 1454 (res.): William Grey

• 17 August 1454–bef. 1457 (res.): George Neville
• 19 August 1457 – 1464 (res.): John Chadworth
• 23 August 1464–bef. 1468 (d.): William Say
• 27 November 1468 – 1471 (res.): John Rudying
• 6 August 1471–bef. 1482 (d.): John Collinson
• 24 March 1482–bef. 1500 (d.): Peter Huse or Busy
• 4 January 1500 – 1506 (res.): William Smith
• 26 August 1506–bef. 1548 (res.): Gilbert Smith

Early modern

On 4 September 1541, Northampton archdeaconry became part of the new Diocese of Peterborough.

• 28 May 1548–March 1549 (d.): John Apharry (ap Harry, Parry)
• 30 March 1549 – 1554 (res.): William Geffre
• bef. 1558–bef. 1571 (d.): William Binsley
• bef. 1579–bef. 1587 (d.): Nicholas Sheppard
• 12 November 1587–April 1598 (d.): James Howland
• bef. 1598–bef. 1604 (res.): William Bayly
• 23 March 1604 – 1611 (res.): John Buckeridge
• 9 July 1611–bef. 1612 (d.): Richard Butler
• 26 September 1612 – 24 July 1629 (d.): Thomas Dove, yr
• 31 July 1629–bef. 1665 (d.): John Quarles
• 25 October 1665 – 9 December 1679 (d.): John Palmer
• 4 January 1680 – 29 November 1707 (d.): Thomas Wolsey
• 12 December 1707 – 24 December 1737 (d.): Richard Cumberland
• 13 January 1738 – 7 August 1764 (d.): John Browne
• 6 September 1764 – 17 November 1797 (d.): William Brown
• 1 December 1797 – 8 September 1842 (d.): William Strong
• 15 September 1842 – 7 February 1875 (d.): Owen Davys

Late modern

• 1875–1911 (res.): Francis Thicknesse (also Bishop suffragan of Leicester, 1888–1902)
• 1911–1919 (res.): Holden Hutton
• 1919–1936 (res.): Norman Lang (also Bishop suffragan of Leicester until 1927; Assistant Bishop of Peterborough thereafter)
• 1936–1941 (res.): Carey Knyvett
• 1941–1959 (ret.): John Grimes (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)
• 1959–1964 (res.): Ronald Goodchild
• 1964–1991 (ret.): Bazil Marsh (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)
• 1991–2004 (ret.): Michael Chapman
• 2005–2013 (ret.): Christine Allsopp^[4] (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)
• 2014–present: Richard Ormston^[5]

Notes and References

1. Meakin, T. ABCD: a basic church dictionary. Norwich, Canterbury Press, 2001 (Google Books, p. 50, accessed 23 May 2014)
2. [Crockford's Clerical Directory|Crockford's on line]
3. http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/people/archdeacons The Diocese of Peterborough – Archdeacon
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20120712220318/http://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/people/archnorthampton.htm The Diocese of Peterborough – Archdeacon of Northampton (Archived 12 July 2012
5. Web site: New Archdeacon of Northampton appointed. Diocese of Peterborough. 23 November 2013. 1 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180701030523/https://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/news-and-events/news/post/127-new-archdeacon-of-northampton-appointed. dead.