| Bishopric: | Winchester |
| Border: | anglican |
| Coat: | File:Arms SeeOfWinchester.svg |
| Coat Size: | 200 |
| Coat Caption: | Arms of the Bishop of Winchester: Gules, two keys addorsed in bend the upper or the lower argent between them overlying the uppermost key a sword in bend sinister point upright of the third hilt and pommel or[1] |
| Incumbent: | Philip Mounstephen |
| Province: | Canterbury |
| Residence: | Wolvesey Palace, Winchester |
| Established: | 634 (at Dorchester) 660 (translated to Winchester) |
| Cathedral: | Winchester Cathedral (since 660) Dorchester (634–660) |
| First Incumbent: | Wine |
| Diocese: | Winchester |
The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (cathedra) is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.
The Bishop of Winchester has always held ex officio the office of Prelate of the Most Noble Order of the Garter since its foundation in 1348. except during the period of the Commonwealth until the Restoration of the Monarchy.[2] Bishops of Winchester also often held the positions of Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor ex officio.
During the Middle Ages, the Diocese of Winchester was one of the wealthiest English sees, and its bishops have included a number of politically prominent Englishmen, notably the 9th century Saint Swithun and medieval magnates including William of Wykeham and Henry of Blois.
The Bishop of Winchester is appointed by the Crown, and is one of five Church of England bishops who sit ex officio among the 26 Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords, regardless of their length of service.[3] Philip Mounstephen has been the Bishop of Winchester since 10 October 2023.[4] [5]
The Diocese of Winchester is one of the oldest and most important in England. Originally it was the episcopal see of the kingdom of Wessex or the West Saxons, with its cathedra at Dorchester Cathedral near Oxford under Saints Birinus and Agilbert. The cathedral at Dorchester was founded in AD 634 by Birinius, a Roman missionary. The see was transferred to Winchester in AD 660.
Winchester was divided in AD 909, with Wiltshire and Berkshire transferring to the new See of Ramsbury. Nevertheless, the domains of the Bishop of Winchester ran from the south coast to the south bank of the River Thames at Southwark, where the bishop had one of his palaces, making it one of the largest as well as one of the richest sees in the land. In more modern times, the former extent of the Diocese of Winchester was reduced by the formation of a new diocese of Southwark in south London, a new diocese of Guildford in Surrey and a new diocese of Portsmouth in Hampshire. The most recent loss of territory was in 2022 when the Channel Islands were removed from the diocese of Winchester after a dispute with Bishop Tim Dakin led to a breakdown in relations. The Channel Islands were transferred to the Diocese of Salisbury by an Order in Council made under the Channel Islands Measure 2020.[6]
Traditionally, in the general order of precedence before 1533, the Bishop of Winchester was given precedence over all other diocesan bishops - that is, the first English bishop in rank behind the archbishops of Canterbury and York. But in 1533, Henry VIII of England raised the rank of the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Durham, relegating Winchester to third (but still above other remaining diocesan bishops). The order of precedence was implicitly recognised by the Bishoprics Act 1878.[7]
The Report of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) found the Winchester see was the third wealthiest in England, after Canterbury and London, with an annual net income of £11,151.[8]
The official residence of the Bishop of Winchester is Wolvesey Palace in Winchester. Historic homes of the bishops included Wolvesey Castle, Farnham Castle, Bishop's Waltham Palace and Winchester Palace in Southwark. The bishop is the visitor to five Oxford colleges, namely Magdalen College, New College, St John's College, Trinity College, and Corpus Christi College.
The former bishop of Winchester, Tim Dakin, was enthroned on 21 April 2012, having been elected on 14 October 2011. He was consecrated as a bishop at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on 25 January 2012. On 20 May 2021, it was reported that Dakin had "stepped back" as diocesan bishop for six weeks, in light of the threat of a diocesan synod motion of no confidence in his leadership. David Williams, Bishop of Basingstoke, also "stepped back" and Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton, served as acting diocesan bishop. Dakin's leave was later extended to the end of August 2021. He retired on 6 February 2022.[9]
Debbie Sellin continued as acting diocesan bishop during the vacancy, with retired bishop Richard Frith serving as the Archbishop's Episcopal Commissary in the diocese.[10] In July 2023, it was announced that Philip Mounstephen would be the next Bishop of Winchester[11] and that he was to leave his post at Truro in autumn 2023.[12] Debbie Sellin remained acting diocesan bishop pending Mounstephen's election (which took place on 11 September)[13] and confirmation on 10 October.[14]
| Bishops of Dorchester | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | |
| 634 | 650 | Birinus | Sent from Rome by the pope, founded missionary diocese; Saint Birinius | |
| 650 | 660 | Agilbert | Resigned. | |
| Bishops of Winchester | ||||
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | |
| 660 | 663 | Wine | also had his See at Dorchester | |
| 670 | before 676 | Leuthere | ||
| 676 | ?705 | Hædde | Canonized | |
| 744 | Daniel | |||
| 744 | betw. 749–756 | Hunfrith | ||
| 756 | betw. 759–778 | Cyneheard | ||
| betw. 759–778 | betw. 759–778 | Æthelheard | ||
| betw. 759–778 | betw. 781–785 | Ecgbald | ||
| betw. 781–785 | betw. 781–785 | Dudd | ||
| betw. 781–785 | betw. 801–803 | Cyneberht | ||
| betw. 801–803 | betw. 805–814 | Ealhmund | ||
| betw. 805–814 | 836 | Wigthegn | ||
| before 825 | 836 | Herefrith | Never attests without Wigthegn. | |
| betw. 833–838 | 838 | Eadhun | ||
| 838 or 839 | betw. 844–853 | Helmstan | ||
| 852 or 853 | betw. 862–865 | Swithun | Canonized. Patron saint of Winchester. | |
| betw. 862–867 | betw. 871–877 | Ealhferth | ||
| betw. 871–877 | 878 or 879 | Tunbeorht | ||
| 878 or 879 | 908 | Denewulf | ||
| 909 | 932 or 933 | Frithestan | Canonized | |
| 931 | 934 | Beornstan | Canonized | |
| 934 or 935 | 951 | Ælfheah (I) | ||
| 951 | 959 | Ælfsige (I) | Translated to Canterbury | |
| 960 | 963 | Beorhthelm | Possibly translated from Selsey | |
| 963 | 984 | Æthelwold (I) | Canonized | |
| 984 | 1006 | Ælfheah (II) | Translated to Canterbury. Canonized. | |
| 1006 | Cenwulf | |||
| 1006 | 1012 | Æthelwold (II) | ||
| 1012 | 1032 | Ælfsige (II) | ||
| 1032 | 1047 | Ælfwine | ||
| 1047 | 1070 | Stigand | Translated from Elmham. Held Winchester with Canterbury 1052–1070. | |
| Footnote(s): and Source(s):[15] [16] | ||||
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1531 | 1551 | Stephen Gardiner (1st tenure) | ||
| 1551 | 1553 | John Ponet | Translated from Rochester | |
| 1553 | 1555 | Stephen Gardiner (2nd tenure) | ||
| 1556 | 1559 | John White | Translated from Lincoln | |
| Source(s):[21] | ||||
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1560 | 1580 | Robert Horne | ||
| 1580 | 1584 | John Watson | ||
| 1584 | 1594 | Thomas Cooper | Translated from Lincoln | |
| 1594 | 1595 | William Wickham | Translated from Lincoln | |
| 1595 | 1596 | William Day | ||
| 1597 | 1616 | Thomas Bilson | Translated from Worcester | |
| 1616 | 1618 | James Montague | Translated from Bath and Wells | |
| 1618 | 1626 | Lancelot Andrewes | Translated from Ely | |
| 1627 | 1632 | Richard Neile | Translated from Durham, later translated to York | |
| 1632 | 1646 | Walter Curle | Translated from Bath and Wells. Deprived 1646, and died 1647. | |
| 1646 | 1660 | The see was abolished during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate.[22] [23] | ||
| 1660 | 1662 | Brian Duppa | Translated from Salisbury | |
| 1662 | 1684 | George Morley | Translated from Worcester | |
| 1684 | 1706 | Peter Mews | Translated from Bath and Wells | |
| 1707 | 1721 | Sir Jonathan Trelawny | Translated from Exeter | |
| 1721 | 1723 | Charles Trimnell | Translated from Norwich | |
| 1723 | 1734 | Richard Willis | Translated from Salisbury | |
| 1734 | 1761 | Benjamin Hoadly | Translated from Salisbury | |
| 1761 | 1781 | John Thomas | Translated from Salisbury | |
| 1781 | 1820 | Brownlow North | Translated from Worcester | |
| 1820 | 1827 | Sir George Pretyman Tomline, Bt. | Translated from Lincoln | |
| 1827 | 1869 | Charles Sumner | Translated from Llandaff | |
| 1869 | 1873 | Samuel Wilberforce | Translated from Oxford | |
| 1873 | 1891 | Harold Browne | Translated from Ely | |
| 1891 | 1895 | Anthony Thorold | Translated from Rochester | |
| 1895 | 1903 | Randall Davidson | Translated from Rochester, later translated to Canterbury | |
| 1903 | 1911 | Herbert Edward Ryle | Translated from Exeter | |
| 1911 | 1923 | Edward Talbot | Translated from Southwark | |
| 1923 | 1932 | Theodore Woods | Translated from Peterborough | |
| 1932 | 1942 | Cyril Garbett | Translated from Southwark, later translated to York | |
| 1942 | 1952 | Mervyn Haigh | Translated from Coventry | |
| 1952 | 1961 | Alwyn Williams | Translated from Durham | |
| 1961 | 1975 | Falkner Allison | Translated from Chelmsford | |
| 1975 | 1985 | John Taylor | ||
| 1985 | 1995 | Colin James | Translated from Wakefield | |
| 1995 | 2011 | Michael Scott-Joynt | Translated from Stafford | |
| 2012 | 2022 | Tim Dakin | ||
| 2022 | 2023 | Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton and acting diocesan bishop | ||
| 2022 | 2023 | Richard Frith, Archbishop's Episcopal Commissary | former Bishop of Hereford | |
| 2023 | present | Philip Mounstephen[24] | Translated from Truro; confirmed 10 October 2023. | |
| Source(s):[25] [26] | ||||
Among those who have served as assistant bishops of the diocese are: