Anglican Bishop of Southwark

The Bishop of Southwark (/ˈsʌðərk/ ^ⓘ SUDH-ərk)^[1] is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.^[2][3]

Bishop of Southwark
Bishopric
anglican
Incumbent: Christopher Chessun
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Canterbury
Residence	Bishop's House, Streatham
Information
Established	1905
Diocese	Southwark
Cathedral	St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark

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Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester. In 1891, the Bishop of Rochester appointed Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs the only suffragan bishop of Southwark and an ancient parish church in Southwark was restored to become a pro-cathedral in 1897, which later became Southwark Cathedral.^[2] The bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Streatham.^[4]

On 1 May 1905,^[5] the Diocese of Southwark was created and covers Greater London south of the River Thames and east Surrey, broadly defined.^[2] The Bishop of Southwark is assisted by the suffragan bishops of Croydon, of Kingston and of Woolwich who each oversee an episcopal area of the diocese.^[6]

The current and previous bishops have been cited in canonical practice in its interpretation as "valid but irregular" of three ordinations of candidates ordained abroad, associated with a conservative evangelical church-forming group, the Anglican Mission in England, having expressed, in the church's view, extreme views on a complex subject.^[7][8]

The current bishop is Christopher Chessun, the 10th Bishop of Southwark, who signs +Christopher Southwark. He had previously been the area Bishop of Woolwich (2005–2011). When the post-holder ranks among the longest-serving 21 bishops heading a diocese, he or she will qualify for a place in the House of Lords, joining the other five who qualify ex officio, including the two archbishops.

List of bishops

For the only Bishop suffragan of Southwark, see Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs.

Diocesan Bishops of Southwark
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1905	1911	Edward Talbot	Translated from Rochester, translated to Winchester
1911	1919	Hubert Burge	Translated to Oxford
1919	1932	Cyril Garbett	Translated to Winchester, and later to York
1932	1941	Richard Parsons	Translated from Middleton, translated to Hereford
1942	1959	Bertram Simpson	Translated from Kensington
1959	1980	Mervyn Stockwood
1980	1991	Ronald Bowlby	Translated from Newcastle
1991	1998	Roy Williamson	Translated from Bradford
1998	2010	Tom Butler	Translated from Leicester
2011	incumbent	Christopher Chessun	Translated from Woolwich
Source(s):[9][10]

Assistant bishops

Among those who have served as assistant bishops in the diocese have been:

• 1964–1968: Gething Caulton, former Bishop of Melanesia and Assistant Bishop of Auckland^[11]
• 1968–1972 (d.): John Boys, former Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman^[12]
• 1967 – 1971 (ret.): Lawrence Barham, Minister of Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon and former Bishop of Rwanda and Burundi. Edward Lawrence Barham (25 June 1901 – 5 June 1973) was a missionary in Uganda and Ruanda-Urundi. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge; and trained for the ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.^[13] He was made deacon on Trinity Sunday 1925 (7 June)^[14] and ordained priest the following Trinity Sunday (30 May 1926) — both times by Cyril Garbett, Bishop of Southwark, at Southwark Cathedral.^[15] After his curacy in Hatcham, County of London (1925–28), he went as a missionary of the Church Mission Society, first to Uganda until 1938, then to Ruanda-Urundi, 1938–57. He was additionally made a Canon of the Diocese of Uganda, 1939; and appointed Archdeacon of Nkore-Kigezi (in the same diocese), 1957–59. Returning to England, he served as General Secretary of the CMS Ruanda Mission until his appointment as Bishop of Rwanda and Burundi in 1964.^[13] He was consecrated a bishop on 8 March 1964, by Leslie Brown, Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Namirembe, at Namirembe Cathedral;^[16] and served until 1966, when he resigned and returned to London in 1966.^[13]
• 1974 – 1975: Br John-Charles SSF, former Assistant Bishop of Adelaide and Bishop of Polynesia^[17]
• 1975 – 1987 (ret.): Edward Knapp-Fisher, Canon and Archdeacon of Westminster, Sub-Dean of Westminster (from 1982) and former Bishop of Pretoria^[18]

References

1. "Southwark", in The Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World (1952), New York: Columbia University Press.
2. Diocese of Southwark: History Archived January 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 21 October 2013.
3. Crockford's Clerical Directory, 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0.
4. "Christopher Thomas James Chessun". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
5. London Gazette. March 21, 1905.
6. Diocese of Southwark: Bishops and Officers Archived 2006-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 25 November 2008.
7. Petre, Jonathan (4 November 2005). "Evangelicals defy bishop by holding 'irregular' ordinations". Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
8. "A.M.I.E". Co-Mission. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
9. "Historical successions: Southwark". Crockford's Clerical Directory. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
10. Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (2003) [1986]. Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 274–275. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
11. Blain, Michael. Blain Biographical Directory of Anglican clergy in the South Pacific — ordained before 1932 (2019) p. 268 (Accessed at Project Canterbury, 26 June 2019)
12. "Boys, John". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
13. "Barham, Edward Lawrence". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
14. "The Trinity ordinations". Church Times. No. 3255. 12 June 1925. p. 715. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 26 May 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.
15. "Trinity ordinations". Church Times. No. 3306. 4 June 1926. p. 631. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 26 May 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.
16. "Farewell for new Bishop of Rwanda". Church Times. No. 5272. 28 February 1964. p. 16. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 26 May 2021 – via UK Press Online archives.
17. "Vockler, Brother John-Charles". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
18. "Knapp-Fisher, Edward George". Who's Who. A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

External links

• Crockford's Clerical Directory - Listings