List of deans in the Church of England

The deans in the Church of England are the senior Anglican clergy who head the chapter of a collegiate church (almost all of which are cathedrals). If they are dean of the diocesan chapter, they are the senior priest of the diocese and often also undertake some other diocesan and civic duties in the area. As of 4 August 2024^[update], there are 46 deans (including vacancies): 44 of cathedrals plus the two royal peculiars.

Key
	Active dean		Male dean
	Inactive dean		Female dean
	Position vacant

Deans

Church	Dean	Person	Date of birth & age	Instituted[i]
Canterbury Cathedral	The Dean of Canterbury	David Monteith	(1968-06-05) 5 June 1968 (age 56)	18 May 2013 (Leicester)[1] 17 December 2022 (Canterbury)[2]
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle	The Dean of Windsor	Christopher Cocksworth	(1959-01-12) 12 January 1959 (age 66)	6 November 2023[3]
Lichfield Cathedral	The Dean of Lichfield,  honorary assistant bishop	Jan McFarlane	(1964-11-25) 25 November 1964 (age 60)	21 September 2024[4]
Peterborough Cathedral	The Dean of Peterborough	Chris Dalliston	(1956-04-02) 2 April 1956 (age 68)	12 July 2003 (Newcastle) 20 January 2018 (Peterborough)[5]
Manchester Cathedral	The Dean of Manchester	Rogers Govender	(1960-06-27) 27 June 1960 (age 64)	14 January 2006
Exeter Cathedral	The Dean of Exeter	Jonathan Greener	(1961-03-09) 9 March 1961 (age 63)	8 December 2007 (Wakefield) 26 November 2017 (Exeter)
Westminster Abbey	The Dean of Westminster	David Hoyle	(1957-01-01) 1 January 1957 (age 68)1957 (age 67–68)	29 May 2010 (Bristol) 16 November 2019 (Westminster)[6]
Winchester Cathedral	The Dean of Winchester	Catherine Ogle[A]	(1961-05-12) 12 May 1961 (age 63)[8]	2 September 2010 (Birmingham)[9] 11 February 2017 (Winchester)[10]
Peel Cathedral	The Dean of Peel	Nigel Godfrey	(1951-04-25) 25 April 1951 (age 73)	15 October 2011
Ely Cathedral	The Dean of Ely	Mark Bonney	(1957-03-02) 2 March 1957 (age 67)[11]	22 September 2012
Coventry Cathedral	The Dean of Coventry	John Witcombe	(1959-03-01) 1 March 1959 (age 65)	19 January 2013[12]
Ripon Cathedral[ii]	The Dean of Ripon	John Dobson[14]	(1964-11-16) 16 November 1964 (age 60)	14 June 2014[15]
York Minster	The Dean of York	Dominic Barrington	1962 (age 62–63)[16]	13 September 2015 (Chicago)[17] 12 November 2022 (York)[18]
Rochester Cathedral	The Dean of Rochester	Philip Hesketh[19]	(1964-11-15) 15 November 1964 (age 60)	19 June 2016[20]
St Paul's Cathedral, London	The Dean of St Paul's	Andrew Tremlett	(1964-03-09) 9 March 1964 (age 60)[21]	17 July 2016 (Durham)[22] 25 September 2022 (St Paul's)[23]
Southwell Minster	The Dean of Southwell	Nicola Sullivan[24]	(1958-08-15) 15 August 1958 (age 66)[25]	17 September 2016[26]
Blackburn Cathedral	The Dean of Blackburn	Peter Howell-Jones	1962 (age 62–63)	25 March 2017[27]
Birmingham Cathedral	The Dean of Birmingham	Matt Thompson	1968 (age 56–57)[28]	30 September 2017[29]
Liverpool Cathedral	The Dean of Liverpool	Sue Jones	1960 (age 64–65)[30]	5 May 2018[31]
St Edmundsbury Cathedral	The Dean of St Edmundsbury	Joe Hawes	1965 (age 59–60)[32]	14 July 2018[33]
Chester Cathedral	The Dean of Chester	Tim Stratford	(1961-02-26) 26 February 1961 (age 63)[34]	8 September 2018[35]
Salisbury Cathedral	The Dean of Salisbury	Nick Papadopulos	1966 (age 58–59)[36]	9 September 2018[37]
Wakefield Cathedral[ii]	The Dean of Wakefield	Simon Cowling[B]	1966 (age 58–59)[39]	29 September 2018[40]
Portsmouth Cathedral	The Dean of Portsmouth	Anthony Cane	1961 (age 63–64)[41]	16 March 2019[42]
Derby Cathedral	The Dean of Derby	Peter Robinson	1961 (age 63–64)[43]	20 July 2020[44]
Bristol Cathedral	The Dean of Bristol	Mandy Ford	1961 (age 63–64)[45]	3 October 2020[46]
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Gibraltar	The Dean of Gibraltar	Ian Tarrant	1957 (age 67–68)[47]	13 October 2020[48]
Hereford Cathedral	The Dean of Hereford	Sarah Brown	withheld[49]	2 October 2021[50]
Sheffield Cathedral	The Dean of Sheffield	Abi Thompson	1975 (age 49–50)[51]	6 November 2021[52]
St Albans Cathedral	The Dean of St Albans	Jo Kelly-Moore	1968 (age 56–57)[53]	4 December 2021[54]
Bradford Cathedral[ii]	The Dean of Bradford	Andy Bowerman	1967 (age 57–58)[55]	19 June 2022[56]
Norwich Cathedral	The Dean of Norwich	Andrew Braddock	1971 (age 53–54)[57]	28 January 2023[58]
Gloucester Cathedral	The Dean of Gloucester	Andrew Zihni	1977 (age 47–48)[59]	23 April 2023[60]
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford	The Dean of Christ Church	Sarah Foot	(1961-02-23) 23 February 1961 (age 63)	8 July 2023[61]
Durham Cathedral	The Dean of Durham	Philip Plyming	1974 (age 50–51)[62]	16 September 2023[63]
Carlisle Cathedral	The Dean of Carlisle	Jonathan Brewster	1967 (age 57–58)[64]	30 September 2023[65]
Newcastle Cathedral	The Dean of Newcastle	Lee Batson	1977 (age 47–48)[66]	14 October 2023[67]
Southwark Cathedral	The Dean of Southwark	Mark Oakley	1968 (age 56–57)[68]	3 December 2023[69]
Truro Cathedral	The Dean of Truro	Simon Robinson	1967 (age 57–58)[70]	21 January 2024[71]
Leicester Cathedral	The Dean of Leicester	Karen Rooms	1961 (age 63–64)[72]	9 March 2024[73]
Wells Cathedral	The Dean of Wells	Toby Wright	1975 (age 49–50)[74]	16 June 2024[75]
Lincoln Cathedral	The Dean of Lincoln	Simon Jones	1972 (age 52–53)[76]	14 September 2024[77]
Chichester Cathedral	The Dean of Chichester	Edward Dowler	1967 (age 57–58)	14 September 2024[78]
Worcester Cathedral	The Dean of Worcester	Stephen Edwards	1972 (age 52–53)[79]	15 September 2024[80]
Chelmsford Cathedral	The Dean of Chelmsford	Jessica Martin	1963 (age 61–62)[81]	5 January 2025[82]
Guildford Cathedral	The Dean of Guildford	Bob Cooper	(1968-07-26) 26 July 1968 (age 56)	26 January 2025[83]

Interim deans

Under the Cathedrals Measure 2021, the bishop must appoint a canon residentiary as "interim dean" during a vacancy in the deanery.^[84]

See also

• List of bishops in the Church of England
• List of archdeacons in the Church of England

Resignations and retirements

1. Ogle is to retire effective 1 May 2025.^[7]
2. Cowling has announced his intention to retire effective 31 July 2025.^[38]

Notes

1. The date the person first became a dean.
2. When the Diocese of Leeds was formed on 20 April 2014, the cathedrals at Bradford, Ripon and Wakefield became part of that diocese; each (acting) dean remained (acting) dean of their respective cathedral. The reorganisation scheme created the position of "presiding dean of the diocesan chapter" and senior priest of the new diocese,^[13] but that role has never been referred to since.

See also

• Anglican deans

References

1. Diocese of Leicester – New Dean of Leicester announced Archived 2013-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
2. "New Dean of Canterbury Announced". Canterbury Cathedral. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
3. "No. 64225". The London Gazette. 10 November 2023. p. 22650.
4. "The Dean's Installation: Rediscovering Faith". Lichfield Cathedral. 27 September 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
5. Peterborough Cathedral — The new Dean of Peterborough announced today (Accessed 29 November 2017)
6. "David Hoyle appointed new Dean of Westminster".
7. "Winchester Cathedral Dean, Catherine Ogle announces she will retire next year". Winchester Cathedral. 12 November 2024. Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
8. "Ogle, Catherine". Who's Who. Vol. 2013 (December 2012 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 29 December 2012. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
9. Diocese of Birmingham – New Dean for Birmingham (Accessed 5 January 2013)
10. Winchester Cathedral — the Next Dean of Winchester Archived 2016-09-05 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 2 September 2016)
11. "Bonney, Mark Philip John". Who's Who. Vol. 2013 (December 2012 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 29 December 2012. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
12. BBC News – Witcombe appointed Dean
13. The Dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds and Wakefield Reorganisation Scheme 2013 Archived 2014-02-20 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 3 February 2014)
14. Ripon Cathedral – Ripon Cathedral welcomes announcement of new Dean (Accessed 13 March 2014)
15. "Ripon Cathedral's Dean John Dobson installed". BBC News. BBC. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
16. "Dominic Matthew Jesse Barrigton". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
17. "Dominic Barrington named dean of St. James Cathedral, Chicago". Episcopal News Service. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
18. "The Installation of Dominic Barrington as the 77th Dean of York". Archbishop of York. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
19. Rochester Cathedral — New Dean (Accessed 26 February 2016)
20. Rochester Cathedral — Installation of new Dean Archived 2016-10-17 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 30 June 2016)
21. "Tremlett, Andrew". Who's Who. Vol. 2016 (November 2015 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 10 January 2016. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
22. Durham Cathedral — Special Service — Installation of the new Dean (Accessed 30 June 2016)
23. "Evensong with the Installation of the Dean". St Paul's Cathedral. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
24. Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham — New Dean of Southwell announced (Accessed 4 April 2016)
25. "Sullivan, Nicola Ann". Who's Who. Vol. 2013 (December 2012 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 29 December 2012. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
26. Diocese of Bath & Wells — Farewell service for Archdeacon Nicola (Accessed 30 June 2016)
27. "The next Dean of Blackburn to be Peter Howell-Jones". blackburncathedral.com. Blackburn Cathedral. 26 November 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
28. "Matthew Thompson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
29. Birmingham Cathedral — Installation of Matt Thompson as Dean of Birmingham (Accessed 1 September 2017)
30. "Susan Helen Jones". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
31. Liverpool Cathedral — We announce the 8th Dean of Liverpool (Accessed 6 May 2018)
32. "Joseph Patricius Hawes". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
33. St Edmundsbury Cathedral — A New Dean Archived 2018-03-16 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 15 March 2018)
34. "Stratford, Timothy Richard". Who's Who. Vol. 2016 (November 2015 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 24 July 2016. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
35. Diocese of Chester — New Dean of Chester Cathedral announced (Accessed 10 April 2018)
36. "Nicholas Charles Papadopulos". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
37. Salisbury Cathedral — New Dean of Salisbury appointed (Accessed 10 April 2018)
38. "Dean Simon to retire from Wakefield Cathedral in July". Diocese of Leeds. 16 February 2025. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
39. "Simon Charles Cowling". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
40. Wakefield Cathedral — New Dean for Wakefield Cathedral Archived 2018-05-29 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 29 May 2018)
41. "Anthony William Nicholas Strephon Cane". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
42. "Sermon for Choral Evensong with the Installation of the Dean of Portsmouth — Portsmouth Cathedral". www.portsmouthcathedral.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019.
43. "Peter John Alan Robinson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
44. "The Ven Peter Robinson to be the new Dean of Derby".
45. "Amanda Kirstine Ford". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
46. "Diocese of Bristol | Installation of the Revd Canon Dr Mandy Ford as Dean of Bristol marks a first for the Church of England".
47. "Ian Denis Tarrant". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
48. "Installation Service for new Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gibraltar: 13 October".
49. "Sarah Romilly Denner Brown". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
50. "Welcome to the new Dean of Hereford". Hereford Cathedral. 2 October 2021. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
51. "Abigail Laura Thompson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
52. "Installation of the New Dean of Sheffield". Sheffield Cathedral. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
53. "Joanne Kelly-Moore". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
54. "Jo Kelly-Moore installed as Dean of St Albans". St Albans Cathedral. 4 December 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
55. "Andrew Mark Bowerman". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
56. "Bowerman installed as new Dean of Bradford". Diocese of Leeds. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
57. "Andrew Jonathan Braddock". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
58. "New Dean of Norwich announced". Norwich Cathedral. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
59. "Andrew Stephen Zihni". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
60. "Zihni installed as the 39th Dean of Gloucester". Gloucester Cathedral. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
61. "Choral Evensong with the Installation of Dean Foot". Christ Church. 8 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
62. "Philip James John Plyming". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
63. "Philip Plyming appointed as new Dean of Durham". Diocese of Durham. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
64. "Jonathan David Brewster". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
65. "News: New Dean for Carlisle Cathedral announced". Diocese of Carlisle. 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
66. "Lee Paul Batson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
67. "Celebrating our new Dean, Lee Batson". Newcastle Cathedral. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
68. "Mark David Oakley". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
69. "Mark Oakley named as next Dean of Southwark". Southwark Cathedral. 30 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
70. "Simon Joseph Robinson". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
71. "New Dean of Truro officially installed". Truro Cathedral. 24 January 2024. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
72. "Karen Sheila Frances Rooms". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
73. "Karen Rooms installed as Dean of Leicester". Leicester Cathedral. 11 March 2024. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
74. "Toby Christopher Wright". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
75. "We welcome the new Dean of Wells". Diocese of Bath & Wells. 26 June 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024. and "Installation Sermon" (PDF). Diocese of Bath & Wells. 16 June 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
76. "Simon Matthew Jones". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
77. "Installation of the Dean of Lincoln". Lincoln Cathedral. 12 September 2024. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
78. "Edward Dowler installed as Dean of Chichester". Chicester Cathedral. 14 September 2024. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
79. "Stephen Michel Edwards". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
80. "(Section) The Installation of the 47th Dean of Worcester". Worcester Cathedral. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
81. "Jessica Heloise Martin". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
82. "Jessica Martin welcomed as the Dean of Chelmsford". Diocese of Chelmsford. 6 January 2025. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
83. "Bob Cooper installed as the new Dean of Guildford". Diocese of Guildford. Archived from the original on 1 February 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
84. "Cathedrals Measure 2021, Section 13", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2021 No. 2