Bishop of Dunwich
The Bishop of Dunwich is an episcopal title which was first used by an Anglo-Saxon bishop between the 7th and 9th centuries and is currently used by the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The title takes its name after Dunwich in the English county of Suffolk, which has now largely been lost to the sea.
On 15 December 2015, it was announced that Mike Harrison is to become the next Bishop of Dunwich from his episcopal consecration on 24 February 2016.[1]
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Anglo-Saxon bishops
In about 630 or 631 a diocese was established by St. Felix for the Kingdom of the East Angles, with his episcopal seat initially, briefly established at Soham before being transferred to Dunwich on the Suffolk coast. There is a possibility the unidentified Dommoc may be Dunwich, but this is yet to be proved. In 672 the diocese was divided into the sees of Dunwich and Elmham by St. Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The line of bishops of Dunwich continued until it was interrupted by the Danish Viking invasions in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. By the mid 950s the sees of Dunwich and Elmham were reunited under one bishop, with the episcopal see at Elmham.
List of Anglo-Saxon bishops
| Bishops of the East Angles (purportedly established at Soham) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes. |
| c.630 | c.630 | Felix of Burgundy | Also known as St Felix |
| Bishops of the East Angles (established at Dunwich or translated from Soham) | |||
| 630 x 631 | 647 x 648 | Felix of Burgundy | Also known as St Felix. |
| 647 x 648 | 652 x 653 | Thomas | Deacon. |
| 652 x 653 | 669 x 670 | Brigilsus | Also recorded as Beorhtgils, Berhtgils, and Boniface. |
| 669 x 670 | 672 | Bifus | Resigned in 672; also recorded as Bisi. |
| In 672, the diocese was divided into the sees of Dunwich and Elmham | |||
| Bishops of Dunwich | |||
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes. |
| 672 x ? | ? | Acca | Also recorded as Æcce and Æcci. |
| ? | ? | Ascwulf | |
| ? x 716 | 716 x ? | Eardred | |
| ? | ? | Cuthwine | Also recorded as Cuthwynus. |
| ? x 731 | 731 x ? | Ealdbeorht I | Also recorded as Alberht. |
| ? | ? | Ecglaf | Also recorded as Eglasius. |
| ? x 747 | 747 x ? | Eardwulf | Also recorded as Heardwulf. |
| 747 x 775 | 775 x 781 | Ealdbeorht II | Also recorded as Alberthus and Ealdberht. |
| ? x 781 | 789 x 793 | Heardred | Also recorded as Hardulfus. |
| 789 x 793 | 798 | Ælfhun | Also recorded as Ælphunus. |
| 798 | 816 x 824 | Tidfrith | Also recorded as Tidfreth, Tedfrid, and Thefridus. |
| 816 x 824 | 824 x 825 | Waormund | Also recorded as Wærmund and Weremundus. |
| 825 | 845 x 870 | Wilred | Also recorded as Wilfredus. |
| 845 x 870 | ? | Æthelweald | Also recorded as Æthelwold. |
| After interruption by the Danish Viking invasions, Dunwich was united to the see of Elmham. | |||
| Note(s): [A] and Source(s):[2][3][4][5] | |||
Suffragan bishops
In 1934 the Church of England revived title Bishop of Dunwich as a suffragan see. The bishop's duties are to assist the diocesan Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in overseeing the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The Bishop suffragan designate of Dunwich is Mike Harrison.[1]
List of suffragan bishops
| Suffragan Bishops of Dunwich | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1934 | 1945 | Maxwell Maxwell-Gumbleton | Formerly Bishop of Ballarat; assistant bishop in St Edmundsbury since 1931. |
| 1945 | 1955 | Clement Mallory Ricketts | |
| 1955 | 1967 | Thomas Cashmore | |
| 1967 | 1977 | David Maddock | |
| 1977 | 1980 | William Johnston | |
| 1980 | 1992 | Eric Devenport | |
| 1992 | 1995 | Jonathan Bailey | Translated to Derby. |
| 1995 | 1999 | Tim Stevens | Translated to Leicester. |
| 1999 | 2013 | Clive Young | Retired 12 May 2013.[6] |
| 2013 | 2016 | vacant | No new suffragan could be appointed during the lengthy vacancy (October 2013–May 2015) in the diocesan see, because the diocesan bishop makes the appointment.[7] |
| 2016 onwards | bishop-designate | Mike Harrison | Episcopal consecration scheduled for 24 February 2016.[1] |
| Source(s):[8] | |||
Footnotes
- A The current list of Anglo-Saxon bishops is primarily compiled by the 3rd edition of the Handbook of British Chronology.[2] The earlier 2nd edition mentioned two others: Alric, probably bishop of Dunwich and Husa, bishop of Dunwich or Elmham.[9] These two are no longer considered to have been bishops and as such are not listed in the 3rd edition.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 St Edmundsbury & Ipswich — The next Bishop of Dunwich announced (Accessed 16 December 2015)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ St Edmundsbury & Ipswich Diocese – Bishop Nigel set for new role at Lambeth (Accessed 25 June 2013)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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