Archdeacon of Bedford


The Archdeacon of Bedford is an ecclesiastical post in the Church of England Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. Historically the post was in the Diocese of Lincoln, then from 1837 in the Diocese of Ely, England. On 13 April 1914, the archdeaconry became a part of the Diocese of St Albans. The present holder of the office is Dave Middlebrook, collated Archdeacon on 30 March 2019.

Seal

The 12/13th c. brass seal-matrix of the Archdeacon of Bedford was found in South Lincolnshire in 2003 by a metal detectorist, in almost perfect condition. It displays a legend in Latin: SIGILLUM ARCHIDIACONI BEDEFORDIE. Of two heraldic shields, that shown at dexter displays the arms of Cantilupe : Gules, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lys or, as used by Saint Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, and later adopted as the arms of the See of Hereford. The reason for the use of the Cantilupe arms on the seal is unclear, the surviving list of Archdeacons of Bedford does not include a member of the Cantilupe family. The office of Archdeacon of Bedford had no connection with the See of Hereford and is known to have been under the control of the See of Lincoln, hence a possible reason for the location the object was found in. The Cantilupe family were feudal barons of Eaton (Bray) in Bedfordshire and were seated at Eaton Castle, near Dunstable, not too far from the town of Bedford. A junior branch was seated at Greasley Castle in Nottingham and at Withcall in Lincolnshire, in which county they were prominent. Nicholas de Cantilupe, 3rd Baron Cantilupe of Greasley founded the Cantilupe Chantry in Lincoln Cathedral and was buried in the Cathedral where survives his mutilated recumbent effigy. However the armorials of the Greasley branch include a fess vair, not shown on the seal. The style of the seal with the gothic architectural elements date it to the 13/14th. centuries. Measurements: 32 mm x 51 mm; weight 2.5 g.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

  • bef. May 1092 – ?: Osbert
  • 1105: Ralph
  • bef. 1129 – aft. 1141: Hugh
  • bef. 1145 – aft. 1175 : Nicholas
  • 1180: Laurence
  • – aft. 1198: Alan
  • bef. 1199 – aft. 1203: Richard
  • aft. 1203 – : Geoffrey
  • bef. 1206 – 1218 : Alexander of Elstow
  • 1218: John Octon
  • 1218 – 1231 : John de Houton
  • 1231 – : Amaury of Buckden
  • 1246 – : John de Dyham
  • bef. 1254 – 1260 : John of Crakehall
  • 1260–1268: Peter de Audeham
  • 1268 – January 1273: John de Maidenstan
  • bef. 1275 – : Nicholas de Hegham
  • bef. 1280 – October 1282 : Richard de Bradewell
  • 1282–1291: John Hook
  • ?: Stephen Gardiner?
  • 30 December 1291 – 10 September 1319: Roger Rothwell/Rowell

Late Medieval

  • 10 September 1319 – 26 January 1230: Thomas Neville
  • 26 January 1320 – 1333 : Edmund London
  • 1333–?: John Daubeny
  • 1333 – 30 August 1351 : Philip Daubeny
  • 30 August 1351 – bef. 1372: Thomas Cumpton
  • bef. 1372 – bef. 1375: John Irtlingburgh
  • bef. 1375 – 1405 : Thomas Stowe
  • 19 November 1405 – 1423 : William Aghton
  • 17 April 1423 – 1431 : Richard Caudray
  • 1431 – 1439 : William Derby
  • 14 February 1439 – 1450 : Robert Thornton
  • 21 May 1450 – 1460 : Thomas Salisbury
  • 15 December 1460 – 1468 : John Rudying
  • 4 December 1468 – 1471 : John Collinson
  • 6 Auguster 1471 – bef. April 1489 : Henry Sharp
  • April 1489 – 1494 : Thomas Hutton
  • 17 February 1494 – 1525 : William Cosyn
  • 11 January 1525 – 1549 : John Chambre

Early modern

Late modern