Archdeacon of Taunton

The Archdeacon of Taunton has been, since the twelfth century, the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the archdeaconry of Taunton in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The archdeaconry includes seven deaneries.

History

Three archdeacons were appointed in what was then the Diocese of Wells during the time at which archdeacons were first appointed across the Church of England, not long after the Norman Conquest in 1077. The earliest archdeacons of the Taunton area occur with the title "Archdeacon beyond the Parrett", until the title "Archdeacon of Taunton" occurs, around the time the diocese was renamed to Bath in 1090. That name persisted for around a century until the see was moved again in 1197 and became called the Diocese of Bath and Glastonbury; in 1219 the name was returned to Diocese of Bath. The diocese's name was finally settled at Bath and Wells and both the diocese's and the archdeaconry's names have remained stable for the 800 years since.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

bef. 1142–aft. 1151: Hugh of Tournai
bef. 1174–aft. 1182: Richard
bef. 1186–bef. 1188: Ralph of Lechlade
bef. 1189–aft. 1195: Robert de Geldford
bef. 1204–aft. 1217: William of Wrotham
bef. 1217–aft. 1217: Peter of Chichester
bef. 1221–aft. 1236: Hugh de Wilton
bef. 1241–18 December 1263 : Walter of St Quentin
bef. 1282–aft. 1282: unnamed archdeacon
bef. 1294–aft. 1294: William Burnell, Dean of Wells
16 December 1298–aft. 1300: William de Molendino

Late Medieval

bef. 1302–aft. 1302: Peter de Averburi
bef. 1308–bef. 1320 : Henry de Schavington
12 December 1320–bef. 1363 : Robert Hereward
bef. 1364–aft. 1366: William Thingull
16 July 1370 – 1373 : Thomas Arundel
bef. 1373–aft. 1373: William Cardinal de Aigrefeuille
bef. 1383–1389 : Piero Cardinal Tomacelli
12 April 1390–bef. 1391: Thomas Marton
bef. 1391–aft. 1391: Ralph Erghum
bef. 1395–1 September 1416 : Thomas Polton
7 June 1395 – 1396 : Thomas Sparkeford
24 May 1400: William Elleford
1 September 1416–bef. 1441 : Nicholas Carlton
1 January 1441 – 1445 : Adam Moleyns
13 February 1446 – 1450 : Andrew Holes
20 April 1450 – 1465 : Robert Stillington
bef. 1481–1490 : Richard Langport
12 July 1490 – 1492 : Oliver King
18 February 1493–bef. 1496 : William Worsley
16 December 1496 – 1505 : Robert Sherborne
27 May 1505–bef. 1509 : John Ednam
18 August 1509 – 1522/23 : Robert Honiwood
bef. 1524–1525 : John Monyns
bef. 1526–1531 : Stephen Gardiner
?–February 1533 : Thomas Cranmer
bef. 1533–1534 : Rowland Lee
bef. 1535–aft. 1535: Richard Sampson
bef. 1540–aft. 1540: George Heneage
?–24 October 1541 : John Dakyn
24 October 1541–bef. 1558 : John Redman

Early modern

1551–1554 : John White
22 May 1554–bef. 1560 : John FitzJames
1560–May 1584 : Justinian Lancaster
7 May 1584 – 28 October 1613 : Philip Bisse
30 January 1587–?: Matthew Sutcliffe
15 November 1613 – 1615 : Peter Lilly
1615–7 September 1643 : Samuel Ward
19 December 1643 – 4 April 1682 : William Piers
22 April 1682 – 8 June 1712 : Edward Waple
25 July 1712 – 1726 : Edmund Archer
8 December 1726 – 15 December 1752 : George Atwood
24 September 1753 – 1758 : Lionel Seaman
11 October 1758 – 1760 : Francis Potter
31 December 1760 – 1767 : William Willes
27 October 1767 – 17 August 1780 : Thomas Camplin
19 September 1780 – 28 March 1817 : John Turner
19 April 1817 – 13 October 1827 : George Trevelyan
5 December 1827 – 10 September 1851 : Anthony Hamilton
30 September 1851 – 21 March 1896 : George Denison

Late modern

1896–5 June 1903 : Alexander Ainslie
1903–9 April 1911 : William Askwith, Vicar of St Mary Magdalene, Taunton
1911–1938 : Charles de Salis, Bishop suffragan of Taunton then assistant bishop
1938–1950 : Arnold Fitch, Rector of Angersleigh from 1946
1951–1971 : Geoffrey Hilder, Vicar of Hambridge until 1959
1971–1977 : Arthur Hopley
1977–1992 : Leonard Olyott
1992–1998 : Richard Frith
1999–30 June 2016 : John Reed
23 June–1 October 2016 : Andrew Tatham
1 October 2016–present: Simon Hill