Archdeacon of Wells


The Archdeacon of Wells has been a senior clergy position in the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells since the English reformation, before which it was part of the Roman Catholic Church. The post, having oversight over the archdeaconry of Wells in Somerset has existed since the twelfth century. The archdeaconry includes seven deaneries.

List of archdeacons

High Medieval

  • bef. 1086–aft. 1088: Benselin, Archdeacon of Exon
  • bef. 1106–aft. 1106: Walkerius
  • bef. 1106–aft. 1106: Robert
  • bef. 1120–aft. 1136: Arald
  • bef. 1122–bef. 1136: John de Bada
  • bef. 1142–aft. 1151: Eustace
  • bef. 1159–aft. 1166: Robert
  • bef. 1168–aft. 1194: Thomas of Earley alias Agnellus
  • bef. 1198–aft. 1199: Simon of Wells
  • bef. 1204–1209 : Hugh of Wells
  • bef. 1215–aft. 1231: William of Bardney
  • bef. 1238–1248 : William of Bitton
  • aft. 1248–bef. 1249 : John of Bitton
  • bef. 1249–aft. 1254: Peter Chaceporc
  • bef. 1263–1267 : William of Bitton (nephew)
  • 1267–1268 : Godfrey Giffard
  • bef. 1269–aft. 1269: S.
  • bef. 1270–1284 : Thomas Bytton
  • bef. 1286–aft. 1295: Walter Haselshaw
  • bef. 1295–24 January 1303 : Peter de Insula

Late Medieval

  • aft. 1303–24 May 1326 : Thomas de Charlton
  • 24 May–13 June 1326 : Wibert de Lutleton
  • 13 June 1326–bef. 1334: Robert de Wamberg
  • 29 June 1329 – 1330: Simon de Montacute
  • 15 October 1330 – 1332: Thomas Upton
  • bef. 1334–aft. 1336: Robert Mortimer
  • bef. 1344–aft. 1344: Hugh
  • bef. 1346–1352 : Thomas Fastolf
  • 3 January 1353 – 12 June 1361 : William de Court
  • 27 October 1361–bef. 1369 : Étienne Cardinal Aubert
  • 21 February 1369 – 22 July 1376 : Simon Cardinal Langham
  • bef. 1385–aft. 1388: Andrew Baret
  • 1386–aft. 1391: John de Rypon
  • 13 September 1388: John Beer
  • 6 June 1391: Thomas Tuttebury
  • 28 August 1391 – 4 May 1398 : Nicholas Slake
  • 4 May 1398–bef. 1419 : John Ikelyngton
  • 13 April 1419–bef. 1449 : Thomas Bubwith
  • 15 April 1450 – 1 April 1470 : Andrew Holes
  • bef. 1471–bef. 1473 : Thomas Bridlington
  • 12 April 1473–bef. 1494 : William Nykke
  • 10 July 1494 – 1500 : Richard Nykke
  • 30 December 1500–bef. 1502 : François de Busleyden, Archbishop of Besançon
  • 19 November 1502 – 1507 : Thomas Beaumont
  • 1 January 1508 – 26 December 1546 : Polydore Vergil

Early modern

  • bef. 1547–aft. 1554: Vergil still called Archdeacon of Wells
  • bef. 1554–?: Cotterell already called Archdeacon of Wells
  • bef. 1559–1572 : John Cotterell
  • bef. 1572–bef. 1582 : John Rugge
  • March 1582–?: Bartholomew Clerke
  • 4 February 1589–aft. 1605: John Langworth
  • 1611–aft. 1645: Gerard Wood
  • 1645–bef. 1649: William Watts
  • 1660–27 April 1680 : Grindal Sheafe
  • 28 April 1680 – 1683 : Charles Thirlby
  • 10 November 1683 – 8 October 1705 : Edwin Sandys
  • 11 October 1705 – 7 March 1716 : Samuel Hill
  • 4 May 1716 – 24 November 1726 : Henry Layng
  • 7 December 1726 – 1 October 1739 : Edmund Archer
  • 26 November 1739 – 14 November 1742 : John Wicksted
  • 24 November 1742 – 20 April 1749 : George Shakerley
  • 19 August 1749 – 7 November 1757 : Edmund Aubery
  • 26 April 1758 – 26 February 1760 : Lionel Seaman
  • 9 August 1760 – 1 October 1767 : Francis Potter
  • 20 October 1767 – 12 May 1815 : William Willes
  • 7 July 1815 – 5 April 1826 : Charles Sandiford
  • 4 October 1826 – 1862 : Henry Law

Late modern