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 List of ecclesiastical parishes in the [Diocese of Bath and Wells#Archdeaconry of Wells|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

1862–?: Fitzhardinge Portman
April 1863–24 December 1897 : Augustus Otway Fitzgerald, Rector of Charlton Mackrell until 1876, then Vicar of Brent Knoll
March 1898–20 September 1899 : Edwin Arthur Salmon, Vicar of Brent Knoll
1899–1 May 1917 : Frederick Brymer, Rector of Charlton Mackrell
1917–19 December 1934 : Walter Farrer, Vicar of St Cuthbert's, Wells until 1919
1935–1940 : George Hollis, Bishop suffragan of Taunton
1940–1951 : Walter Norman Higgins, Rector of Mells until 1944
1951–1962 : Harold Bryant Salmon
1963–1973 : John Lance
1974–1982 : Peter Haynes
1983–1993 : Ted Thomas
1993–2003 : Richard Acworth
2003–2006: Peter Maurice
April 2007 – 17 September 2016 : Nicola Sullivan
5 September 2016 – 20 May 2017: Kevin Roberts
20 May 2017 – present: Anne Gell
6 January 2023 – 1 September 2024: Charlie Peer