List of bishops in the Church of England


The active bishops of the Church of England are usually either diocesan bishops or suffragan bishops. Several also hold portfolios of national responsibility, either as spokesperson bishops for the Church of England or as Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords.

Diocesan bishops

As there are 42 dioceses of the Church of England, there are 42 bishops diocesan. Of the 42: both archbishops and the Bishops of London, of Durham and of Winchester, sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual ex officio; a further 21 sit there by seniority ; the Bishop of Sodor and Man sits ex officio in the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man and also in Tynwald Court; fourteen diocesans are not currently Lords Spiritual; and the Bishop in Europe is ineligible to be a Lord Spiritual.

Lords Spiritual by virtue of seniority of service

Until 2015, the 21 longest-serving among the remaining diocesan bishops were eligible to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual. Since women became eligible as bishops in 2015, female diocesan bishops take precedence over male ones whenever a new vacancy in the Lords arises, in accordance with the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015.
BishopPersonDate of birth & ageElection confirmedConsecratedIntroduced
19 July 2016

20 July 2023

Convenor of the Lords Spiritual
TBC

Acting diocesan bishops

Acting bishopPersonDate of birth & ageActing sinceConsecration

The Bishop of Huntingdon

The Bishop of Jarrow

The Bishop of Wigan

The Bishop of Bedford

The Bishop of Swindon		1 September 2025

The Bishop of Bradford		1 December 2025

Suffragan bishops

, there are 73 bishops suffragan. Of the 73: one, the Bishop of Dover, acts as a diocesan bishop; one, the Bishop of Islington, has a national role ; five bishops provide Alternative Episcopal Oversight ; 20 are area bishops; and the remaining 46 are deployed in suffragan roles across their diocese.

Other bishops

, there are sixteen people in active ministry in the Church of England who are in episcopal orders but not in episcopal posts in the Church of England.

House of Bishops

The membership of the General Synod's House of Bishops is:
  1. Ric Thorpe, Bishop suffragan of Islington
  2. Martin Gorick, Bishop suffragan of Dudley
  3. Jill Duff, Bishop suffragan of Lancaster
  4. Julie Conalty, Bishop suffragan of Birkenhead
  5. Stephen Race, Bishop suffragan of Beverley
  6. Jonathan Baker, Bishop suffragan of Fulham
  7. one southern vacancy vice Hollinghurst
  8. one northern vacancy vice Mason
  9. another southern vacancy vice Grenfell
Acting diocesan bishops also attend but do not vote at meetings of the House.
The four "provincial episcopal visitors" may attend and speak, but are not members and may not vote — unless they are elected as representative suffragans.
Since 1 December 2016 six female bishops suffragan are " rights of attendance". They are:
  1. Alison White, Bishop suffragan of Hull
  2. Ruth Worsley, Bishop suffragan of Wigan
  3. Karen Gorham, Bishop suffragan of Sherborne
  4. one vacancy vice Hartley
  5. one vacancy vice Bailey Wells
  6. one vacancy vice Hollinghurst

Scheduled Crown Nominations Committee (CNC) meetings

The following meetings of the Crown Nominations Commission have been held since 2020, with the outcomes listed:
SeeFirst meetingSecond meetingAnnouncementElection confirmed
Chester3 February 202016 & 17 March 202012 May 202015 July 2020
Chelmsford12 October 202018 & 19 November 202017 December 202011 March 2021
Portsmouth21 June 202120 & 21 July 20218 October 202118 January 2022
Salisbury29 September 20219 & 10 November 202113 January 20221 April 2022
Rochester14 December 202127 & 28 January 202231 March 202224 May 2022
Bath and Wells31 January 202228 February & 1 March 202228 April 202229 June 2022
Liverpool16 May 202221 & 22 June 202218 October 202220 January 2023
Newcastle7 June 202218 & 19 July 202220 October 20223 February 2023
Blackburn21 September 20228 & 9 November 202210 January 202325 April 2023
Lincoln24 February 202328 & 29 March 202324 May 202320 July 2023
Winchester21 March 202327 & 28 April 20236 July 202310 October 2023
Birmingham21 April 202318 & 19 May 202331 August 202322 November 2023
Peterborough13 June 202319 & 20 July 202328 September 202313 December 2023
Carlisle7 November 202313 & 14 December 202315 December 2023:
not filled		—
Sodor and Man17 January 202413 & 14 March 202416 May 2024n/a
Exeter29 February 20249 & 10 April 20244 June 202425 September 2024
Ely13 May 202411 & 12 July 202415 July 2024:
not filled		—
Coventry26 June 202411 & 12 September 20244 November 202414 February 2025
Truro6 September 202415 & 16 October 202411 December 202428 March 2025
Durham11 October 202426 & 27 November 202417 February 2025
'		—
Carlisle22 January 202513 & 14 March 20259 May 20251 September 2025
St Edmundsbury & Ipswich4 March 202528 & 29 April 202527 June 20255 September 2025
Worcester9 May 202512 & 13 June 202529 July 202528 November 2025
CanterburyMay & July 2025September 20253 October 202528 January 2026
SeeFirst meetingSecond meetingEstimated announcementElection Confirmed
Durham3 September 20259 & 10 December 2025Candlemas 2026
Ely2 October 202512 & 13 November 202527 January 2026
St Albans4 December 202520 & 21 January 2026March 2026
Bristol19 February 202615 & 16 April 2026June 2026
Leeds4 March 202613 & 14 May 2026July 2026
Liverpool1 December 202627 & 28 January 2027mid-March 2027
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Resignations and retirements

Bishops are generally required to retire at age 70, but may continue in office for longer by direction of their superior.