Diocese of St Albans


The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the historic Counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, or in terms of local government areas, Bedfordshire, Luton, Hertfordshire and parts of the London Borough of Barnet. It therefore ranges from small rural communities in villages and hamlets to major urban centres like Luton, Bedford, Watford and Hemel Hempstead, and includes suburban areas on London's outer reaches.
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History

The diocese was founded by an Order in Council on 30 April 1877, implementing the Bishopric of St Albans Act 1875.
The diocese was established from parts of the large Diocese of Rochester, extending the new bishop's jurisdiction over more than 600 parishes in the two counties of Essex and Hertfordshire.
The first Bishop of St Albans was Thomas Legh Claughton, who served from 1877 to 1890.
The see is in the City of St Albans, where the cathedra is located in St Albans Cathedral. The cathedral building itself dates from 1077. It was an abbey church prior to its dissolution in 1539, and then a parish church until its elevation to cathedral status in 1877.
In 1914, the new Diocese of Chelmsford was formed, removing Essex from the St Albans diocese. A few months later the county Archdeaconry of Bedford was added from the Diocese of Ely, thereby providing the diocese substantially with its current boundaries.
The suffragan bishopric of Bedford was revived in 1879 and again in 1935 and that of Hertford was created in 1968.

Current geographical limits and structure

The diocese currently includes:
The diocese is overseen by the Bishop of St Albans, whose cathedra is in St Albans Cathedral. He is supported in his pastoral work in the diocese by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop of Bedford as well as three archdeacons.
The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries, which are in turn divided into 20 area or rural deaneries.
DioceseArchdeaconriesDeaneries
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Ampthill & Shefford
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Bedford
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Biggleswade
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Dunstable
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Luton
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of BedfordDeanery of Sharnbrook
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Barnet
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Bishop's Stortford
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Buntingford
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Cheshunt
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Hertford & Ware
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Stevenage
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of HertfordDeanery of Welwyn & Hatfield
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Berkhamsted
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Hemel Hempstead
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Hitchin
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Rickmansworth
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Saint Albans
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanery of Watford
Diocese of St AlbansArchdeaconry of St AlbansDeanaery of Wheathampstead
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Diocese of St Albans--
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The diocesan offices are located in Holywell Hill in St Albans.

Bishops

The Bishop of St Albans leads the diocese, and is assisted by the Bishops suffragan of Bedford and of Hertford. The suffragan see of Bedford was created by the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 but went into abeyance after one incumbent; that see was next filled in the late 19th century and has been in near-constant use again since 1935. The See of Hertford was created by Order in Council of 5 July 1889, but remained dormant until first filled in December 1967.
Alternative episcopal oversight is provided by the provincial episcopal visitor, Norman Banks, Bishop suffragan of Richborough, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there. There are also several former bishops living in the diocese who are licensed as honorary assistant bishops:

Archdeacon of Hertford

In the late 11th/early 12th century, Nicholas, an archdeacon of Lincoln diocese, was called "Archdeacon of Cambridge, Huntingdon and Hertford.
The Archdeaconry of Hertford was created by Order in Council on 1 January 1997 from the eastern parts of the Archdeaconry of St Albans, which at the time was one of the largest archdeaconries in England. There have been only two Archdeacons of Hertford since the archdeaconry's institution: the first, Trevor Jones, who retired on 31 August 2016; and the incumbent, Janet Mackenzie, who was collated on 6 September 2016.

Churches

Outside deanery structures: St Albans Cathedral

Archdeaconry of Hertford

Deanery of Barnet: Arkley (St Peter), Barnet St John the Baptist, Barnet St Stephen, Barnet Vale (St Mark), Borehamwood All Saints, Borehamwood Holy Cross, Borehamwood St Michael & All Angels, East Barnet (St Mary the Virgin), Elstree, Little Heath, Lyonsdown (Holy Trinity), New Barnet, Potters Bar King Charles the Martyr, Potters Bar St Mary & All Saints, Ridge, South Mimms, Totteridge (St Andrew)
Deanery of Bishop's Stortford: Albury, Bishop's Stortford Holy Trinity, Bishop's Stortford St Michael, Braughing, Eastwick, Furneux Pelham, Gilston, High Wych, Hockerill (All Saints), Little Hadham, Little Munden, Much Hadham, Perry Green, Sacombe, Sawbridgeworth, Standon, Stocking Pelham, Thorley
Deanery of Buntingford: Anstey, Ardeley, Ashwell, Aspenden, Baldock (St Mary the Virgin), Barkway, Barley, Benington, Brent Pelham, Buntingford, Bygrave (St Margaret of Antioch), Clothall, Cottered, Hinxworth (St Nicholas), Hormead, Kelshall, Meesden, Newnham (St Vincent), Reed, Royston (St John the Baptist), Rushden, Sandon, Therfield, Throcking, Walkern, Wallington, Westmill, Weston, Wyddial