The Bishop of Wakefield was the ordinary of the now-defunct Church of England Diocese of Wakefield in the Province of York.[1] The diocese was based in Wakefield in West Yorkshire, covering the City of Wakefield, Barnsley, Kirklees and Calderdale. The see was centred in the City of Wakefield where the bishop's seat (cathedra) was located in the Cathedral Church of All Saints, a parish church elevated to cathedral status in 1888.
The diocesan bishop's residence was Bishop's Lodge, Wakefield. The office existed from the founding of the diocese in 1888 under Queen Victoria until its dissolution on 20 April 2014. The cathedral contains a memorial to Walsham How, first Bishop of Wakefield. The last diocesan Bishop of Wakefield was Stephen Platten, the 12th Bishop of Wakefield, who signed +Stephen Wakefield and was in post when his diocese was dissolved.
Upon the creation of the Diocese of Leeds[2] on 20 April 2014, the see was dissolved and its territory added to the new diocese, within which the suffragan see of Pontefract has since been translated to the area Bishop of Wakefield.[3]
Bishops of Wakefield | |||
---|---|---|---|
From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
1889 | 1897 | ![]() |
Translated from Bedford. Nominated on 26 May 1888. Died in office on 10 August 1897. |
1897 | 1928 | ![]() |
Translated from Dover. Nominated on 29 October 1897. Retired in 1928 and died on 7 January 1940. |
1928 | 1938 | ![]() |
Nominated on 15 October 1928 and consecrated on 1 November 1928. Died in office on 26 May 1938. |
1938 | 1945 | ![]() |
Translated from Pontefract. Nominated on 19 August 1938. Retired on 15 September 1945 and died on 16 May 1967. |
1946 | 1948 | ![]() |
Previously Archdeacon of Aston. Nominated on 13 November 1945 and consecrated on 2 February 1946. Died on office on 8 September 1948 |
1949 | 1958 | ![]() |
Previously Archdeacon of Nottingham. Nominated on 8 March 1949 and consecrated on 25 April 1949. Translated to Chichester on 16 April 1958. |
1958 | 1967 | ![]() |
Translated from Jarrow. Nominated 22 April 1958. Retired on 30 November 1967 and died on 16 December 1989. |
1968 | 1976 | ![]() |
Translated from Pontefract. Nominated on 30 January 1968 and confirmed on 8 March 1968. Retired on 30 September 1976 and died on 13 May 1978. |
1977 | 1985 | ![]() |
Translated from Basingstoke. Nominated on 30 November 1976 and confirmed on 7 January 1977. Translated to Winchester in 1985. |
1985 | 1992 | ![]() |
Translated to London. Afterwards translated to York. |
1992 | 2002 | ![]() |
Translated from Taunton. Afterwards translated to Manchester. |
2003 | 2014 | ![]() |
Previously Dean of Norwich. He was the last diocesan Bishop of Wakefield; his see was dissolved on 20 April 2014.[4][5] |
Source(s):[6][7] |