The diocese covers 4,516 km² (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Lichfield. In the past, the title has had various forms (see below). The present bishop is the Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill, the 98th Lord Bishop of Lichfield, who signs Jonathan Lichfield.

History

The diocese of Mercia was founded 656 by Saint Diuma with its see at Repton. When Saint Chad was made Bishop in 669, he moved his seat to Lichfield, thus the diocese was named after that city. In 691, the area over which the bishop held authority was divided to form the smaller dioceses of Lichfield, Leicester, Lindsey, Worcester and Hereford.

It was briefly the seat of an archbishop under Higbert from 787 to 799 (officially dissolved in 803) during the ascendancy of the kingdom of Mercia. Offa, King of Mercia seemed to resent his own bishops paying allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury in Kent who, whilst under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa therefore created his own archbishopric in Lichfield, who presided over all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames, in 786, with the consent of Pope Adrian I. The Pope's official representatives were received warmly by Offa and were present at the Council of Chelsea (787), often called 'the contentious synod', where it was proposed that the Archbishopric of Canterbury be restricted in order to make way for Offa's new archbishop. It was vehemently opposed, but Offa and the papal representatives defeated Archbishop Jaenbert, installing Higbert as the new Archbishop of Lichfield. Pope Adrian sent Higbert his ceremonial garment, obviously denoting his support for this move. In gratitude, Offa promised to send an annual shipment of gold to the pope for alms and supplying the lights in St. Peter's church in Rome. However the Archbishopric of Lichfield only lasted for 16 years, ending after Offa's death, when at the Fifth Council of Clovesho it was restored to Archbishop Æthelhard of Canterbury by Pope Leo III.

The bishop's seat was briefly moved to Chester in 1075, but by 1102 was in Coventry. From 1228, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield became the official title with seats at both cathedrals, though various older names remained in common usage.

After the Reformation of the 1530s, Coventry Cathedral was demolished, and after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 the bishop used the style Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. In 1837, the ancient bishopric was divided. The archdeaconry of Coventry (comprising northern and eastern Warwickshire) was transferred to the see of Worcester and the style Bishop of Lichfield adopted.

List of bishops

List of bishops of Mercia, Lichfield, Chester and Coventry.

Tenure Incumbent Notes
Diocese of Mercia
took office after 655 Diuma
(Dwyna; Duma)
dates unclear Ceollach
(Cellach) A Scot, he resigned and returned to Scotland
c658 to c 662 Trumhere
(Trumhere) Abbot of Ingethling
c 662 to c. 667 Jaruman
Diocese of Lichfield
669 to 672 Ceadda Translated from York (after having his consecration first declared invalid and then restored; Died in office.Saint Chad
672 to c674 Winfrith
(Winfride or Winfrid) Deprived by Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury
c676 to before 692 Sexwulf
(Saxulf; Sexulf) Abbot of Medeshamstede (Peterborough); Saint Sexwulf
691 to between 716 and 727 Headda
(Headdi; Eatheadus of Sidnacester)
before 731 to 737 Aldwine
(Aldwyn; Aldwini)
737 to between 749 and 767 Witta
(Huitta)
before 757 to 765 Hemele
(Hemel)
c765 to c769 Cuthfrith
(Cuthred) Died in office
c769 to between 777 and 779 Berhthun Died in office
779 to 799 Hygeberht
(Higbert) Created Archbishop by Offa in 787
between 799 and 801 to between 814 and 816 Aldwulf
(Adulphus) Title of Archbishop laid aside
between 814 and 816 to between 817 and 818 Herewine
818 to 830 Æthelwald

830 to between 830 and 836 Hunberght
(Humbert II]
between 830 and 836 to between 841 and 845 Cynefrith
(Cumbert; Cineferth) Saint Cumbert
between 843 and 845 to between 857 and 862 Tunberht
(Tunbright; Tunfrith; Tumfriht)
between 857 and 862 to between 866 and 869 Wulfsige
between 866 and 869 to between 869 and 883 Burgheard
between 869 and 883 to between 889 and 900 Wulfred
between 889 and 900 to between 903 and 915 Wigmund Omitted from Haydn's, not the same as the Archbishop of York who died in 854
between 903 and 915 to between 935 and 941 Ælfwine
between 935 and 941 to between 946 and 949 Wulfgar
between 946 and 949 to between 963 and 964 Cynesige
(Kinsey; Kynsy; Kinsius)
between 963 and 964 to 975 Wynsige
(Winsey; Winsius)
975 to between 1002 and 1004 Elphege of Lichfield
between 1002 and 1004 to after 1017 Godwin
after 1017 to between 1026 and 1027 Leofgar
(Leosgar)
c1027 to 1039 Brihtmær
(Brithmar)
1039 to 1053 Wulfsige
(Wulsy)
1053 to 1067 Leofwin Abbot of Coventry
1067 to 1075 Peter Removed see to Chester
See at Chester
1075 to 1085 Peter
1086 to 1102 Robert de Limesey Prebendary of St Paul's; removed See to Coventry
See at Coventry
1102 to 117 Robert de Limesey as above, title change only; Died in office
1117 to 1121 vacant For 4 years
1121 to 1126 Robert Peche
(Robert Pecham) Chaplain to King Henry I; died in office
1126 to 1129 vacant For 2 years
1129 to 1148 Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry
1149 to 1159 Walter Durdent
1161 to 1182 Richard Peche
1183 to 1184 Gerard la Pucelle
1184 to 1188 vacant
1188 to 1198 Hugh Nonant
1198 to 1208 Geofrey de Muschamp
1208 to 1215 vacant
1215 to 1223 William de Cornhill
1224 to 1238 Alexander de Stavenby
1239 William de Raley
(William Raleigh) Elected by both the chapter of Coventry and that of Lichfield but being also elected Norwich he accepted that office
1239 Nicholas Farnham Elected by the Chapter of Coventry but did not take office, later Bishop of Durham
1239 William de Manchester Dean of Lichfield; elected by the Chapter of Lichfield but did not take office
Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield
1239 to December 1241 Hugh de Pateshull Lord Treasurer; accepted after much controversy between the two chapters and at Henry III's request; confirmed 25 December 1239; died in office
December 1241 to 8 December 1241 Richard le Gras Abbot of Evesham, elected but declined office or died before the disputed election was resolved
December 1241 to 1245 vacant
1243 Robert de Monte Pessulano Elected but refused the appointment, finding the election disagreeable to Henry III
1245 to 1256 Roger Weseham Dean of Lincoln; appointed by the pope
1258 to 1295 Roger de Meyland
(Roger Longespée; Roger de Molend)
1296 to 1321 Walter Langton Lord Treasurer and Lord Chancellor
1322 to 1358 Roger Northburgh
(Roger de Northbrugh) Archdeacon of Richmond and Lord Keeper and Lord Treasurer
1360 to 1385 Robert de Stretton Canon of Lichfield
1386 to 1386 Walter Skirlaw Dean of St Martin's; translated to Bath & Wells
1386 to 1398 Richard le Scrope Translated to York
1398 to 1414 John Burghill Translated from Llandaff
1415 to 1419 John Catterick
(John Keterich) Translated from St David's; translated to Exeter
1419 to 1419 James Cary Translated to Exeter but died before taking office thereof
20 November 1420 to 13 March 1447 William Heyworth
1447 to 1452 William Booth Prebendary of St Paul's, London; translated to York
1452 Nicholas Close Translated from Carlisle; Chancellor of Cambridge
1453 to 1459 Reginald Boulers Translated from Hereford
1459 to 1490 John Hales
(John Halse) Prebendary of St Paul's, London
1493 to 1496 William Smyth Archdeacon of Surrey; translated to Lincoln
1496 to 1502 John Arundel Dean of Exeter; translated to Exeter
1503 to 1531 Geoffrey Blyth
(Geoffry Blyth) Dean of York
1534 to 1539 Rowland Lee
Chancellor and Prebendary of Lichfield and Lord President of Wales
Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry
1539 to 1543 Rowland Lee as above, title change only
1543 to 1554 Richard Sampson Translated from Chichester; Lord President of Wales
1554 to 1559 Ralph Bayne
(Ralph Baines) Deprived and died soon after
1560 to 1579 Thomas Bentham Fellow of Magdalene College, Oxford
1580 to 1609 William Overton Prebendary of Winchester and Salisbury
1609 to 1610 George Abbot Dean of Winchester; translated to London
1610 to 1614 Richard Neile
(Richard Neale) Translated to Rochester
1614 to 1618 John Overal Dean of St Paul's, London; translated to Norwich
1619 to 1632 Thomas Morton Translated from Chester; translated to Durham
1632 to 1643 Robert Wright Translated from Bristol
1644 to 1660 Accepted Frewen Dean of Gloucester; translated to York
1661 to 1670 John Hacket Canon-resident of St Paul's, London
1671 to 1692 Thomas Wood Dean of Lichfield
1692 to 1699 William Lloyd Translated from St Asaph; translated to Worcester
1699 to 1717 John Hough Translated from Oxford; translated to Worcester
1717 to 1730 Edward Chandler Prebendary of Worcester; translated to Durham
1731 to 1749 Richard Smalbroke Translated from St David's
1750 to 1768 The Honourable Frederick Cornwallis Canon of Windsor; Dean of St Paul's, London (1766); translated to Canterbury
1768 to 1771 The Honourable John Egerton Translated from Bangor; translated to Durham
1771 to 1774 Brownlow North Dean of Canterbury; translated to Worcester
1775 to 1781 Richard Hurd Master of the Temple; translated to Worcester
1781 to 1824 The Honourable James Cornwallis Dean of Canterbury; subsequently Earl of Cornwallis; Died in office
10 March 1824 to 31 March 1836 The Honourable Henry Ryder Translated from Gloucester; died in office
3 July 1836 to 24 January 1837 Samuel Butler Becoming Bishop of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
24 January 1837 to 4 December 1839 Samuel Butler as above, change of title only; Died in office
23 January 1840 to 11 October 1843 James Bowstead Translated from Sodor & Man
3 December 1843 to 19 October 1867 John Lonsdale Archdeacon of Middlesex and Principal of King's College, London; died in office
4 January 1868 to 11 April 1878 George Augustus Selwyn Translated from New Zealand; died in office
24 June 1878 to 28 July 1891 William Dalrymple Maclagan, DD Vicar of St Mary Abbots, Kensington; translated to York
29 September 1891 to 15 March 1913 Augustus Legge Died in office
13 June 1913 to 15 June 1937 John Augustine Kempthorne, DD [1]
29 July 1937 to 11 January 1953 Edward Sydney Woods died in office
29 September 1953 to 1 December 1974 Arthur Stretton Reeve, DD
2 January 1975 to 29 February 1984 Kenneth John Fraser Skelton, CBE, MA Bishop of Matabeleland; Rector of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland; retired
12 October 1984 to 2003 Keith Norman Sutton
2003 to present Jonathan Gledhill