Bishop of Rochester (title)

The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.

The diocese covers the west of the County of Kent. The see is in the City of Rochester where the seat is located at The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was founded as a cathedral in 604.

The Bishop's residence is Bishopscourt, Rochester, Kent.

The office was created in 604 at the founding of the diocese in the Kingdom of Kent under King Æthelbert. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Dr Michael James Nazir-Ali, PhD, the 106th Lord Bishop of Rochester, who signs Michael Roffen.

List of the Bishops of the Diocese of Rochester, England

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes
604 to 624	Justus
624 to 633	Romanus
633 to 644	Paulinus
644 to 664	Ithamar
664 to 669	Damianus
669 to 676	Putta
676 to 678	Cwichelm
678 to 716	Gebmund
716 to 727	Tobias
727 to 741	Aldwulf
741 to 747	Dunn
747 to 772	Eardwulf
772 to 785	Diora
785 to 805	Waermund I
805 to 844	Beornmod
844 to 868	Tatnoth
868 to 868	Badenoth
868 to 868	Waermund II
868 to 880	Cuthwulf
880 to 900	Swithwulf
900 to c.926	Ceolmund
c.926 to c.934	Cyneferth
c.934 to 949	Burhric
949 to 955	Beorhtsige
955 to 964	Daniel	Bishop of Rochester or Selsey
964 to 995	Ælfstan
995 to 1046	Godwine I
1046 to 1058	Godwine II
1058 to 1076	Siward
1076 to 1077	Arnost
1077 to 1108	Gundulf
1108 to 1115	Ralph d'Escures
1115 to 1125	Ernulf
1125 to 1137	John
1137 to 1142	John II
1142 to 1148	Ascelin
1148 to 1182	Walter
1182 to 1185	Waleran
1185 to 1215	Gilbert Glanvill
1215 to 1227	Benedict of Sausetun (Benedict of Sawston)
1227 to 1238	Henry Sandford
1238 to 1251	Richard Wendene
1251 to 1274	Lawrence of St Martin
1274 to 1278	Walter de Merton
1278 to 1283	John Bradfield
1283 to 1292	Thomas Ingoldsthorpe
1292 to 1319	Thomas of Wouldham
1319 to 1353	Hamo Hethe
1353 to 1362	John Sheppey
1362 to 1364	William of Whittlesey
1364 to 1373	Thomas Trilleck
1373 to 1389	Thomas Brinton
1389 to 1400	William Bottlesham (William Bottisham)
1400 to 1404	John Bottlesham
1404 to 1419	Richard Young
1419 to 1422	John Kempe
1422 to 1435	John Langdon
1435 to 1437	Thomas Brouns
1437 to 1444	William Wells
1444 to 1468	John Low
1468 to 1472	Thomas Rotherham (Thomas Scott)
1472 to 1476	John Alcock
1476 to 1480	John Russell
1480 to 1493	Edmund Audley
1493 to 1497	Thomas Savage
1497 to 1504	Richard Fitz-James
1504 to 1535	John Fisher
1535 to 1540	John Hilsey (John Hildesleigh)
1540 to 1544	Nicolas Heath
1544 to 1547	Henry Holbeach
1547 to 1550	Nicholas Ridley
1550 to 1551	John Ponet (John Poynet)
1551 to 1554	John Scory
1554 to 1560	Maurice Griffith
1560 to 1572	Edmund Gheast (Edmund Guest)
1572 to 1576	Edmund Freke
1576 to 1578	John Piers
1578 to 1605	John Young
1605 to 1608	William Barlow
1608 to 1611	Richard Neile
1611 to 1628	John Buckeridge
1628 to 1630	Walter Curil
1630 to 1638	John Bowle
1638 to 1666	John Warner
1666 to 1683	John Dolben
1683 to 1684	Francis Turner
1684 to 1713	Thomas Sprat
1713 to 1723	Francis Atterbury
1723 to 1731	Samuel Bradford
1731 to 1756	Joseph Wilcocks
1756 to 1774	Zachary Pearce
1774 to 1793	John Thomas
1793 to 1802	Samuel Horsley
1802 to 1809	Thomas Dampier
1809 to 1827	Walker King
1827 to 1827	Hugh Percy
1827 to 1860	George Murray
1860 to 1867	Joseph Cotton Wigram
1867 to 1877	Thomas Legh Claughton
1877 to 1891	Anthony Wilson Thorold
1891 to 1895	Randall Thomas Davidson
1895 to 1905	Edward Stuart Talbot
1905 to 1930	John Reginald Harmer
1930 to 1940	Martin Linton Smith
1940 to 1961	Christopher Maude Chavasse
1961 to 1988	Richard David Say, DD
1988 to 1994	Anthony Michael Arnold Turnbull
1994 to present	Dr Michael James Nazir-Ali, PhD

Sources

• Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894) Joseph Haydn/Horace Ockerby, reprinted 1969
• Whitaker's Almanack 1883 to 2004, Joseph Whitaker and Sons Ltd/A&C Black, London

See also

• Lists of office-holders