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The Bishop of Lincoln heads the Anglican Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese was Roman Catholic during the Middle Ages and the Tudor period.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire. The see is in the city of Lincoln where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary a minster church founded around 653 and re-founded as a cathedral in 1072 when the see was moved to Lincoln from Dorchester (see Bishop of Dorchester).
The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Lincoln.
The current bishop of is the Right Reverend Dr John Saxbee, the 71st (34th Anglican) Bishop of Lincoln, who signs John Lincoln.
Origins
Identifying the origin of the diocese has posed some difficulty. The original Catholic diocese of Lindine (Lindsey), founded in 628 by the Roman missionary Paulinus had a seat placed by various commentators at Caistor, Stow, Louth or Horncastle in present-day Lincolnshire. The see was moved to Dorchester in 886 due to the threat of invasion.The diocese of Dorchester was founded in 634 by the Roman missionary Birinus with the seat located at Dorchester-on-Thames in present-day Oxfordshire. The see of Lincoln was refounded in 954 and the seat of the diocese was moved to Lincoln in 1072.
A supposed diocese of Lindine or Syddensis (Sidnacester - identified with present-day Stow, Lincolnshire) was considered founded from the diocese of Lindisfarne by Saint Theodore Archbishop of Canterbury. Research has concluded however that the see was in fact the original foundation of 678 in Lincoln itself. The line of the Catholic Bishops continued till 1560, when the last of the line, Thomas Watson, was deprived under Elizabeth I.
List of the Bishops of the Diocese of Lincoln, England and its precursor offices
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diocese of Lindine - See at Lincoln | ||
| 678 to c.679 | Eadhedus (Eadhæd) | Expelled; retired to Ripon |
| c.680 to 692? | Ethelwinus (Æthelwine) | |
| ?693 or 701 to 716 or 731 | Edgarus (Edgar) | |
| 720 or 716 or 731 to 733 | Kinebertus (Embercus; Cyneberht) | |
| 733 to 750 | Alwigh (Alwig) | |
| 750 or 751 to 765 | Eadulphus (Aldwulf) | |
| 765/767 to 783 or 796 | Ceolulfus (Ceolwulf) | |
| 783 to 789 | Unwona | |
| 789 or 796 to 836 or 839 | Eadulphus, Syddensis civitas episcopus (Eadwulf) | |
| 836 or 839 to 862 or 866? | Beorhtred (Berhtred) | Last de facto Bishop of Lindsey |
| 862 or 866 to 866 or 869 | Eadbald | Nominal bishop of Lindsey |
| 866 or 869 to 869? | ?Burgheard | Nominal bishop of Lindsey |
| 866 or 869 to 875? | or ?Eadberht | Nominal bishop of Lindsey |
| 875? to 886? | Apparent interruption to succession | |
| Diocese of Dorchester | ||
| 886 to 953? | Apparent interruption to succession | |
| 953? to 971 or 975 | Leofwine | Nominal bishop of Lindsey |
| ?996 to 1004 | Sigeferth | Last nominal bishop of Lindsey |
| ?1009 to 1011? | ?Ælfstan | Possible nominal bishop of Lindsey |
Sources
- http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/chartwww/Bishops/epsuccession.html
- http://www.katolsk.no/utenriks/index_en.htm
- http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org
- Cathedrals and Abbeys of England & Wales Richard Morris, 1979, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd
- Discovering Cathedrals David Pepin, 2004, Shire Publications Ltd
- The Observer's Book of Cathedrals Anthony S.B.New, 1972, Frederick Warne & Co Ltd
- Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894) Joseph Haydn/Horace Ockerby, reprinted 1969
- Whitaker's Almanack 1883 to 2004 Joseph Whittaker & Sons/A&C Black, London
- Handbook of British Chronology (2nd ed, 1961), Royal Historical Society
- The Inside Out Guide to Lincoln website.: Visitor guide publications to the City of Lincoln
See also
"Bishop of Lincoln"