Bishop of Hereford

For the fictional character in the Robin Hood legend, see Bishop of Hereford (Robin Hood).

Bishop of Hereford
Bishopric
anglican
Coat of arms of the {{{name}}}
Arms of the Bishop of Hereford: Gules, three leopard's faces jessant-de-lys reversed or[1] These were the arms of Bishop Thomas Cantilupe (c.1218-1282)
Incumbent:
Richard Jackson
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceCanterbury
ResidenceThe Palace, Hereford
Information
First holderPutta
Established676
DioceseHereford
CathedralSt Mary's and St Ethelbert's, Hereford

The Bishop of Hereford is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishops were canonised. During the English Reformation the bishops of England and Wales conformed to the independent Church of England under Henry VIII and Edward VI, but, under Mary I, they adhered to the Roman Catholic Church. Since the accession of Elizabeth I the diocese has again been part of the Church of England and Anglican Communion.

The episcopal see is centred in the City of Hereford where the bishop's seat (cathedra) is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert. The diocese was founded for the minor sub-kingdom of the Magonsæte in 676. It now covers the whole of the county of Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes in Worcestershire, Powys and Monmouthshire. The arms of the see are gules, three leopard's faces reversed jessant-de-lys or, which were the personal arms of Bishop Thomas de Cantilupe (d.1282).[2]

The current bishop is Richard Jackson.[3] The bishop's residence is The Palace, Hereford.[4]

  1. ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.568
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference crockfordsweb691 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Diocese of Hereford – News – New Bishop of Hereford service of confirmation". hereford.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Richard Michael Cockayne Frith". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 28 June 2017.