The Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

is the Ordinary

Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...

 of the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 Diocese of Bradford, in the Province of York

Province of York

The Province of York is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England, and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to an Archbishopric in 735 AD: Ecgbert of York was the first archbishop...

The diocese covers the extreme west of Yorkshire, and has its see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

 in the city of Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

 where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter

Bradford Cathedral

Bradford Cathedral , full name Cathedral Church of St Peter, is situated in the heart of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, on a site used for Christian worship since the 8th century when missionaries based in Dewsbury evangelised the region...

.

The Bishop's residence is Bishopscroft, Bradford.

The office has existed since the foundation of the see from part of the Diocese of Ripon

Diocese of Ripon and Leeds

The Diocese of Ripon and Leeds is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers an area in western and northern Yorkshire as well as the south Teesdale area administered by County Durham which is traditionally part of Yorkshire...

 in 1920 under King George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....

. The current (and possibly last) diocesan Bishop of Bradford is Nick Baines, since 21 May 2011.

List of diocesan bishops

Bishops of Bradford
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1920	1931	Arthur Perowne	Nominated 8 January and consecrated 2 February 1920; translated Translation (ecclesiastical) Translation is the technical term when a Bishop is transferred from one diocese to another.This can be* From Suffragan Bishop status to Diocesan Bishop*From Coadjutor bishop to Diocesan Bishop*From one country's Episcopate to another...  to Worcester Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...  11 March 1931.
1931	1955	Alfred Blunt Alfred Blunt Alfred Blunt , second bishop of Bradford . He is best known for a speech that exacerbated the Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII....	Nominated 15 July and consecrated 25 July 1931; resigned 31 October 1955; died 2 June 1957.
1956	1961	Donald Coggan Donald Coggan Frederick Donald Coggan, Baron Coggan, PC was the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury from 1974 to 1980, during which time he visited Rome and met the Pontiff, in company with Bishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, future Cardinal of England and Wales.-Background:Coggan was born in Highgate, London, England...	Nominated 6 December 1955 and consecrated 25 January 1956; translated to York Archbishop of York The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...  on 6 July 1961, then to Canterbury Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...  on 5 December 1974.
1961	1971	Clement Parker	Translated from Aston Bishop of Aston The Bishop of Aston is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Aston, an area of the City of Birmingham... ; nominated 19 September and confirmed 29 September 1961; resigned 30 November 1971; died 5 March 1980.
1972	1980	Ross Hook	Translated from Grantham Bishop of Grantham The Bishop of Grantham is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the market town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. The bishop has episcopal oversight as the area bishop for the... ; nominated 28 April and confirmed 25 May 1972; resigned 30 September 1980; died 26 June 1996.
1981	1983	Geoffrey Paul Geoffrey Paul Geoffrey Paul was the eighth Bishop of Hull in the modern era from 1977 until 1981, who was then translated to Bradford where he served until his death two years later. Educated at Rutlish Grammar School, Queens' College, Cambridge and at King's College London, his first post after ordination was...	Translated from Hull Bishop of Hull The Bishop of Hull is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of York, England. The suffragan bishop, along with the Bishop of Selby and the Bishop of Whitby, assists the Archbishop of York in overseeing the diocese.... ; nominated 9 February and confirmed 20 March 1981; died 10 July 1983.
1984	1991	Robert Williamson Robert Williamson (bishop) Robert Kerr "Roy" Williamson was the seventh Bishop of Bradford from 1984 until 1991, who was then translated to Southwark where he served until his retirement seven years later....	Nominated 9 February and consecrated 20 March 1984; translated to Southwark Bishop of Southwark (Anglican) The Bishop of Southwark is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester...  in 1991.
1992	2002	David Smith David Smith (bishop) David James Smith is a retired Anglican bishop of the Church of England.Born on 14 July 1935 and educated at King’s College London, he was ordained in 1959. His first post was as a curate at All Saints' Gosforth, after which he became the Vicar of Monkseaton. He was subsequently the Rural Dean of... AKC Associate of King's College The Associateship or Associate of King's College award has been the degree-equivalent qualification of King's College London since 1833. It is the original qualification that the College awarded to its students since, not being a university, it could not award a degree.Since 1909, only students...	Previously Bishop of Maidstone Bishop of Maidstone The Bishop of Maidstone was an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the county town of Maidstone in Kent and had a similar though subordinate role to that of the Bishop of...  and to the Forces Bishop to the Forces The Anglican church in the British Armed Forces falls under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, however for all practical purposes the function is performed by the Bishop to the Forces. His full title is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces"... ; nominated and confirmed in 1992; resigned 31 July 2002.
2002	2010	David James David James (bishop) David Charles James is a retired Anglican bishop. He was formerly the Bishop of Bradford in the Church of England.James was educated at Nottingham High School and the University of Exeter... PhD Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...  BA Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...  BSc Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...	Translated from Pontefract Bishop of Pontefract The Bishop of Pontefract is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Wakefield, in the Province of York, England... ; nominated 9 July 2002; confirmed at York Minster York Minster York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...  in November 2002.
2011	present	Nick Baines BAHons Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...	Installed 21 May 2011.
Source(s):

Area Bishop of Bradford

Under the Dioceses Commission's Draft Reorganisation Scheme, the Diocese

Diocese of Bradford

The Diocese of Bradford is a Church of England diocese within the Province of York. The Diocese covers the area of the City of Bradford, Craven district and the former Sedbergh Rural District now in Cumbria....

 and See of Bradford would be entirely dissolved to facilitate the creation of a new Anglican Diocese of Leeds. A new area Bishop of Bradford would then be created to serve the City of Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

. The new area bishop would presumably have a "seat of honour" at Bradford Cathedral

Bradford Cathedral

Bradford Cathedral , full name Cathedral Church of St Peter, is situated in the heart of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, on a site used for Christian worship since the 8th century when missionaries based in Dewsbury evangelised the region...

.