The Bishop of Hexham was an episcopal

Episcopal polity

Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...

 title which took its name after the market town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 of Hexham

Hexham

Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...

 in Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, England. The title was first used by the Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

 in the 7th and 9th centuries, and then by the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 in the 19th century.

Anglo-Saxon bishops of Hexham

The first Diocese of Lindisfarne was merged into the Diocese of York

Diocese of York

The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire....

 in 664. York diocese was then divided in 678 by Archbishop Theodore

Theodore of Tarsus

Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury, best known for his reform of the English Church and establishment of a school in Canterbury....

 of Canterbury, forming a bishopric for the country between the Rivers Aln

River Aln

The River Aln runs through the county of Northumberland in England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast of England.The river gives its name to the town of Alnwick and to the village of Alnmouth, and its source, Alnham in the Cheviot Hills...

 and Tees

River Tees

The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...

, with a seat at Hexham. This gradually and erratically merged back into the bishopric of Lindisfarne. Eleven bishops of Hexham followed St. Eata, of which six were saints.

No successor was appointed in 821, the condition of the country being too unsettled. A period of disorder followed the Danish devastations, after which Hexham monastery

Hexham Abbey

Hexham Abbey is a place of Christian worship dedicated to St Andrew and located in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in northeast England. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham.-History:...

 was reconstituted in 1113 as a priory of Austin Canons, which flourished until its dissolution under Henry VIII. Meantime the bishopric had been merged in that of Lindisfarne, which latter see was removed to Chester-le-Street in 883, and thence to Durham in 995.

Anglo-Saxon Bishops of Hexham
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
678	c. 681	St. Eata Eata of Hexham Eata , also known as Eata of Lindisfarne, was bishop of Lindisfarne from 678 until 685, and of Hexham from then until his death...	Translated to Lindisfarne circa 681.
681	684	Trumbert Trumbert Trumbert was a monk of Jarrow, a disciple of St. Chad and later Bishop of Hexham.-Life:He was educated at Lastingham by Ceadda, and was a teacher of Bede. He was the Bishop of the See of Hexham from 681 until he was deposed in 685 and was succeeded by Eata. He had previously been a monk at Ripon...	Deposed in 684.
684	685	St. Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne Saint Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop and hermit associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria, at that time including, in modern terms, northern England as well as south-eastern Scotland as far as the Firth of Forth...	Elected in 684. Translated to Lindisfarne in 685.
685	685 or 686	St. Eata Eata of Hexham Eata , also known as Eata of Lindisfarne, was bishop of Lindisfarne from 678 until 685, and of Hexham from then until his death... (returned)	Died in office in 685 or 686.
687	706	St. John of Beverley John of Beverley John of Beverley was an English bishop active in the kingdom of Northumbria. He was the Bishop of Hexham and then the Bishop of York which was the most important religious designation in the area. He went on to found the town of Beverley by building the first structure there, a monastery...	Became bishop in August 687. 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...  in 706.
706	709	St. Wilfrid Wilfrid Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...	Translated from Leicester Bishop of Leicester The Bishop of Leicester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Leicester in the Province of Canterbury.The first bishops of Leicester were originally prelates who administered an Anglo-Saxon diocese between the 7th and 9th centuries...  in 706. Died in office in 709.
709	731	St. Acca Acca of Hexham Acca , Bishop of Hexham.Born in Northumbria, Acca first served in the household of Bosa, the future Bishop of York, but later attached himself to Saint Wilfrid, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was...	Deprived or expelled in 731. Died on 20 October 737 or 740.
734	766	Frithubeorht Frithubeorht Frithubeorht was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 8 September 734. He died on 23 December 766.-References:...	Became bishop on 8 September 734. Died in office on 766.
767	780 or 781	St. Eahlmund	Became bishop on 24 April 767. Died in office on 7 September 780 or 781.
780 or 781	789	Tilbeorht Tilbeorht Tilbeorht was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 2 October 781. He died in 789.-References:* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961...	Became bishop on 2 October, possibly in 780 or 781. Died in office in 789.
789	797	Æthelberht Æthelberht of Whithorn Æthelberht was a 8th century Anglo-Saxon bishop. His consecration as Bishop of Whithorn can be placed using the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle on 15 June in either 776 or 777, and took place at York. In either 789, 790 or 791 he became Bishop of Hexham; he was succeeded at Whithorn by Beadwulf. He died on...	Translated from Whithorn Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...  in 789. Died in office on 16 October 797.
797	800	Heardred Heardred of Hexham Heardred was a medieval Bishop of Hexham.He was consecrated on 30 October 797. He died in 800.-References:* Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961-External links:*...	Became bishop on 29 October 797. Died in office in 800.
800	813	Eanbehrt	Died in office in 813.
813	821	Tidfrith Tidfrith of Hexham Tidfrith or Tidferth was an early 9th century Northumbriah prelate. Said to have died on his way to Rome, he is the last known Anglo-Saxon bishop of Hexham. This bishopric, like the bishopric of Whithorn, probably ceased to exist, and was probably taken over by the authority of the bishopric of...	Died in office in 821.
After the death of the last bishop of Hexham and a period of unrest, the see merged to the bishopric of Lindisfarne.

Modern Roman Catholic bishop of Hexham

By the decree of 29 September 1850 by Pope Pius IX

Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...

, the Roman Catholic hierarchy was restored

Universalis Ecclesiae

Universalis Ecclesiae is the incipit of the papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to the dioceses, as...

 in England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

. Much of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Northern District of England became the Diocese of Hexham, and the Vicar Apostolic of the district became the Bishop of Hexham. The Diocese of Hexham comprised Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, Cumberland

Cumberland

Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....

 and Westmorland

Westmorland

Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...

. The patrons of the diocese were Our Blessed Lady Immaculate and St Cuthbert

Cuthbert

- People :*Cuthbert , Anglo-Saxon saint, bishop, monk and hermit*Cuthbert of Canterbury , Archbishop of Canterbury*Cuthbert Bardsley , Anglican Bishop of Coventry*Cuthbert Brodrick , British architect...

.

On 22 April 1861, the Propaganda congregation decreed that St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Cathedral Church of St Mary is a Catholic cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the mother church of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and seat of the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. The Cathedral, situated on Clayton Street, was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and built between 1842...

 should be the bishop's seat

Cathedra

A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...

, and the Episcopal 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...

 should be renamed the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Rite centred around St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England...

. The decree was approved by Pope Pius IX on 7 March, and was expedited on 23 May 1861.

Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1850	1861	William Hogarth William Hogarth (bishop) William Hogarth was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.-Early life and ministry:...	Formerly Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District and Titular Bishop Titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...  of Samosata Samosata Samosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam.... (1848–1850). Appointed Bishop of Hexham on 29 September 1850. His episcopal title changed to Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...  on 23 May 1861.
In 1861, the bishopric changed its name to Hexham and Newcastle Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:... .

External links

• Episcopal succession in Anglo-Saxon England