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 Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

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 Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury

Diocese of Shrewsbury

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The diocese encompasses parts of the North West of England and parts of the West Midlands...

 in the Province of Birmingham, England.

The diocese covers an area of 6136 km² (2,369.1 sq mi) of the counties and unitary authorities of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

 and Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...

 with parts of Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

, Halton

Halton (borough)

Halton is a local government district in North West England, with borough status and administered by a unitary authority. It was created in 1974 as a district of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998. It consists of the towns of Widnes and Runcorn and the civil parishes of...

, Merseyside

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

, Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

 and Warrington

Warrington

Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...

. The 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...

 is in the town of Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

 where 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...

 is located at the Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara

Shrewsbury Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara, commonly known as Shrewsbury Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Shrewsbury, England...

.

The diocese of Shrewsbury was erected on 29 September 1850 from parts of the Vicariates Apostolic

Apostolic vicariate

An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...

 of the Central, Lancashire

Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District

The Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District was the title given to the bishop who headed an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England...

 and Welsh Districts.

The current incumbent is the Right Reverend Mark Davies who succeeded as the 11th Bishop of Shrewsbury on 1 October 2010. He had previously been appointed the Coadjutor Bishop

Coadjutor bishop

A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 of Shrewsbury by the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 on 22 December 2009 and ordained a bishop on 22 February 2010.

List of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury

Roman Catholic Bishops of Shrewsbury
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1851	1881	James Brown James Brown (bishop of Shrewsbury) James Brown was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1851 to 1881....	Appointed Appointment of Catholic bishops The appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church is a complicated process. Outgoing bishops, neighbouring bishops, the faithful, the apostolic nuncio, various members of the Roman Curia, and the pope all have a role in the selection...  bishop on 27 June 1851 and consecrated on 27 July 1851. Died in office on 14 October 1881.
1882	1895	Edmund Knight Edmund Knight Edmund Knight was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1882 to 1895....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of Shrewsbury (1879–1882). Appointed Bishop of Shrewsbury on 25 April 1882. Resigned on 28 May 1895 and appointed Titular Bishop of Flavias. Died on 9 June 1905.
1895	1897	John Carroll John Carroll (bishop of Shrewsbury) John Carroll was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1895 to 1897....	Appointed Coadjutor Bishop Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...  of Shrewsbury on 22 August 1893 and consecrated on 28 October 1893. Succeeded Bishop of Shrewsbury on 11 May 1895. Died in office on 14 January 1897.
1897	1908	Samuel Webster Allen Samuel Webster Allen Samuel Webster Allen was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1897 to 1908....	Appointed bishop on 19 April 1897 and consecrated on 16 June 1897. Died in office on 13 May 1908.
1908	1934	Hugh Singleton Hugh Singleton Hugh Singleton was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1908 to 1934....	Appointed bishop on 1 August 1908 and consecrated on 21 September 1908. Died in office on 17 December 1934.
1934	1949	Ambrose James Moriarty Ambrose James Moriarty Ambrose James Moriarty was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1934 to 1949....	Appointed Coadjutor Bishop Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...  of Shrewsbury on 18 December 1931 and consecrated on 28 January 1932. Succeeded Bishop of Shrewsbury on 17 December 1934. Died in office on 3 June 1949.
1949	1961	John Aloysius Murphy John Aloysius Murphy John Aloysius Murphy was a Roman Catholic Church prelate who served firstly as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1949 to 1961, then as the Archbishop of Cardiff from 1961 to 1983....	Appointed Coadjutor Bishop Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...  of Shrewsbury on 7 February 1948 and consecrated on 25 February 1948. Succeeded Bishop of Shrewsbury on 3 June 1949. Translated to the archbishopric of Cardiff Archbishop of Cardiff The Archbishop of Cardiff is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff.The archdiocese covers an area of and spans the historic counties of Monmouthshire, Herefordshire and eastern Glamorganshire...  on 22 August 1961.
1962	1980	William Eric Grasar William Eric Grasar William Eric Grasar was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1962 to 1980....	Appointed bishop on 26 April 1962 and consecrated on 27 June 1962. Resigned on 20 March 1980 and died on 28 December 1982.
1980	1995	Joseph Gray Joseph Gray (bishop) Joseph Gray was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1980 to 1995....	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of Liverpool (1968–1980). Appointed Bishop of Shrewsbury on 19 August 1980. Retired on 23 June 1995 and died on 7 May 1999.
1995	2010	Brian Michael Noble Brian Noble (bishop) Brian Michael Noble is the former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.-Biography:Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, Brian Michael Noble was ordained to the priesthood on 11 June 1960 and served as a priest in the Diocese of Lancaster...	Appointed bishop on 23 June 1995 and consecrated on 30 August 1995. Retired on 1 October 2010.
2010	present	Mark Davies	Appointed Coadjutor Bishop Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...  of Shrewsbury on 22 December 2009 and consecrated on 22 February 2010. Succeeded Bishop of Shrewsbury on 1 October 2010.