Diocese of Leicester
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Leicester is a Church of England
diocese based in Leicester
and including the current county of Leicestershire
. The cathedral is Leicester Cathedral
, where the Bishop of Leicester
has his seat.
The diocese is divided into two Archdeaconries: the Archdeaconry of Leicester, covering the east of the county, and the Archdeaconry of Loughborough, covering the west. The former is divided into the rural deaneries of: City of Leicester; Framland (Melton Mowbray)
; Gartree
First and Second; and Goscote
. The latter is divided into the rural deaneries of Akeley
East, South and West; Guthlaxton
; and Sparkenhoe
East and West.
The Diocese owns a retreat house at Launde Abbey
near East Norton
.
first had a bishopric in 680, and the Anglo-Saxon cathedral was probably located close to (if not on the site of) the present cathedral. The original diocese fell victim to the invasion by the Danes around 870 and after the establishment of the Danelaw
in 886 the diocese's seat was moved to Oxfordshire and, taking over the existing Diocese of Lindine (created in 678), became the Diocese of Dorchester
. From Dorchester, Oxfordshire
the see was later moved to Lincoln
in 1072 under King William I
, the diocese then becoming the Diocese of Lincoln
. King Henry VIII divided the larger dioceses at the time of the English Reformation
and the Diocese of Lincoln was divided in three. Leicestershire was included in what became the new Diocese of Peterborough. In 1539 a new cathedral was being erected, but it was never completed and Peterborough was chosen as the seat of the new diocese and Peterborough Abbey the cathedral.
In the 19th century there were suffragan bishop
s of Leicester whilst the bishopric was still within the diocese of Peterborough. The modern diocese was founded in 1926 from the archdeaconries of Leicester and Loughborough and part of the archdeaconry of Northampton, all from the Diocese of Peterborough.
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 based in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and including the current county of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. The cathedral is Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Martin, Leicester is a Church of England cathedral in the English city of Leicester, and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester...
, where the Bishop of 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...
has his seat.
The diocese is divided into two Archdeaconries: the Archdeaconry of Leicester, covering the east of the county, and the Archdeaconry of Loughborough, covering the west. The former is divided into the rural deaneries of: City of Leicester; Framland (Melton Mowbray)
Framland
Framland was a hundred in north-east Leicestershire, roughly corresponding to today's borough of Melton. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as one of Leicestershire's four wapentakes....
; Gartree
Gartree (Leicestershire)
Gartree was a hundred of Leicestershire.It was in the south-east of the county, roughly corresponding to today's Harborough district. The town of Market Harborough was its largest settlement...
First and Second; and Goscote
Goscote
Not to be confused with Goscote, WalsallGoscote was a wapentake of Leicestershire, England, consisting of the north and north-west of the county...
. The latter is divided into the rural deaneries of Akeley
Akeley
-Place name:United Kingdom*Akeley, Buckinghamshire*Akeley, Leicestershire - a Hundred United States*Akeley, Minnesota*Akeley Township, Hubbard County, Minnesota...
East, South and West; Guthlaxton
Guthlaxton
Guthlaxton was a hundred of Leicestershire. It was in the south of the county, and covered Lutterworth and Wigston Magna. At the time of the Domesday Book, it was one of Leicestershire's four wapentakes, and covered a much larger area, including Market Bosworth and Hinckley, which would later be...
; and Sparkenhoe
Sparkenhoe
Sparkenhoe was a hundred of Leicestershire, England. It was in the south-west of the county, covering Market Bosworth and Hinckley, broadly corresponding to the modern districts of Blaby and Hinckley and Bosworth....
East and West.
The Diocese owns a retreat house at Launde Abbey
Launde Abbey
Launde Abbey is located in Leicestershire, 14 miles east of the city of Leicester and six miles south west of Oakham. The building is presently used as a conference and retreat centre, by the Church of England Dioceses of Leicester and Peterborough....
near East Norton
East Norton
East Norton is a small village and parish located in the east of Leicestershire, adjoining the A47 Leicester to Uppingham road. According to the 2001 Census, it had a population of 94 in 37 households. East Norton is situated in the Tilton Ward in the Rural East area of the Harborough District ,...
.
History
The areaMiddle Angles
The Middle Angles were an important ethnic or cultural group within the larger kingdom of Mercia in England in the Anglo-Saxon period.-Origins and territory:...
first had a bishopric in 680, and the Anglo-Saxon cathedral was probably located close to (if not on the site of) the present cathedral. The original diocese fell victim to the invasion by the Danes around 870 and after the establishment of the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
in 886 the diocese's seat was moved to Oxfordshire and, taking over the existing Diocese of Lindine (created in 678), became the Diocese of Dorchester
Diocese of Dorchester
The Diocese of Dorchester was an Anglo-Saxon Roman Catholic diocese in southern and eastern England.The Bishop of Dorchester had his seat, or cathedra, at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The Wessex diocese covered most of Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Oxfordshire and...
. From Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Dorchester-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thame in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames, but just above the Thame's confluence with it...
the see was later moved to Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
in 1072 under King William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, the diocese then becoming the Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
. King Henry VIII divided the larger dioceses at the time of the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and the Diocese of Lincoln was divided in three. Leicestershire was included in what became the new Diocese of Peterborough. In 1539 a new cathedral was being erected, but it was never completed and Peterborough was chosen as the seat of the new diocese and Peterborough Abbey the cathedral.
In the 19th century there were suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
s of Leicester whilst the bishopric was still within the diocese of Peterborough. The modern diocese was founded in 1926 from the archdeaconries of Leicester and Loughborough and part of the archdeaconry of Northampton, all from the Diocese of Peterborough.