List of Church of England dioceses
This is a list of Church of England Dioceses. A diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, of which there are currently 44 within the Church of England. These cover all of England, and also the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly, and a small part of Wales. The Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe is also a part of the Church of England (rather than a separate Anglican church such as the Church in Wales), and covers the whole of mainland Europe, Ireland, Morocco, Turkey and the Russian Federation.
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History
- Main article: Historical development of Church of England dioceses
The structure of diocese within the Church of England was initially inherited from the Roman Catholic church as part of the Reformation. During the Reformation a number of new dioceses were founded. No new dioceses were then created until the middle of the 19th century, when dioceses were founded mainly in response to the growing population, especially in the northern industrial cities.
Current situation
The latest dioceses were created in 1927. The 44 dioceses are divided into two Provinces, the Province of Canterbury (with 30 dioceses) and the Province of York (with 14 dioceses). The archbishops of Canterbury and York have pastoral oversight over the bishops within their province, along with certain other rights and responsibilities.
List of Dioceses
The table below gives the dioceses in alphabetical order, along with their geographic location, province, foundation date and the location of their cathedral (see also List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom).
