Archdeacons in the Diocese of Southwark

The Archdeacons in the Diocese of Southwark are senior clergy in the Church of England in South London and Surrey. They currently include: the archdeacons of Southwark, of Reigate (formerly of Kingston-on-Thames) and of Lewisham & Greenwich (formerly of Lewisham), the Archdeacon of Croydon and the archdeacons of Wandsworth and of Lambeth. Each one has responsibility over a geographical area within the diocese.

The Diocese of Southwark was created on 1 May 1905 from two Diocese of Rochester archdeaconries: the archdeaconry of Southwark and the archdeaconry of Kingston-on-Thames.^[1] Parts of Surrey (from the dioceses of Winchester and of London) had first been transferred to Rochester diocese on 1 August 1877,^[2] and were organised into the Southwark archdeaconry on 3 May 1878.^[3] In 1864, the Bishop of Winchester had split the rural deanery of Southwark into three: Lambeth, Southwark, and Streatham.^[4] The Kingston archdeaconry was then created by Order in Council soon after, on 22 August 1879, by splitting the archdeaconry of Southwark:^[5] the new Kingston archdeaconry consisted of the rural deaneries of Barnes, Beddington, Godstone, Kingston, Reigate, and Streatham; and the continuing Southwark one those of Battersea, Camberwell, Clapham, Kennington, Lambeth, Newington, and Southwark.^[6] Lewisham rural deanery was erected, and other deanery boundaries altered, in early 1886.^[7]

Not long after the erection of the Diocese of Southwark, the new archdeaconry of Lewisham was created, on 6 March 1906, from part of the Southwark archdeaconry (Camberwell and Dulwich deaneries) and part of the diocese not then in an archdeaconry (Greenwich, Lewisham, and Woolwich deaneries;^[8] which had previously been in the Archdeaconry of Rochester).^[9]

The archdeaconry of Wandsworth was created in 1973, the Croydon archdeaconry (er. 1930) was moved from the Diocese of Canterbury on 1 January 1985.^[10] In 1986, the archdeaconry of Reigate was created from a renaming and reorganisation of the previous archdeaconry of Kingston-on-Thames^[5] and the archdeaconry of Lambeth was created from Southwark archdeaconry. Lewisham archdeaconry was renamed the Archdeaconry of Lewisham & Greenwich in 2008.

As of January 2021^[update], the six archdeaconries of the Diocese of Southwark comprise the following 24 deaneries:^[11]

• Archdeaconry of Southwark: Deaneries of Bermondsey, of Camberwell, of Dulwich, and of Southwark & Newington
• Archdeaconry of Reigate: Deaneries of Tandridge, of Reigate, and of Sutton
• Archdeaconry of Lewisham & Greenwich: Deaneries of Charlton, of Deptford, of East Lewisham, of Eltham & Mottingham, of Plumstead, and of West Lewisham
• Archdeaconry of Croydon: Deaneries of Croydon Addington, of Croydon Central, of Croydon North, and of Croydon South
• Archdeaconry of Wandsworth: Deaneries of Battersea, of Kingston, of Richmond & Barnes, of Tooting, and of Wandsworth
• Archdeaconry of Lambeth: Deaneries of Lambeth North, of Lambeth South, and of Merton

• 1879–1882 (res.): Samuel Cheetham^[12]
• 1882–19 March 1904 (d.): John Richardson^[13]
• 1904–1921 (res.): Samuel Taylor (also Bishop suffragan of Kingston from 1915)^[14]

On 1 May 1905, Southwark archdeaconry was moved from Rochester diocese to the newly-created Diocese of Southwark.

• 1922–1926 (res.): Percy Herbert, Bishop suffragan of Kingston^[15]
• 1927–1952 (res.): Frederick Hawkes, Bishop suffragan of Kingston^[16]
• 1952–1955 (res.): William Gilpin, Bishop suffragan of Kingston^[17]
• 1955–1966 (ret.): Havilland Sands^[18]
• 1967–1973 (res.): Reginald Bazire^[19]
• 1973–1982 (res.): Michael Whinney^[20]
• 1982–1985 (res.): Wilfred Wood^[21]
• 1985–2004 (ret.): Douglas Bartles-Smith (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[22]
• 2004–2012 (res.): Michael Ipgrave^[23]
• 2012–14 April 2013: Dianna Gwilliams (Acting)^[24]
• 14 April 2013 – 23 June 2021: Jane Steen^[25] (became Bishop of Lynn)
• 15 May 2022^[26] – present: Jonathan Sedgwick (Acting between May 2021 and 30 June 2022)^[27]

• 1879–1904 (res.): Charles Burney^[28]
• 1904–1916 (res.): George Daniell^[29]

The Archdeaconry of Kingston was moved from Rochester diocese to the newly-created Diocese of Southwark on 1 May 1905.

• 1916–1918 (res.): William Hough^[30]
• 1919–1931 (res.): Robert Joynt^[31]
• 1931–1946 (ret.): George Marten (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[32]
• 1946–1952 (ret.): Nicol Anderson (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[33]
• 1953–28 November 1976 (d.): Percy Robb^[34]
• 1977–1988 (ret.): Bernard Jacob (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[35]

In 1986, the archdeaconry was renamed to Reigate.

• 1988–1995 (ret.): Peter Coombs (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[36]
• 1996–2000 (ret.): Martin Baddeley^[37]
• 2001 – 23 February 2016 (ret.):^[38] Danny Kajumba^[39] (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[40]
• aft. April – bef. July 2015 (Acting): Andrew Cunnington^[41][42]
• autumn–winter 2015 (Acting): John Kronenberg^[43]
• winter 2015/2016 – 20 October 2016 (Acting): Jonathan Clark, Bishop of Croydon^[44]
• 30 October 2016 – present: Moira Astin^[45]

• 1906–March 1919 (d.): Charles Escreet^[46]
• 1919–1932 (ret.): William Hough, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich^[30]
• 1932–19 July 1936 (d.): Arthur Preston, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich^[47]
• 1936–1947 (res.): Leslie Lang, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich^[48]
• 1947–1955 (res.): Robert Stannard, Bishop suffragan of Woolwich^[49][50]
• 1955–1960 (res.): Laurie Brown^[51]
• 1960–1972 (ret.): William Hayman^[52]
• 1972–1985 (ret.): Ivor Davies (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[53]
• 1985–1989 (ret.): Clifford Lacey (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)(1 April 1921 – 16 February 1997) ; wartime service RAFVR; educated at King's College London;^[54] curacies, Crofton Park, Kingston upon Thames;^[55] incumbencies, Merton, Eltham
• 1989–1996 (res.): Gordon Kuhrt (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[56]
• 1996–2001 (res.): David Atkinson^[57]
• September 2001–30 November 2012 (ret.): Christine Hardman (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[58]

In 2008, the archdeaconry was renamed Lewisham & Greenwich.

• 14 April 2013 – 3 July 2024: Alastair Cutting^[25] (became area Bishop of Woolwich)
• 20 September 2024 – present: Chigor Chike^[59][60]

• 1973–1975 (ret.): Reginald Bazire^[19]
• 1975–1988 (res.): Peter Coombs^[36]
• 1989–2004 (ret.): David Gerrard (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[61]
• 2004–before September 2015:^[62] Stephen Roberts^[63]
• 22 July–22 November 2015 (Acting): Tim Marwood ^[64]
• 22 November 2015–present: John Kiddle^[65]
• 2025 onwards: Bridget Shepherd (announced)^[66]

• 1986–1988 (ret.): Charles Pinder (afterwards archdeacon emeritus)^[67]
• 1988–1999 (res.): Dick Bird^[68]
• 2000–2003 (res.): Nick Baines^[69]
• 2004–14 April 2013 (res.): Chris Skilton^[70][25]
• 2013–present: Simon Gates^[71]
• 2018 – 2 September 2018: David Stephenson (Acting)^[72]