Bishop of Salisbury

The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The current bishop is Stephen Lake. He stepped back voluntarily in April 2026 following allegations of financial irregularities; Karen Gorham is the acting diocesan bishop.

History

The Diocese of Sherborne (founded ) was the origin of the present diocese; St Aldhelm was its first bishop.

In about 705 the vast diocese of Wessex at Winchester was divided in two with the creation of a new diocese of Sherborne under Bishop Aldhelm, covering Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Cornwall was added to the diocese at the end of the ninth century, but in about 909 the diocese was divided in three with the creation of the bishoprics of Wells, covering Somerset, and Crediton, covering Devon and Cornwall, leaving Sherborne with Dorset.

In 1058, the Sherborne chapter elected Herman, Bishop of Ramsbury to be also Bishop of Sherborne. Following the Norman Conquest, the 1075 Council of London united his two sees as a single diocese and translated them to the then-larger settlement around the royal castle at Old Sarum. Disputes between Bishops Herbert and Richard Poore and the sheriffs of Wiltshire led to the removal of the see in the 1220s to New Sarum (modern Salisbury). This was chartered as the city of New Sarum by in 1227,Easton, James. A Chronology of Remarkable Events Relative to the City of New Sarum, with the Year, and the Name of the Mayor in whose Time they occurred: Chiefly collected from the authentic Sources of the City Records, and Manuscripts of Citizens, From  1227 to 1823, a Period of 596 Years, Including the Prices of Wheat and Barley from an Early Æra: To which are added, Their annual Average Prices for 28 Years, Being from 1796 to 1823, 5th ed., p. 1. J. Easton (Salisbury), 1824. but it was not until the 14th century that the office was described (by Bishop Wyvil) as the bishop of Sarum (). The diocese, like the city, is now known as Salisbury. The archdeaconry around Salisbury, however, retains the name of Sarum.

Reforms within the Church of England led to the annexation of Dorset from the abolished diocese of Bristol in 1836; Berkshire, however, was removed the same year and given to Oxford. In 1925 and 1974, new suffragan bishops were appointed to assist the Bishop of Salisbury; the new offices were titled the bishops of Sherborne and Ramsbury, respectively.The Diocese of Salisbury. "The History of the Diocese" . Church of England (Salisbury), 2015. Accessed 3 January 2015. Until 2009Salisbury Diocesan Synod minutes – 99th session, 7 November 2009 p. 3 (Accessed 23 April 2014) the bishops operated under an episcopal area scheme established in 1981, with each suffragan bishop having a formal geographical area of responsibility, and being known as "area bishops": the Bishop of Ramsbury had oversight of the diocese's parishes in Wiltshire, while the Bishop of Sherborne had oversight of the parishes in Dorset. This scheme was replaced to reflect the increased working across the whole diocese by all three bishops. The two suffragans may now legally function anywhere in the diocese, and the Bishop of Salisbury may delegate any of his functions to them. The Bishop of Salisbury's residence is now the South Canonry, near the cathedral.

List of bishops Anglo-Saxon Bishops of SherborneFromUntil IncumbentNotes 709 Saint Aldhelm Also Abbot of Malmesbury. 709 737 Forthhere Also recorded as Fordhere. Possibly resigned the see in 737. 736 766 774 Herewald 766 x 774 789 x 794 Æthelmod 793 796 x 801 Denefrith 793 x 801 816 x 825 Wigberht Also recorded as Wigheorht. 816 x 825 867 Eahlstan Also recorded as Alfstan. 867 or 868 871 Saint Heahmund Also recorded as Saint Hamund. 871 x 877 879 x 889 Æthelheah 879 x 889 890 x 900 Wulfsige I 890 x 900 909 Asser Also recorded as John Asser or Asserius Menevensis. Æthelweard 918, or 909 x 925 Wærstan 918, or 909 x 925 918, or 909 x 925 Æthelbald 918, or 909 x 925 932 x 934 Sigehelm 932 x 934 939 x 943 Alfred 939 x 943 958 x 964 Wulfsige II 958 x 964 978 Ælfwold I 978 or 979 991 x 993 Æthelsige I 993 1002 Wulfsige III Died in office on 8 January 1002. 1002 1011 or 1012 Æthelric 1011 or 1012 Æthelsige II 1014 x 1017 1014 x 1017 Brithwine I 1017 1023 Ælfmær Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury. Died in office, possibly on 5 April 1023. 1023 1045 Brithwine II Died in office, possibly on 2 June 1045. 1045 1058 Saint Ælfwold II Venerated as a saint with his Feast day on 25 March. 1058 1075 Herman Also Bishop of Ramsbury. Became the first Bishop of Salisbury when the sees of Sherborne and Ramsbury were transferred to Salisbury (Old Sarum) in 1075. Source(s):

Pre-Reformation Bishops of SalisburyFromUntilIncumbentNotesSee at Old Sarum 1075 1078 Herman Bishop of Sherborne (1058–75) and of Ramsbury (1045–55 and 1058–75). Removed the two sees to Salisbury (Old Sarum) in 1075. Died in office. 1078 1099 Saint Osmund Died in office. Canonized by Pope Callixtus III in 1457. 1099 1102 See vacant 1102 1139 Roger of Salisbury Formerly Lord Chancellor. Died in office. 1140 Henry de Sully Nominated by Henry of Blois, but was rejected by King Stephen. In compensation, Sully became abbot of Fécamp Abbey. 1140 1141 Philip de Harcourt Dean of Lincoln. Nominated by King Stephen, but Henry of Blois refused to consecrate. Harcourt appealed to Rome, but the nomination was quashed. Later became Bishop of Bayeux. 1142 1184 Josceline de Bohon Also recorded as Jocelin Bohon. Formerly Archdeacon of Winchester. Resigned in 1184 and became a Cistercian monk at Forde Abbey, Dorset. 1184 1189 See vacant 1189 1193 Hubert Walter Formerly Dean of York. Translated to Canterbury 1194 1217 Herbert Poore Formerly Archdeacon of Canterbury. Translated to Canterbury. 1217 1225 Richard Poore Previously Dean of Salisbury (1197–1215) and translated from Chichester. Removed see to Salisbury.See at Salisbury 1225 1228 Richard Poore (cont.) Removed the see from Old Sarum. Translated to Durham. 1229 1246 Robert de Bingham Also recorded as Robert Bingham. Died in office. 1246 1256 William de York Formerly Provost of Beverley. Died in office. 1256 1262 Giles of Bridport Formerly Dean of Wells. Died in office. 1263 1271 Walter de la Wyle Formerly Sub-chanter of Salisbury. Died in office. 1271 1284 Robert Wickhampton Formerly Dean of Salisbury. Died in office. 1284 1286 Walter Scammel Formerly Dean of Salisbury. Died in office. 1287 1288 Henry Brandeston Formerly Dean of Salisbury. Died in office. 1288 Lawrence de Awkeburne Elected but died before consecration. 1288 1291 William de la Corner Formerly Archdeacon of Northumberland. Died in office. 1291 1297 Nicholas Longespee Formerly a Prebendary of Salisbury. Died in office. 1297 1315 Simon of Ghent Died in office. 1315 1330 Roger Martival Formerly Dean of Lincoln. Died in office. 1330 1375 Robert Wyvil Also recorded as Robert Wyville. Died in office. 1375 1388 Ralph Ergham Translated to Bath & Wells. 1388 1395 John Waltham Also Master of the Rolls and Lord Treasurer. Died in office. 1395 1407 Richard Mitford Translated from Chichester. Died in office. 1407 Nicholas Bubwith Also recorded as Nicholas Bubbewith. Translated from London. Afterwards translated to Bath & Wells. 1407 1417 Robert Hallam Formerly Archdeacon of Canterbury and Chancellor of Oxford. Created a pseudocardinal by Antipope John XXIII in 1411, but Hallam did not accept the promotion. Died in office. 1417 1426 John Chandler Also recorded as John Chaundler. Formerly Dean of Salisbury. Died in office. 1427 1438 Robert Neville Also recorded as Robert Nevill. Formerly Provost of Beverley. Translated to Durham. 1438 1450 William Ayscough Also recorded as William Aiscough. Murdered by an angry mob during Jack Cade's rebellion. 1450 1481 Richard Beauchamp Translated from Hereford. Died in office. 1482 1484 Lionel Woodville Formerly Dean of Exeter and Chancellor of Oxford. Died in office. 1485 1493 Thomas Langton Translated from St David's. Afterwards translated to Winchester. 1493 1499 John Blyth Also recorded as John Blythe. Also Master of the Rolls and Chancellor of Cambridge. Died in office. 1501 Henry Deane Translated from Bangor. Afterwards translated to Canterbury 1502 1524 Edmund Audley Translated from Hereford. Died in office. 1524 1534 Lorenzo Campeggio Bishop of Bologna. Appointed Administrator of Salisbury. Deprived by Act of Parliament on the grounds of non-residence. Continued to be recognized as Administrator by the Vatican until July 1539. Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, pp. 270–271.

During the Reformation Bishops of SalisburyFromUntilIncumbentNotes 1535 1539 Nicholas Shaxton Formerly Treasurer of Salisbury. Resigned due to non-subscription to the Six Articles. 1539 1557 John Capon Also known as John Salcott. Translated from Bangor. Died in office. 1539 1542 Gasparo Contarini Bishop of Belluno. Appointed apostolic administrator of Salisbury by Pope Paul III, but was not recognised by King Henry VIII. 1543 1553 William Petow Appointed by Pope Paul III, but was not recognised by King Henry VIII. Did not take possession on the accession of Queen Mary I in 1553. 1558 Francis Mallet Dean of Lincoln (1555–1570). Nominated by Queen Mary but not consecrated, and set aside on her death. Source(s):, Handbook of British Chronology, p. 271.

Post-Reformation