The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, headed by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. It covers all the English county of Nottinghamshire and a few parishes in South Yorkshire. It is bordered by the dioceses of Derby, Leicester, Lincoln and Sheffield. The cathedral, Southwell Minster, is in the town of Southwell, 15 miles (24 km) north of Nottingham.
The present territory of the diocese was originally the Archdeaconry of Nottingham in the Diocese of York. In 1540, a new diocese was proposed by King Henry VIII comprising Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and the collegiate church of Southwell Minster was suppressed in order to serve as cathedral for the new diocese. However, this did not come to pass, and the collegiate church was reconstituted in 1543, while the archdeaconry remained part of the Diocese of York.
In 1837, the Archdeaconry of Nottingham was transferred to the Diocese of Lincoln, and therefore from the Province of York to the Province of Canterbury.
On 5 February 1884, the diocese of Southwell was created from the Archdeaconry of Nottingham, taken from Lincoln, and the Archdeaconry of Derby (covering, roughly, Derbyshire), taken from the Diocese of Lichfield. As had been planned in 1540, the medieval collegiate church of Southwell Minster was designated as cathedral for the new diocese.
On 7 July 1927, the Diocese of Derby was separated from Southwell; and on 25 October 1935, under to the Diocese of Southwell (Transfer) Measure, 1935, the Diocese of Southwell was transferred back to the Province of York.
In February 2005 the diocesan synod requested a change of name to the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, which was approved by the General Synod of the Church of England in July and by the Privy Council on 15 November 2005.
The diocesan bishop is Paul Williams, assisted by Andy Emerton, the Bishop suffragan of Sherwood, whose See of Sherwood was created in 1965. Alternative episcopal oversight (for the few parishes in the diocese which do not receive the ministry of priests who are women) is provided by a provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), the Bishop suffragan of Beverley, Stephen Race. He is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese.
Today the bishop's residence and office, the diocesan offices and the cathedral all remain in Southwell.
Closed churches are listed in italics.