The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral is Hereford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Hereford. The diocese is one of the oldest in England (created in 676 and based on the minor sub-kingdom of the Magonsæte) and is part of the Province of Canterbury.
Bishops
The diocesan Bishop of Hereford (Richard Jackson) was, until 2020, assisted by the Bishop suffragan of Ludlow (which see was created in 1981) â it has been announced that the suffragan See is not to be filled. The provincial episcopal visitor (for parishes in this diocese â among twelve others in the western part of the Province of Canterbury â who reject the ministry of priests who are women, since 1994) is the Bishop suffragan of Oswestry, who is licensed as an honorary assistant bishop of the diocese in order to facilitate his work there.
Three retired bishops are licensed as assistant bishops in the diocese:
Statistics
As reported in the Church of England's Statistics for Mission 2018, published in October 2019, the diocese had a population of 331,000, fewer than any other except Sodor and Man. With 402 churches, the population per church was 820, the lowest of any diocese and less than 60% of the 1420 in the next lowest, St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. Average weekly church attendance was 8,700, a new low, down from 9,300 in 2017. The total worshipping community was estimated at 13,300, up from 11,700 in 2014, and 44% of these were aged over 70 years.
Archdeaconries and deaneries
The following deanery mergers have taken place:
- Kington and Weobley before 1972
- Ross and Archenfield before 1979
<nowiki>*</nowiki>including Cathedral
Churches
Extra-parochial areas
Archdeaconry of Hereford
Deanery of Abbeydore
- Benefice of Black Mountains
- Parish of Clodock and Longtown (population 627)
- St Clydog's Church, Clodock (medieval parish church)
- St Peter's Church, Longtown (medieval chapel to Clodock, closed and converted to house C20th)
- Parish of Craswall (population 153): St Mary's Church (medieval chapel to Clydog)
- Parish of Llanveynoe (population 103): SS Beuno & Peter's Church (medieval chapel to Clydog)
- Parish of Michaelchurch Escley (population 169): St Michael's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Newton (population 126): St John the Baptist's Church (1842)
- Parish of St Margaret's (population 159): St Margaret's Church (medieval)
- Benefice of Borderlink
- Parish of Blakemere (population 77): St Leonard's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Bredwardine with Brobury (population 229)
- St Andrew's Church, Bredwardine (medieval)
- St Mary Magdalene's Church, Brobury (medieval, abandoned 1850s)
- Parish of Clifford (population 366): St Mary the Virgin's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Cusop (population 389): St Mary's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Dorstone (population 400): St Faith's Church (medieval, rebuilt 1826, 1890)
- Parish of Hardwicke (population 177): Holy Trinity Church (1851)
- Parish of Moccas (population 107): St Michael & All Angels' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Preston-on-Wye (population 194): St Lawrence's Church (medieval)
- Benefice of Cagebrook
- Parish of Allensmore (population 556): St Andrew's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Clehonger (population 1,571): All Saints' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Eaton Bishop (population 435): St Michael & All Angels' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Kingstone (population 1,499): St Michael & All Angels' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Thruxton (population 47): St Bartholomew's Church (medieval)
- Benefice of Ewyas Harold
- Parish of Abbeydore (population 283)
- St Mary's Church (medieval abbey, reconsecrated as parish church 1634)
- Cockyard Mission Hall (1920s, converted smithy)
- Parish of Bacton (population 60): St Faith's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Ewyas Harold and Dulas (population 904)
- St Michael & All Angels' Church, Ewyas Harold (medieval)
- St Michael's Church, Dulas (medieval, rebuilt 1866, redundant 2008)
- Parish of Kentchurch with Llangua (population 339)
- St Mary's Church, Kentchurch (medieval)
- St James's Church, Llangua (medieval, originally St Kew's, redundant 1950s)
- Parish of Kilpeck (population 258): SS Mary & David's Church (medieval, originally St David's Church)
- Parish of Rowlestone and Llancillo (population 110)
- St Peter's Church, Rowlestone (medieval)
- St Peter's or St Tysilio's Church, Llancillo (medieval, redundant 2006)
- Parish of St Devereux (population 93): St Dubricius' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Walterstone (population 97): St Mary's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Wormbridge (population 131): St Peter's Church (medieval)
- Benefice of Wyedore
- Parish of Madley with Tyberton (population 1,327)
- Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Madley (medieval)
- St Mary's Church, Tyberton (medieval, rebuilt 1721)
- Parish of Peterchurch (population 1,037): St Peter's Church (medieval)
- Parish of Vowchurch and Turnastone (population 206)
- St Bartholomew's Church, Vowchurch (medieval)
- St Mary Magdalene's Church, Turnastone (medieval)
Deanery of Bromyard
- Benefice of Bredenbury
- Parish of Bredenbury with Grendon Bishop and Wacton
- St Andrew's New Church, Bredenbury (1877)
- St Andrew's Old Church, Bredenbury (medieval, abandoned 1877)
- St John the Baptist's Church, Grendon Bishop (medieval)
- St Andrew's Church, Wacton (medieval, abandoned 1881)
- Parish of Collington: St Mary's Church (medieval, rebuilt 1856)
- Parish of Edwyn Ralph: St Michael & All Angels' Church (medieval)
- Parish of Little Cowarne
- Parish of Pencombe with Marston Stannett
- Parish of Thornbury
- Parish of Ullingswick
Deanery of Hereford
Deanery of Kington and Weobley
Closed churches in the area
Deanery of Ledbury
Deanery of Ross and Archenfield
Deanery of Bridgnorth
Deanery of Clun Forest
Deanery of Condover
Deanery of Ludlow
Deanery of Pontesbury
Deanery of Telford Severn Gorge
Dedications
Medieval churches
- All Saints: Clehonger
- St Andrew: Allensmore, Bredwardine
- St Bartholomew: Thruxton, Vowchurch
- St Beuno: Llanveynoe
- St Clydog: Clodock
- St David: Kilpeck
- St Dubricius: St Devereux
- St Faith: Bacton, Dorstone
- St James: Llangua (red.)
- St Kew: Llangua
- St Lawrence: Preston-on-Wye
- St Leonard: Blakemere
- St Margaret: St Margaret's
- St Mary: Clifford, Craswall, Cusop, Kentchurch, Tyberton, Walterstone
- SS Mary & Ethelbert: Hereford Cathedral
- St Mary Magdalene: Brobury, Turnastone
- St Michael: Dulas, Eaton Bishop, Ewyas Harold, Kingstone, Michaelchurch Escley, Moccas
- Nativity of Mary: Madley
- St Peter: Longtown, Peterchurch, Rowlestone, Wormbridge
- St Tysilio: Llancillo
Post-medieval churches
Benefices by population
Deaneries by population
References
Sources
- Haydn's Book of Dignities (1894) Joseph Haydn/Horace Ockerby, reprinted 1969
- Whitaker's Almanack 1883 to 2004, Joseph Whitaker and Sons Ltd/A&C Black, London
- Church of England Statistics 2002
External links