The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which fall within the Diocese of Winchester as they were historically in Hampshire), and most of Wiltshire (excepting an area in the north and Swindon). The diocese is led by Stephen Lake, Bishop of Salisbury, and by the diocesan synod. The bishop's seat is at Salisbury Cathedral.

History

Roman Catholic

The Diocese of Sherborne (founded c. AD 705) was the origin of the present diocese; St Aldhelm was its first Bishop of Sherborne. The Diocese of Ramsbury was created from the northwestern territory of the Bishop of Winchester in 909. Herman of Wilton was appointed bishop of Ramsbury, covering Wiltshire and Berkshire, by Edward the Confessor in 1045. In or after 1059 he was also appointed Sherborne, covering Dorset, uniting the two dioceses. In 1075 he obtained approval to move the see to Old Sarum. Disputes between the bishops Herbert and Richard Poore and the sheriffs of Wiltshire led to the removal of the see in the 1220s to a new site. This was chartered as the city of New Sarum by King Henry III in 1227, but it was not until the 14th century that the office was described (by Robert Wyvil) as the Bishop of Sarum (episcopus Sarum). The diocese, like the city, is now known as Salisbury. The archdeaconry around Salisbury, however, retains the name of Sarum.

Anglican

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. Until 2009 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 diocese's 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 diocese is also divided into four archdeaconries, two for each county. These are further subdivided into deaneries and parishes. Changes were made to the allocation of parishes to deaneries in 1951. In 2022, the deaneries of Guernsey and Jersey were attached to the diocese.

Bishops

The diocesan Bishop of Salisbury is assisted across the diocese by two suffragans – the Bishop of Sherborne and the Bishop of Ramsbury. The provincial episcopal visitor (since February 2023), for traditional Anglo Catholic parishes in this diocese, who have petitioned for alternative episcopal oversight) is Paul Thomas, Bishop suffragan of Oswestry. There are several former bishops licensed as honorary assistant bishops in the diocese:

Sarum Use

The Sarum Rite (more properly called Sarum Use) was a variant of the Roman Rite widely used for the ordering of Christian public worship, including the Mass and the Divine Office. It was established by Saint Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury in the 11th century and was originally the local form used in the Cathedral and Diocese of Salisbury; it later became prevalent throughout southern England and came to be used throughout most of England, Wales, Ireland and later Scotland until the reign of Queen Mary. Although abandoned after the 16th century, it was also a notable influence on the pattern of Anglican liturgy represented in the Book of Common Prayer. Occasional interest in and attempts at restoration of the liturgy by Anglicans and Roman Catholics have not produced a general revival, however.

Archdeaconries and deaneries

There are twenty-one deaneries within the diocese.

Churches

Not in a deanery

Deanery of Alderbury

Deanery of Blackmore Vale

Deanery of Bradford

Deanery of Calne

Deanery of Chalke

Deanery of Devizes

Deanery of Dorchester

Deanery of Guernsey

Deanery of Heytesbury

Deanery of Jersey

Deanery of Lyme Bay

Deanery of Marlborough

Deanery of Milton and Blandford

Deanery of Pewsey

Deanery of Poole and North Bournemouth

Deanery of Purbeck

Deanery of Salisbury

Deanery of Sherborne

Deanery of Stonehenge

Deanery of Weymouth and Portland

Deanery of Wimborne

Closed and former churches

Dedications

St Mary (the Virgin) 105 – All Saints 49 – St Andrew 38 – St Peter 38 – St Michael (& All Angels) 36 – St Nicholas 35 – St John the Baptist 25 – Holy Trinity 25 – St James 20 – St Martin 16 – St John the Evangelist 15 – St George 12 – Christ Church 11 – St Lawrence 9 – St Mary Magdalene 9 – St Catherine 7 – Holy Cross/Rood 7 – St Paul 7 – St Aldhelm 6 – SS Peter & Paul 6 – Holy/St Saviour 6 – St Thomas Becket 6 – St Giles 5 – St Margaret 5 – St Barnabas 4 – St Leonard 4 – St Mark 4 – St Matthew 4 – St Stephen 4 – St Thomas 4 – St Bartholomew 3 – St Francis 3 – St Luke 3 – St Osmund 3 – St Anne 2 – St Clement 2 – St Edward the Martyr 2 – St Gabriel 2 – St John (unspecified) 2 – SS Mary & Nicholas 2 – St Peter ad Vincula 2 – St Philip 2 – SS Simon & Jude 2 – St Swithin 2 – All Saints & St Mary 1 – Holy Angels 1 – St Apollonia 1 – Ascension 1 – Assumption of Mary 1 – St Albinus of Angers 1 – St Audoin 1 – St Augustine of Canterbury 1 – St Bartholomew & All Saints 1 – St Birinus 1 – St Branwalator 1 – St Candida & Holy Cross 1 – St Christopher 1 – SS Cosmas & Damian 1 – St Cuthberga 1 – St Cuthbert 1 – St Denys 1 – St Dunstan 1 – St Editha of Wilton 1 – St Edmund of Canterbury 1 – Emmanuel 1 – St Eustace 1 – Good Shepherd 1 – St Gregory 1 – St Helier 1 – St Hippolytus 1 – St Hubert 1 – SS Juthware & Mary 1 – SS Mary & Bartholomew 1 – SS Mary, Cuthberga & All Saints 1 – SS Mary & James 1 – SS Mary, Katherine & All Saints 1 – SS Mary & Melor 1 – St Mary of the Annunciation 1 – St Mary of the Assumption 1 – St Nicholas of Jerusalem 1 – St Pancras 1 – SS Peter & Andrew 1 – SS Philip & James 1 – St Rumbold 1 – St Sampson 1 – St Simon 1 – Transfiguration 1 – St Wolfrida 1 – No dedication 11