Diocese of Bath and Wells

DIOCESE OF BATH AND WELLS

Country: United Kingdom
Denomination: Anglican (until 1560/69 Roman Catholic)
Established: 909 as Diocese of Wells and 1088 as Diocese of Bath, united 1135

Official blazon

Azure, a saltire per saltire quarterly counterchanged Or and argent.

Origin/meaning

The arms were recorded at the College of Arms.

These arms are those of Wells alone, being a variation of the cross of St. Andrew to whom the cathedral is dedicated.

Alternatively they may be derived from the arms attributed by the medieval heralds to the Kingdom of Mercia since Bath Abbey (for a time a cathedral church) was the descendant of a College founded by the Mercian King Offa.

The seal of Robert Burnell (1275-92) has on one side of the bishop's effigy the keys of St. Peter and on the other the saltire of St. Andrew. Bishop Montagu (1608-16) placed a saltire for Wells between the sword and keys of the Abbey of Bath. In so doing he appears to have partially followed the example of Bishop Beckington (1443-65) who bore these arms with the addition of a pastoral staff in pale behind the saltire. This coat appears frequently in Wells Cathedral.

Arms of Roman Catholic Bishops

Robert (1136-1166)
William Bitton I (1248-1264)
Walter Giffard (1265-1266)
William Bitton II (1267-1274)
Robert Burnell (1275-1292)
William of March (1293-1302)
Walter Haselshaw (1302-1308)
John Droxford (1309-1329)
Ralph of Shrewsbury (1329-1363)
John Barnet (1363-1366)
John Harewell (1367-1386)
Walter Skirlaw (1386-1388)
Ralph Ergham (1388-1400)
Richard Clifford (1400-1401, Bishop-Elect)
Henry Bowet (1401-1407)
Nicholas Bubwith (1407-1424)
John Stafford (1424-1443)
Robert Stillington (1465-1491)
Richard Foxe (1492-1494)
Oliver King (1495-1503)
Adriano di Castello (1504-1518, Administrator)
Thomas Wolsey (1518-1523, Administrator)
John Clerk (1523-1541)
Gilbert Bourne (1554-1569)

Arms of Anglican Bishops

William Barlow (1548-1553)
Thomas Godwin (1584-1590)
John Still (1593-1608)
James Montague (1608-1616)
Arthur Lake (1616-1626)
William Laud (1626-1628)
Leonard Mawe (1628-1629)
Walter Curle (1629-1632)
William Piers (1632-1646 and 1660-1670)
Robert Creighton (1670-1672)
Peter Mews (1673-1684)
Thomas Ken (1685-1690)
Richard Kidder (1691-1703)
George Hooper (1704-1727)
John Wynne (1727-1743)
Edward Willes (1743-1773)
Charles Moss (I) (1774-1802)
Richard Beadon (1802-1824)
George Henry Law (1824-1845)
Richard Bagot (1845-1854)
Robert John Eden (1854-1869)
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Arthur Charles Hervey (1869-1894)
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George Kennion (1894-1921)
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Basil Wynne Willson (1921-1937)
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Francis Underhill (1937-1943)
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William Wand (1943-1945)
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Harold Bradfield (1946-1960)
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Edward Henderson (1960-1975)
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John Bickersteth (1975-1986)
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George Carey (1986-1991)
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Jim Thompson (1991-2001)
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Peter Price (2002-2013)
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Peter Hancock (2014-2021)

Literature:

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