Holdings of Lambeth Palace Library

Extent of the dioceses of Canterbury and London, and peculiar jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury

Diocese of Canterbury

Until the mid-19th century the diocese of Canterbury comprised parishes in Kent, east of the river Medway. But with the rearrangements of the boundaries of the sees of London, Rochester, and Canterbury following the abolition of exempt jurisdictions in 1845, a number of parishes in the deaneries of Malling and Dartford and the archbishop’s peculiar of Shoreham were transferred to the diocese of Canterbury. In addition the Canterbury diocese gained the Surrey parishes of Croydon, a former archiepiscopal peculiar, and of Addington, formerly in the diocese of Winchester, but including Addington Park, purchased as an archiepiscopal residence in 1807. With the exception of Croydon and Addington, all the parishes gained in 1846 reverted to the diocese of Rochester following the founding of the diocese of Southwark in 1904.

A full list of parishes and a map of the diocese are available here (use your browser's back button to return to this page).

Peculiar jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury

‘Peculiars’ were those parishes or places which were exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese they were physically located, and were answerable directly to another. In the case of the archbishop, he exercised episcopal jurisdiction over a number of parishes in various parts of southern England outside the diocese of Canterbury. For administrative purposes, these parishes were formed into eight deaneries: the Arches (city of London parishes); Bocking (Essex and Suffolk), Croydon (Middlesex and Surrey); Monks Risborough (Bucks., and Oxon.), Pagham, South Malling, and Tarring (Sussex), and Shoreham (Kent). From the abolition of peculiar jurisdictions in 1845, some of the Kent and Surrey parishes were incorporated within the diocese of Canterbury, while others were transferred to the diocese in which they were geographically located (ie. city of London to the diocese of London).

Deanery of the Arches

Thirteen parishes in the city of London, exempt from the bishop of London. Some of the churches were united with other churches which were not exempt - the latter have been noted in brackets.

All Hallows, Bread Street w. St. John the Evangelist, Watling Street
All Hallows, Lombard Street
St. Dionis Backchurch
St. Dunstan-in-the-East
St. Leonard, Eastcheap w. (St. Benet, Gracechurch)
St. Mary Aldermary w. St. Thomas the Apostle
St. Mary Bothaw w. (St. Swithin)
St. Mary-le-Bow w. (St. Pancras, Soper Lane, and All Hallows, Honey Lane)
St. Michael, Crooked Lane
St. Michael Paternoster Royal w. (St. Martin Vintry)
St. Vedast, Foster Lane w. (St. Michael-le-Querne)

Deanery of Croydon

With the exception of four parishes in Middlesex (Harrow, Hayes, Norwood and Pinner), all the parishes were in Surrey. The Middlesex parishes were exempt from the bishop of London and the Surrey parishes from the bishop of Winchester.

Barnes
Burstow
Charlwood
Cheam
Croydon
East Horsley
Harrow w. Harrow Weald chapelry
Hayes
Merstham
Mortlake
Newington (Newington Butts)
Norwood
Pinner
Putney
Roehampton
Walworth
Wimbledon

Deanery of Shoreham

Parishes in Kent, exempt from the bishop of Rochester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury. Here is a map of the Deanery (use your back button to return to this page).

Bexley w. Bexley Heath
Brasted
Chevening
Chiddingstone
Cliffe
Crayford
Darenth
Downe
East Malling
East Farleigh
East Peckham
Eynsford
Farningham
Gillingham w. Lydsing chapelry
Grain, St. James in the Isle of
Halstead
Hayes
Hever
Hunton
Ifield
Ightham
Keston
Knockholt
Meopham
Northfleet
Orpington
Otford
Penshurst
Riverhead
St. Mary Cray
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks Weald
Shoreham
Sundridge w. Ide Hill chapelry
Wrotham w. Plaxtol and Stansted chapelries

Deanery of Bocking

Parishes in Essex and Suffolk, exempt from the bishop of London and the bishop of Norwich respectively, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Bocking, Essex
Hadleigh, Suffolk
Monks Eleigh, Suffolk
Latchingdon w. Lawling, Essex
Moulton, Suffolk
Southchurch, Essex
Stisted, Essex

Deaneries of Pagham and Tarring

Parishes in Sussex, exempt from the bishop of Chichester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Bersted
Bognor
Chichester, All Saints Pallant
East Lavant
Pagham
Patching
Slindon
Tangmere
West Tarring w. Heene and Durrington

Deanery of South Malling

Parishes in west Sussex, exempt from the bishop of Chichester, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Buxted w. Uckfield chapelry
Cliffe (St. Thomas at Cliffe in Lewes)
Edburton
Framfield
Glynde
Isfield
Lindfield
Mayfield
Ringmere
South Malling
Stanmer w. Falmer
Wadhurst

Deanery of Monks Risborough

Parishes in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, originally exempt from the bishop of Lincoln, and under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Halton
Little Brickhill
Newington
Risborough
Wootton Underwood

Diocese of London

The boundaries of the diocese of London were changed a number of times during the 19th century. Until 1845, the diocese composed most of the parishes in Middesex, the city of London parishes (excluding the thirteen parishes in the peculiar of the Arches), a substantial number of parishes in Hertfordshire, and the four parishes of Aston Abbots, Grandborough, Little Horwood, and Winslow in Buckinghamshire. The abolition of the exempt jurisdictions in 1845 brought into the diocese of London the parishes in the city of London and some parishes in Middlesex and Surrey which were formerly peculiars of the archbishop. At the same time the diocese gained various Kent parishes just south of the Thames (Charlton, Deptford, Eltham, Greenwich, Lee, Lewisham, Plumstead, and Woolwich) and retained nine Essex parishes just north of the river (Barking, Chingford, East and West Ham, Little Ilford, Low Leyton, Wanthamstow, Wanstead, and Woodford). The remainder of Essex was temporarily transferred to the see of Rochester. London also lost its parishes in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Under the London Diocese Act of 1863 and the Diocese of St. Albans Act of 1875, provisions were made for the future removal of the Essex, Kent and Surrey parishes from the diocese of London. In 1877 the diocese of London was confined to the county of Middlesex, including the cities of London and Middlesex.

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