Bishop of London - History

History

Because the bishop's diocese includes the royal palaces and the seat of government at Westminster, he has been regarded as the "King's bishop" and has historically had considerable influence with members of the Royal Family and leading politicians of the day. Since 1748 it has been customary to appoint the Bishop of London to the post of Dean of the Chapel Royal, which has the amusing effect of putting under the bishop's jurisdiction, as dean, several chapels (at the Tower of London and St. James's Palace, among others) which are geographically in the Diocese of London but, as royal peculiars, are specifically outside the bishop's jurisdiction as bishop.

The recorded antiquity of the office dates back to the Roman province of Britannia when 16 named bishops are listed by Jocelyne of Furness in his work Bishops. Stowe noted that this was the sole available source of these names. However, the earlier of the two bishops named Restitutus in the work was alive in 314, the year in which he was named as attending the Council of Arles. The Saxon bishopric of which the present diocese is the direct successor was established in 604 by Mellitus, the same year as St Paul's Cathedral (and also the Diocese of Rochester) were founded.