Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle - History and Formation

History and Formation

The Diocese of Hexham was revived in 1850 by decree of Pope Pius IX, restoring the Catholic hierarchy to England and Wales. Although the ancient See of Hexham was founded in 678 it had later lapsed. Together with the See of Lindisfarne, founded by Saint Aidan, Hexham formed the main part of the Northumbrian kingdom's ecclesiastical structure. Among the early bishops elected to the see in 684 was Saint Cuthbert, the present-day patron of the modern diocese, and, later, Acca of Hexham.

The modern diocese was expanded to include the title of Newcastle in 1861. The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, originally under the metropolitan See of Westminster, became part of the new Province of Liverpool (often referred to as the 'Northern Province') in 1911.

On the restoration of the diocese in 1850, Pius IX appointed Bishop William Hogarth, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, to be the first bishop of the diocese. The Parish Church of Saint Mary, Newcastle upon Tyne, designed by Augustus Welby Pugin was selected as the seat for the new bishop, gaining cathedral status.

In 1924, Pope Pius XI withdrew the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, in order to incorporate them into a newly-created Diocese of Lancaster. For this reason, Lancaster Diocese still considers St Cuthbert as one of its principal patrons. Other territory was taken from the Archdiocese of Liverpool to form the new see.

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