The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in South-East England and forms part of the Province of Canterbury. It is an ancient diocese, having been established in 604; only the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury is older in the Church of England.
The Rochester diocese includes 268 churches with parishes in:
- the western part of the county of Kent
- the London Borough of Bexley
- the London Borough of Bromley
The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries:
- Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley (Archdeacon: The Venerable Paul Wright)
- Archdeaconry of Rochester (Archdeacon: The Venerable Simon Burton-Jones)
- Archdeaconry of Tonbridge (Archdeacon: The Venerable Clive Mansell)
The current diocesan boundaries roughly match its pre-19th century extent. On 1 January 1846 the Hertfordshire territories from the diocese of Lincoln and of London and Essex (from the London diocese) were added to Rochester. In 1877 Essex and Hertfordshire became the new Diocese of St Albans. Meanwhile, on 1 August 1877, Rochester diocese gained part of the Diocese of Winchester, in northern Surrey, which became an independent Diocese of Southwark in 1905.
The Bishop of Rochester is currently the Right Reverend James Langstaff. The suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Tonbridge, is currently the Right Reverend Brian Castle.
Famous quotes containing the word rochester:
“The clog of all pleasure, the luggage of life,
Is the best can be said for a very good wife.”
—John Wilmot, Earl Of Rochester (1647–1680)