Bishop of London
third most senior bishop of the Church of England
The bishop of London is diocesan bishop of the diocese of London in the Church of England. The bishop's seat, or cathedra, is at St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. The diocese covers most of northern and western Greater London north of the River Thames and the district of Spelthorne in Surrey, an area approximately corresponding to the City and the historic county of Middlesex.
The bishop is third in seniority in the Church of England after the archbishops of Canterbury and York, and is one of five bishops who have an automatic right to sit as one of the 26 Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. Since 1723 it has also been customary for the bishop to be appointed dean of the Chapel Royal. Historically, the bishop's residence was Fulham Palace. Since 1973, other residences in central London have been used, including The Old Deanery near St Paul's Cathedral. The bishop has had direct episcopal oversight in the Two Cities area (the City of London and the City of Westminster) since the institution of the London area scheme in 1979.
The bishopric is currently vacant after the 134th bishop, Sarah Mullally, was translated to Canterbury on 28 January 2026.
History
The first mention of Christianity in England comes from Tertullian, possibly writing in the early 200s, but the first mention of an implied church in London relates to a Bishop of London, either Restitus or Aldephius, attending the Council of Arles in 314 AD.
The location of Londinium's original cathedral is uncertain.
The public source identifies “Bishop of London” as third most senior bishop of the Church of England. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bishop, London and third.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bishop of London”, the useful work is to connect “third most senior bishop of the Church of England” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1587771. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1723, 1973, 1979 and 2026.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bishop of London”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bishop of London primary sources, Bishop of London archive and Bishop research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bishop of London”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bishop of London” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.